Soldiers who wanna be heroes
Number practically zero
But there are millions
Who wanna be civilians

Come and take my eldest son
Show him how to shoot a gun
Wipe his eyes if he starts to cry
When the bullets fly

Give him a rifle, take his hoe
Show him a field where he can go
To lay his body down and die
Without asking why

Soldiers who wanna be heroes
Number practically zero
But there are millions
Who wanna be civilians

Sticks and stones can break your bones
Even names can hurt you
But the thing that hurts the most
Is when a man deserts you
Don't you think it's time to weed
The leaders that no longer lead
From the people of the land
Who'd like to see their sons again?

Soldiers who wanna be heroes
Number practically zero
But there are millions
Who wanna be civilians

God, if men could only see
The lessons taught by history
That all the singers of this song
Cannot right a single wrong

Let all men of good will
Stay in the fields they have to till
Feed the mouths they have to fill
And cast away their arms

Soldiers who wanna be heroes
Number practically zero
But there are millions
Who wanna be civilians

Lyrics/Tune: Rod McKuen