The Veteran - Allan Taylor, Eberhard Weber, Frank Fiedler

I saw the echo of a thousand wars

In the face of the man

As he looked out over the watching crowd

Searching for a friend

Sometimes he would see a face

But then each face looks the same

Like looking into a mirror

And reading a different name

A different name …

He learned his lesson early

A confirmation under fire

Now his eyes stare into the distance

Like a prisoner bhind the wire

We ar lucky in our fortune

We can turn the other way

But the veteran fights again at night

And struggles through the day

Through the day …

When you sing do you sing for the man who’s broken

Do you sing for the man who stands alone

Do you sing for the endless list of names

Etched in marble stone

Etched in marble stone

He came back an addict

He came back a drunk

He came back a cripple

Or pieces in a trunk

He came back a hero

To a waving flag parade

He was left with nothing

When the glory began to fade

Began to fade …

So what do you say to the veteran

Who can’t take it anymore

You guard your words, you hold it back

And talk of anything but the war

Just reach out over the distance

And let him know you’re there

And hope he hasn’t gone too far

Or forgotten how to care

How to care …

When you sing do you sing for the man who’s broken

Do you sing for the man who stands alone

Do you sing for the endless list of names

Etched in marble stone

Etched in marble stone