the big parade
written by natalie merchant
performed by 10,000 maniacs
from the album Blind Man's Zoo

detroit to d.c. night train
capitol parts east
lone young man takes a seat
and by the rhythm of the rails
reading all his mother's mail from a city boy
in a jungle town postmarked saigon
he'll go live his mother's dream
join the slowest parade he'll ever see
her weight of sorrows
carried long and carried far
"take these, tommy, to the wall"

metro line to the mall site
with a tour of japanese
he's wandering and lost
until a vet in worn fatigues
takes him down to where they belong
near a soldier, an ex-marine
with a tatooed dagger and eagle
trembling, he bites his lip
beside a widow breaking down
she takes her purple heart
makes a fist, strikes the wall
all come to live a dream
to join the slowest parade they'll ever see
their weight of sorrows
carried long and carried far
are taken to the wall

it's 40 paces to the year that he was slain
his hand's slipping down the wall
for it's slick with rain
how would life have ever been the same
if this wall had carved in it one less name
but for christ's sake
he's been dead over 20 years
he leaves the letters asking
"who caused my mother's tears
was it washington or the viet cong"
slow deliberate steps are involved
he takes them away from the black granite wall
toward the other monuments so white and clean

oh, potomac
what you've seen
abraham had his war too
but an honest war
or so it's taught in school