Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President, I sat me down

To send you greetings from my home town

And send you best wishes from all the friends I know

In Texas, Alabama, and Ohio and unaffiliated.

I'm an ordinary guy, worked most of my life

Sometime I'll settle down with my kids and wife

And I like to see a movie, or take a little drink

And I like being free to say what I think

Sorta runs in the family,

My grandpa crossed the ocean for the same reason.

Now, I hate Hitler, and I can tell you why

He's caused lots of good folks to suffer and die

He's got a way of shovin' folks around

I figger it's about time we slapped him down.

Give him a dose of his own medicine. Lead poison!

Now, Mr. President

We haven't always agreed in the past, I know

But that ain't at all important now

What is important is what we got to do

We got to lick Mr. Hitler, and until we do

Other things can wait.

In other words, first we've got a skunk to skin.

War means overtime, and higher prices

But we're all willing to make sacrifices

Hell, I'd even stop fightin' with my mother-in-law

Cause we need her too, to win the war, ol' battle-axe.

Now, as I think of our great land

With its cities, and towns, and farming land

With its so many good people a-working every day

I know it ain't perfect, but it will be someday

Just give us a little time.

This is the reason that I want to fight

Not 'cause everything's perfect, or everything's right

No, it's just the opposite: I'm fightin' because

I want a better America, and better laws

And better homes, and jobs, and schools

And no more Jim Crow, and no more rules, like

"You can't ride on this train 'cause you're a Negro."

"You can't live here 'cause you're a Jew."

"You can't work here 'cause you're a union man."

There's a line keeps runnin' through my head,

I think it was somethin' Joe Louis once said,

Said, "There's a lot of things wrong,

But Hitler won't help 'em."

Now, Mr. President

You're commander-in-chief of our armed forces

The ships and the planes and the tanks and the horses

I guess you know best just where I can fight

All I want to be is situated right

To do the most damage.

I never was one to try and shirk

And let the other fellow do all of the work.

So when the time comes, I'll be on hand

And I can make good use of these two hands.

Quit playing this banjo around with the boys

And exchange it for something that makes more noise.

So, Mr. President

We got this one big job to do,

That's lick Mr. Hitler and when we're through

Let no one else ever take his place

To trample down the human race.

So what I want is you to give me a gun

So we can hurry up and get the job done!