I Remember
house griffin Lyrics

Well, my grandpa fought in World War 2, my uncle fought in ?Nam
The singer's grandpa and uncle were both soldiers who fought in different wars.

My father was too young, he went to school and met my mom
The singer's father was not old enough to fight, so he went to school and eventually met the singer's mother.

And her dad always told us stories around dinner time
The singer's mother's father would share stories with the family during dinner time.

And there's one he told when I was young that sticks out in my mind
One story in particular that the artist's grandfather shared stands out in the artist's memory.

He said, 10 years after daddy taught me about the birds and bees
The grandfather is telling a story from when he was a young boy, 10 years after he learned about sex from his father.

I was stranded in Pearl Harbor fighting off the Japanese
The grandfather was fighting in Pearl Harbor during World War II when the Japanese attacked.

When the kamikaze pilots came and dove in without warning
The grandfather specifically remembers the kamikaze pilots attacking without warning during the Pearl Harbor attack.

I was on the Arizona on a warm December morning
The grandfather was stationed on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack.

I remember when I was a younger man
The artist is reflecting on his own memories of being a younger man.

We were solders fighting in a foreign land
The artist and his fellow soldiers were stationed in a foreign country.

Now I'm older and it?s happening again
The singer is older now, but he sees similar conflicts happening again in the present day.

It was hard to have forgiveness for the things they did that day
The grandfather found it difficult to forgive the Japanese for what happened during the Pearl Harbor attack.

And our president decided we should make their people pay
The US President at the time decided to retaliate against Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor.

So we dropped on Nagasaki and we cut them down to size
The US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki during World War II.

And the one we dropped on Hiroshima left them vaporized
The US also dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II, which resulted in many casualties.

And I heard some Christians say, ?What would Jesus do??
The artist heard some Christians question whether taking violent action is what Jesus would do.

What if you were on the wrong side, would he point the gun at you?
The artist wonders if Jesus would have opposed him if he had been fighting for the other side of a conflict.

And they read through every word of Matthew, Mark and Luke and John
Some Christians study the Gospels in an effort to determine what Jesus would do in different situations.

So they could see if killing was the side that Christ was on
These Christians are trying to determine whether Jesus would advocate for killing others in certain situations.

And they separate the church and state and keep God out of schools
There is a separation of church and state in the US, and religious expression is not allowed in schools.

So our governments can educate based upon their rules
The US government has its own education system that operates independently of religious institutions.

But people start to wonder if our politics make sense
Some people are questioning whether our political system is effective or logical.

When religion is our best excuse for national defense
Religion is sometimes used as a justification for military action.

And when our citizens start saying that our wars are not okay
Many people are starting to speak out against the US engaging in wars.

And Washington keeps telling them, ?God loves the USA?
Despite opposition to war, the US government still promotes patriotism and invokes religion to justify its actions.

And they teach us history so we can learn from our mistakes
History is studied so that we can avoid repeating past mistakes.

And this generation wants to know how many years it takes
Young people want to know how long it will take for society to change its ways and stop engaging in violent conflict.

To change the way we treat our neighbors all across the land
The artist hopes that society will eventually treat everyone with respect and compassion, regardless of where they come from.

?Cause if we don't change our hearts, we repeat the past again
If our attitudes and actions do not change, history will repeat itself and we will continue to engage in violent conflict with others.

When my grandpa finished talking, we went walking he and I
After his grandfather finished telling stories, the singer and his grandfather went for a walk together.

I was thinking of the future and how scared I was to die
The singer was contemplating his own mortality and was scared of dying in the future.

Now my best friend?s overseas in the desert where it?s dry
The artist's best friend is currently serving in the military, stationed in a desert region overseas.

Fighting for our country and I need a reason why
The artist is struggling to understand why his friend is fighting in a foreign conflict.

Now we're older, God bring him home again
The artist and his friend are both older now, and the artist is praying for his friend's safe return home.