Written by Nick Ireland
Janey and I got married
In the fall of '84
Before our luck went cold
And the times got hard
Later that year
Little Johnny came along
So begins my story
So begins my song
Forced from the fast-flowing freeway
By a stormy wind
Now this mud is thick
That I'm spinnin' in
Forced to the backroads
Just tryin' to make our way
Forced to blow with the tumbleweeds
In the dust of the day
But once I was promised a city on a hill
Is it moving or is it still?
Like a mirage, gleaming
Is it there or am I American dreaming?
Then one day, the sun came falling down
So many voices silenced in a firery cloud
With anger and fear Little Johnny
Signed the blood-stained line
Answered his call and joined Company 49
The voice on the radio came calling me
I'm taking you blood with good reason
Can't you see?
Across the wire, the words were hard to say
Johnny's in the dunes of a hell
In a land far away
Now the life that I live is the price that I pay
Always cloudy on a sunny day
Now there's one more flag never again to fly
Left wanderin' in the fog, wonderin' why
