We met as soul mates on Parris Island

We left as inmates from an asylum

And we were sharp as sharp as knives

And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives

We came in spastic, like tame-less horses

We left in plastic as numbered corpses

And we learned fast to travel light

Our arms were heavy, but our bellies were tight

We had no home front, we had no soft soap

They sent us Playboy, they gave us Bob Hope

We dug in deep and shot on sight

And prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might

We had no cameras to shoot the landscape

We passed the hash pipe and played our Doors tapes

And it was dark, so dark at night

And we held on to each other, like brother to brother

We promised our mothers we'd write

And we would all go down together

Remember Charlie, remember Baker

They left their childhood on every acre

And who was wrong? And who was right?

It didn't matter in the thick of the fight

We held the day in the palm of our hands

They ruled the night, and the night

Seemed to last as long as six weeks

On Parris Island

We held the coastline, they held the highlands

And they were sharp, as sharp as knives

They heard the hum of our motors, they counted the rotors

And waited for us to arrive

And we will all go down together