[Verse 1] It usually starts with “Hey, watch this,” Which should've been our first red flag, Some Lance Corporal found a shopping cart And somebody found a hill out back. “Hold my beer, I know what I'm doing,” Were the final words of the plan, Thirty seconds later we're dragging him home With the wheel still stuck in his hand. “Don't tell Gunny” meant Gunny knew Before we made it through the door, “Nobody saw that” meant half the bricks Were already keeping score. Years later someone asks what happened, We get halfway through and stare— Then start laughing like fucking idiots. You had to be there. [Chorus] YOU HAD TO BE THERE! That's all that I can say, It wasn't fucking funny— But we're laughing anyway. Cold, exhausted, soaking wet, Running mostly on a dare, It doesn't make a goddamn bit of sense— YOU HAD TO BE THERE! [Verse 2] “Trust me” meant don't fucking trust him, “I know a guy” meant run, “What's the worst that could happen?” Meant the damage had begun. “Technically...” meant somebody found A loophole we could use, “It's probably fine” meant stand the fuck back— We're about to make the news. “It'll buff” meant no, it wouldn't, “We can fix it” meant we can't, “For training purposes” meant somebody Had just completely fucked the plan. Then came that sacred explanation When somebody asked us why— “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” And somehow that would fly. [Chorus] YOU HAD TO BE THERE! That's all that I can say, It wasn't fucking funny— But we're laughing anyway. Cold, exhausted, soaking wet, Running mostly on a dare, It doesn't make a goddamn bit of sense— YOU HAD TO BE THERE! [Verse 3] But some nights weren't about the stupid, There was nothing much to tell, Just four Marines in some fighting hole Cold and tired as hell. Three A.M. and barely talking, Too damn smoked to even care, Then one dumb comment broke the silence— And we fucking lost it there. Couldn't breathe and couldn't tell you What was funny if we tried, Just exhausted fucking idiots Laughing till somebody cried. No punchline worth remembering, No story anyone would share— But twenty years later, I still smile. You had to be there. [Chorus] YOU HAD TO BE THERE! That's all that I can say, It wasn't fucking funny— But we're laughing anyway. Cold, exhausted, soaking wet, Running mostly on a dare, Some of the best times made no fucking sense— YOU HAD TO BE THERE! [Verse 4] We counted down to E-A-S, Swore we'd never miss that place, Every field op fucking sucked, Every formation was a waste. We bitched about the chow hall, The barracks and the rain, Said once we got our freedom We'd never look back again. Then somehow years start passing, And those stories come around, Some names show up less often, Some ain't coming back around. And someone asks why we'd ever miss A life we couldn't wait to leave— I miss the fucking assholes. That's the part that's hard to explain. [Final Chorus] YOU HAD TO BE THERE! I wish that I could say Why the worst days of our lives Are the ones we miss today. Why freezing in some fighting hole Beats anywhere I've been since then, Why men I haven't seen in years Are still my closest fucking friends. I could tell you all the stories, Every stupid fucking dare, But if you ask me why it mattered— YOU HAD TO BE THERE. [Outro] “Hey, watch this...” “Hold my beer...” “Trust me...” “Don't tell Gunny...” “Seemed like a good idea at the time...” Yeah. It usually did. We were young, We were stupid, We were loud, And we were there. Semper Fye, brothers. You had to be there.
