[Intro]
Smoke in my lungs
Sirens in my sleep
Mama said "be strong"
But the strong still bleed (yeah)
[Verse 1]
Boot prints in the mud by the playground fence
War on the screen, now it’s in my head
Teacher talkin’ peace with her hands both shaking
I’m drawing tanks in the margins instead
Brother got a call, now his room stays quiet
Dog still waits by the front door mat
Folded up flag in a glass cold frame
Tell me what kind of honor feels like that
[Chorus]
We were just kids in a world war
Names on a list, not a scoreboard
Prayin’ we make it to next year
But the fight keeps draggin’ right back here
Boys built for battle, hearts on the floor
Trading our futures for somebody’s war
If I make it home, what was it all for?
We were just kids in a world war (world war)
[Verse 2]
Rations on the table, dad skipped dinner
Said he “wasn’t hungry,” I know that lie
Bills like bullets on the kitchen counter
Another red stamp, another “final” line
News talk loud, but they don’t talk about us
PTSD in a paper cup
Pills for the panic, prayers for the damage
Still wake up shootin’ at shadows at dusk (yeah)
[Chorus]
We were just kids in a world war
Names on a list, not a scoreboard
Prayin’ we make it to next year
But the fight keeps draggin’ right back here
Boys built for battle, hearts on the floor
Trading our futures for somebody’s war
If I make it home, what was it all for?
We were just kids in a world war (world war)
[Bridge]
Tell me who wins
When everyone’s haunted
Medals in boxes
Dreams all discarded
We learned to aim
But never to heal
Taught how to follow
Forgot how to feel (feel)
[Verse 3]
Writing this note in a dim small barrack
Gun by the bed like a guilty friend
If I don’t see twenty, read this for me
Promise you’ll stop this before it spins again
Plant my tags where the wild grass grows
Let my name be a warning sign
Don’t send your sons just to break your daughters
’Cause some scared leader crossed a line (hey)
[Chorus]
We were just kids in a world war
Names on a list, not a scoreboard
Prayin’ we make it to next year
But the fight keeps draggin’ right back here
Boys built for battle, hearts on the floor
Trading our futures for somebody’s war
If I make it home, what was it all for?
We were just kids in a world war (world war)
[Outro]
Smoke in my lungs
Sirens in my sleep
If I wake up
Let it finally be peace (yeah)