John Doe
Code Lyrics

There was this wise man I once knew
John Doe was a wise man that the singer knew.

Who lived down my street a block or 2
John Doe lived on the same street as the singer.

In a back alley where the autumn leaves blew
John Doe lived in a secluded area with falling leaves.

A simple man with a heart so true
John Doe was a humble and honest man.

John Doe was a quiet man, who kept to himself and lived off the land
John Doe was a solitary man who lived off the land.

He panned his living with a rusty tin can
John Doe made a living by panning for resources.

Been living off the streets since Vietnam
John Doe has been homeless since returning from the Vietnam War.

When Johnny came marching home
Johnny returned home from the Vietnam War.

From the Vietnam war he was alone
Johnny came home alone after the Vietnam War.

Slapped with a label, he hid his face, the nightmare of war
Johnny was traumatized by the war and its aftermath.

Was one he couldn't erase, when Johnny came marching home
Johnny could not forget the horrors of war upon his return home.

(He said) I can't let go, I can't forget
Johnny was unable to forget the traumatic experiences he had in the war.

25 years later, that smell I still remember
25 years later, the singer still remembers the smell of war.

As I watched so many young men lose their lives, on that battlefield
The singer witnessed many young soldiers dying.

To Vietnam they sent us barely, old enough they placed us
Soldiers barely old enough were sent to Vietnam by the government.

On the front lines in a land we had no place...We had no place!!!
The soldiers had no place being on the front lines in Vietnam.

On the day I left that battlefield, I might as well have died
The day the singer left the battlefield was as traumatic as dying.

Because nothing in my life this far, has ever felt quite right
The singer felt that nothing in life had felt the same since the war.

And each and everyday I try to pick the pieces up
The singer tries to put the pieces of his life back together every day.

But the pieces never seem to fit, the pain becomes too much
The singer is unable to overcome the pain of his experiences.

It's hard to describe, so hard to relate, it's hard letting go
It is difficult for the singer to discuss his experiences and let go of the pain.

When you can't escape
The singer cannot escape his memories of the war.

To think that when we came home our country turned its back
The singer felt that the country abandoned the soldiers when they returned home.

And labeled us all murderers, spit on us, spit on us and laughed
The soldiers were labeled as murderers and treated disrespectfully.

He spoke with such convicting words, I felt like I was there
The singer was moved by John's words and felt as though he was there.

A simple frail and shattered soul, the soldier never dies he sang
John was a broken soul, but he believed that soldiers never truly die.

I thought about how it must feel to watch all your friends die
The singer imagined how it must feel to witness the death of friends in war.

So far away so far from home, fighting wars we had no place!
The soldiers were fighting wars in a foreign land where they did not belong.