The Girl from Vietnam

I bet you thought you were going to get a shock out of us
Do what?--Give me a heart attack
Father's out in back right now firing at melons
With his new shotgun
And what makes you think, huh--
What makes you think
That he's not going to turn himself around
And come in here
And aim that gun
Right at that girl?

Right
At her

And you think I'm supposed to do what?  Huh--
Stop him?  You think I would?
You think I can?
Hell, he gets to shooting
He might just turn that gun on you and me too
And let him--let him
Not like I got much to live for

The Vietnamese take one son of mine away from me
And the other comes home holding the hand of one of their girls
Like it was the easiest thing in the world

Problem is, huh, problem is
I raised you boys too soft

Y'father always said it
But I didn't listen
'Cause you was my two little princes
And I was going to spoil you
As I saw fit

And what happened?

The Lord had his say
He certainly did, didn't he?

Taught me a lesson

'Cause Billy couldn't fight worth a damn
Barely made it off the plane
Before they was bringing him back in a body bag
And you--YOU--the lucky one
You who always had to love everybody
And had to have everybody love you
Even the people who didn't matter
You--come back here--with this

This girl

She pregnant?

Huh?

'Cause if she's pregnant
I suggest you send her back home
And the kid with her
Because no baby around here
Hell, no baby in the U.S.A.
Is going to be born of a Vietnamese mother
And a boy from Alabama
And have any kind of life

God, how I prayed
I prayed and I prayed and I prayed
For you to come back
Especially when I heard about Billy

I said Lord, just let me keep one then
If I can't have both
Just let me keep one

And what'd the Lord do?

He laughed at me

Laughed out loud

I thought I heard thunder one night
But never saw any rain
And that musta been why

I thought maybe it was saying you were dead too
That I lost the both of you
That I had two dead sons
Instead of just one

And now you're sitting here
With this girl
And I guess maybe it was saying that

I guess maybe I was right
After all