John Brown
State Radio Lyrics


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John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama's face broke out all in a grin.

"Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home."

As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.

Oh! Good old-fashioned war!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train.
Your son's a-coming home from the war."

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!

Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.

"Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.

"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."

"Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
I'm a-tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."

Oh! Lord! Just like mine!

"And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."

As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand.




But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to State Radio's song "John Brown" depict a poignant story about a young man named John Brown who goes off to war, much to the pride of his mother. The first verse describes his mother's admiration for her son in his military uniform, and how she believes he will come home decorated with medals. However, as time passes, the letters from John become less frequent until they cease altogether. Eventually, a letter arrives announcing John's return, but when his mother goes to meet the train, she is confronted with the devastating reality of war.


When John's mother sees him, she is shocked and horrified by the extent of his injuries. His face is disfigured, and his hand is blown off. He now relies on a metal brace around his waist for support. John tries to communicate with his mother, but his speech is impaired, and she turns away in anguish. John then reminisces about his experiences in the war, how he was initially eager to fight and make his mother proud. However, he soon realizes the grim reality of combat, seeing his enemy as someone who resembles him. The profound impact of this realization is intensified when a cannonball blinds him.


In the end, John walks away, leaving his shocked mother behind, but before he does, he gives her his medals. This gesture symbolizes his disillusionment with the war and the recognition that these medals hold no value in the face of the immense human suffering and loss caused by conflict.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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