Steve Earle - Johnny Come Lately

I'm an American, boys. I've come a long way
I was born and bred in the USA
So listen up close, I've get something to say
Boys, I'm buying this round
Well it took a Little while but we're in this fight
And we ain't going home 'til we've done what's right
We're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight
If I have to spend my last pound
When I first got to London it was pourin' down rain
Met a Iittle girl in the field canteen
Painted her name on the nose of my plane
Six more missions I'm gone
Well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might
Then the warden came around yelling "shut out the lights"
Death rainin' out of the London night
We made love 'til dawn

When Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
With a chest full of medals and a G.l. loan
They'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
When Johnny comes marching home

MY P-47 is a pretty good ship
She took a round coming cross the Channel last trip
I was thinking 'bout my baby and letting her rip
Always got me through so far
Well they can ship me all over this great big world
But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl
I'm taking her home with me one day, sir
Soon as we win this war

When Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
With a chest full of medals and a G.l. loan
They'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
When Johnny comes marching home

Now my granddaddy sang me this song
Told me about London when the Blitz was on
How he married Grandma and brought her back home
A hero throughout this land
Now I'm standing on a runway in San Diego
A couple o' Purple Hearts so I move a little slow
ain't nobody here, maybe nobody knows
About a place called Vietnam

Category:

Music

Tags:

• steve
• earle
• johnny
• come
• lately
• the
• pogues
• copperhead
• road

[Nosteratees]

I always like to think of Americans, Canadians, Aussies and Kiwis coming from the four corners of the world to help Britain in WW2 as being like 4 sons coming back to the family home to beat the shit out of a group of guys who were threatening their mother. I know I'm romanticising it a bit but it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

God bless all those who served. We are in your eternal debt.

[JNITLOST]

For the record, a lot of young Americans died a long way from home helping us beat the Nazis. Ordinary guys with mums and dads and girlfriends. Us Brits owe those ordinary guys from all over including the brave Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis, Indians, and all other commonwealth troops. Plus of course the brave Poles, Czecks, French and all other soldiers from oppressed and occupied nations!

Lost John

[GorterPoss]

@1946nimrod True, though technically the Germans continued their air raids into 1944. See Baby Blitz. Also Americans have never seen the race of a man in terms of fractions of an equation. This is fairly obvious, so spare us your math lesson.

[REED3341]

The people are instrument, and are held accountable for the rights and freedom of all.....

in WWI,WW11, etc and they pay the heavily to preserve it ideals. maybe the principal not

perfect, tell that to families we owe dearly, they are truly the guys. the ideals posted here

are a good example of that freedom...

[jasrogg]

Tears streaming down my face.

[Haklangr]

@zombiekiller117 Amen. I cannot approve of the Nazis, but neither can I say the good guys won WWII.

[1946nimrod]

@shadowolfblue Before D-Day, the South coast of England was the 'Front Line'. 15 mins flying time from here by P-47 and you're over Omaha Beach. The build up in early '44 was massive.The bases for strike aircraft (yours and ours!) were very temporary. As soon as a bridgehead was secure in Normandy the local airstrips were packed up and shipped over the Channel - you need your strike squadrons to be as close to the front line as possible. There's plenty of evidence of the old wartime bases left.

[shadowolfblue]

@1946nimrod Interesting information. Enlighten me with more. No, I am not being sarcastic, as I just want to know more about history and the people who made it.

[hap1951]

Just shut up and listen!!

[Andreus]

I'm British, and my parents played me this song when I was little. Always stuck in my mind and I've loved it ever since :D

[1946nimrod]

Much as I love this song, Steve could have have done a bit more homework. The London Blitz lasted from autumn '40 to spring '41, long before the 8thAAF came here. The P-47 first deployed in March '43. London has an East End and a West End but no North End. And the men of WW2 were the Fathers of the men of Vietnam, not their Grandfathers! All that apart, the melody is irresistable and stays at the top of MY heap. Small point - your President is no more - or less - black than he is white