Captain, Captain I'll follow gladly My country's honour to uphold But sir tell me Is it the duty of the young to die to save the old My mamma's home She's softly crying She prays long for me at night My father walks around so proudly But inside he's bent with fright Sister smiles at all the young men She doesn't know what war's about My little brother plays at soldiers All too soon he'll find out Captain, Captain I'll follow gladly My country's honour to uphold But sir tell me Is it the duty of the young to die to save the old World War One killed my grandfather My uncle died in World War Two No-one died in Korea I guess the family's overdue I want to live to get back home sir Get a job, live quietly I want to find a girl to love me Settle down, raise a family Captain, Captain I'll follow gladly My country's honour to uphold But sir tell me Is it the duty of the young to die to save the old