Outside Looking In

They rallied to their country’s call,

Like their daddies did before,

But a half a world away

They found a different kind of war,

Where friends and foe were all the same,

The point of it they couldn’t see;

Assaulting objectives aimlessly,

And dying in a place they shouldn’t be.

They’re on the outside looking in,

The families of our former fighting men,

Abandoned in a war we wouldn’t win,

They’re on the outside looking in.

Pulled from farm and factory,

Young and green and ill-prepared,

Still, they fought with bravery

Just as though their nation cared,

Clinging to their failing faith,

Lessons there were cruelly learned,

Though they gave of all they had,

Their loyalty was not returned.

They’re on the outside looking in,

The families of our former fighting men,

Abandoned in a war we wouldn’t win,

They’re on the outside looking in.

While they did their time in hell,

Counting up the daily dead,

Men who looked out for themselves

Stayed at home and got ahead.

Then came the final perfidy,

To decency we must be blind,

So we could get on with our lives,

We left our finest men behind.

They’re on the outside looking in,

The families of our former fighting men,

Abandoned in a war we wouldn’t win,

They’re on the outside looking in.

David Martin

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