Why him

Down on the bayou where the cypress knees bleed
We grew up barefoot, chasin’ garfish and dreams
Shaun and me, two Louisiana boys
Screamin’ “Geaux Tigers” with a dip in our lip, makin’ too much noise
Friday night lights on the field in Plaquemine
Bonfires on the levee, cold Dixie in our hands
We swore we’d die together if it came to that
Never thought the reaper’d come in a Silverado drunk off his ass
Chorus (raw, torn open)
God, why’d You take him?! WHY SHAUN AND NOT ME?!
He’s got a baby girl who’ll never know her daddy’s voice, never climb his knee!
Avery Renee’s cryin’ in an empty crib, reachin’ for arms that ain’t never comin’ back
While I’m still suckin’ air, still walkin’, still breathin’—and that’s crueler than Iraq!
I’d claw my way into that coffin right now, trade this beat-up heart for his
Put me under that Louisiana dirt on Highway 1, let him tuck his kids in, let him live!
I’m on my knees in this rice field mud screamin’ till my throat bleeds red
BRANG MY BROTHER HOME, JESUS—HE AIN’T SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!
The whole damn bayou’s hollow, the live oaks weep, the moon won’t even shine
Take me, Lord, TAKE ME—I can’t carry this missin’ him the rest of my goddamn life!
Verse 2
We stormed Fallujah together, bullets singin’ like mosquitoes in July
Watched good boys bleed out on red sand while we prayed not to die
Came home heroes, or so they said
Bought a little land outside Breaux Bridge, thought the war was finally dead
He coached Little League, wore that same damn grin
I stood up at his wedding when he married Kaylynn
Now her black dress hangs where his Marine blues used to be
And I’m screamin’ at the sky from the tailgate of my truck, beggin’ on my knees
(Chorus – even louder, voice breaking)
Marine Brotherhood Verse
We were 0311s, Devil Dogs, same platoon, same rack
He had my six in Ramadi when the whole world turned black
I dragged him out a burnin’ Amtrac, he pulled shrapnel outta my thigh
We pissed in the same Euphrates water and swore we’d never die
Tattooed the Eagle, Globe and Anchor the day we both turned gold
Semper Fi on our ribs, blood brothers in the desert cold
He laughed when I cried at the homecoming pier
Said, “Man up, boot, we made it—now let’s go get a beer”
I’d take every round we dodged, every IED that missed
If it meant one more crawfish boil with that sonofabitch
We were supposed to grow old spittin’ seeds on his porch
Tellin’ our kids war stories till our voices got hoarse
But the war didn’t take him—some drunk in a Dodge did
And now Dress Blues hang in his closet where his little girl once hid
Bridge (half-spoken, half-sobbed under dying accordion)
So take me instead, Lord; I’ve lived enough for two
I’ve held my kids, kissed my wife, done what Marines do
He never got to hear Avery laugh or teach her how to cast a line
Never got to grow old listenin’ to Wayne Toups at Festival Acadiens time
If You need a soul tonight, mine’s already torn
Send Shaun Michael back to Henderson, where he was born
Final Chorus (whispered at

male, female, Southern rock—raw, weathered, and full of soul,country, smooth