[Verse 1] Recruiter promised challenge, Pride and brotherhood, Travel to exotic places— Hell, that sounded fucking good. Never mentioned standing watch While freezing in the muck, But somewhere in the pouring rain I learned— EMBRACE THE SUCK. They'll tell you pain is temporary, That sounded pretty wise, Till we'd been awake for three damn days With sand behind our eyes. No sleep, no shower, no sympathy, No such thing as good luck— Somebody laughed and said the words: “JUST EMBRACE THE FUCKING SUCK.” [Chorus] EMBRACE THE SUCK! IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WE'RE IN THIS SHIT TOGETHER! Cold or hot, wet or tired, Out of patience, out of luck— You can bitch about it all you want, BUT YOU BETTER EMBRACE THE SUCK! [Verse 2] Dig a fighting hole by sunset, Make it deeper, make it wide, Camouflage the whole damn thing And pile the dirt off to the side. Gunny looks it over, nods his head, “Outstanding. Fill it up.” What? EMBRACE THE SUCK. Hurry up and get your gear on, Hurry up and form outside, Hurry up and load the seven-ton— Transportation got denied. Now we're sitting on our fucking packs, Nobody knows for what, But the word came down from somewhere: STAND BY. EMBRACE THE SUCK. [Chorus] EMBRACE THE SUCK! IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WE'RE IN THIS SHIT TOGETHER! Cold or hot, wet or tired, Out of patience, out of luck— You can bitch about it all you want, BUT YOU BETTER EMBRACE THE SUCK! [Verse 3] Summer turns your flak to ovens, Winter freezes every toe, Rain comes sideways through your sleeping bag No matter where you go. Your rifle weighs a fucking ton, Your knees have given up, Some asshole asks, “You having fun?” FUCK YOU. EMBRACE THE SUCK. Chow is cold, the coffee's empty, Someone lost the fucking key, Comm is down, the truck won't start, And Doc is looking worriedly. Nobody's coming here to save us, So quit waiting for the cavalry— We've got duct tape, hate and nicotine, THAT'S CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME. [Chorus] EMBRACE THE SUCK! IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WE'RE IN THIS SHIT TOGETHER! Cold or hot, wet or tired, Out of patience, out of luck— You can bitch about it all you want, BUT YOU BETTER EMBRACE THE SUCK! [Verse 4] It ain't pretending that it's pleasant. It ain't saying shit don't hurt. It ain't smiling while you're freezing With your face down in the dirt. It's looking at the bastard next to you Who's just as fucking stuck, And somehow finding something funny IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUCK. Because misery gets lighter When the whole platoon's pissed, And somehow every awful day Becomes a story on the list. You don't need some motivational Bullshit speech about being tough— Just get up, grab your fucking gear, AND EMBRACE THE SUCK. [Final Chorus] EMBRACE THE SUCK! IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WE'RE IN THIS SHIT TOGETHER! Cold or hot, wet or tired, When you've finally had enough— You'll be amazed what you can fucking take WHEN YOU LEARN TO EMBRACE THE SUCK! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WHEN THE WHOLE DAMN PLAN IS FUCKED! EMBRACE THE SUCK! WHEN YOU'RE COMPLETELY OUT OF LUCK! We can bitch and moan together, But when bitching ain't enough— SHUT THE FUCK UP, GRAB YOUR GEAR, AND EMBRACE THE FUCKING SUCK! [Outro] It won't make the rain stop. Won't make the sun less hot. Won't make the hump any shorter. Won't make the chow not suck. But look around. They're still here. You're still here. And whatever comes next— WE'LL FUCKING EMBRACE THE SUCK.
