[Intro] [Harmonica wail over driving banjo roll, stomp kick, 4 bars] [Verse 1] Fifth period, senior year, we watched them towers burn, Mayer punched a locker, said, "Well, boys, I guess it's our turn." Strip mall in May, 'tween the pawn shop and the Sun-N-Tan, Man in a pressed green uniform shook each sweaty hand. He laid out college money, and a bonus, and the world, Three boys from a feed-store town who'd barely kissed a girl. Mayer dared him, Jay signed first, and I signed 'cause Jay did, Man said, "Boys, you're heroes now," and we bought every bit. [Chorus] The recruiter was full of it, the preacher was too, The senator on Channel 4 who never laced a boot, And we were full of it, Lord, eighteen and bulletproof, Full of beer and Jesus and the red, white, and blue— Yeah, we were full of it. [Harmonica answer] [Verse 2] Baghdad, oh-three, a hundred twenty in the shade, Jay puked behind the Humvee on the first run that we made. Turns out movie heroes don't shake when the mortars come— We hugged the dirt and hollered for our mamas, every one. Mayer kept us sane with a can of dip and dirty jokes, Did his drill sergeant voice 'til the whole tent nearly choked. Wasn't for the flag out there, or the man on Channel 4, Just Jay on my left and Mayer on my right, and nothin' more. [Chorus] The recruiter was full of it, the preacher was too, The senator on Channel 4 who never laced a boot, And we were full of it, Lord, eighteen and bulletproof, Full of beer and Jesus and the red, white, and blue— Yeah, we were full of it. [Harmonica answer] [Instrumental Break] [Harmonica solo over banjo roll, 8 bars] [Bridge] [Half-time, banjo and kick only, near-spoken] They buried Jay last April, and a congressman flew in, Said "hero" fourteen times off a notecard, then flew out again. Mayer leaned in from the back pew: "That man's full of it, ain't he?" I said, "Hell, brother... so were we." [Beat of silence] [Final Chorus] [Full band, heavy stomps] The recruiter was full of it, the preacher was too, The senator on Channel 4 who never laced a boot, And we were full of it, Lord, and every word was true, Full of the boys we carried home, and the red, white, and blue— Yeah, we were full of it. [Instrumental Outro] [Band drops out, lone harmonica plays the hook melody once] [Final stomp hit, cut off] [End]
