Red Ball Express

I jumped straight at it when I had the chance,

I joined the army and I went to France

At Roosevelt's request.

Two weeks of sitting in the mud

Made me lie to the man that I could drive a truck

For the Red Ball Express.

All we do is keep it rolling on

Trading bodies for petroleum

Heating rations on the manifold

And never sleep enough to dream about home

Benzedrined and looking through cat eyes

Of a deuce and a half and a days supply

Of jerry cans in back

Aint no secret how the generals felt.

"Fuck the men they can eat their belts

but the tanks they must have gas"

All we do is keep it rolling on

Trading bodies for petroleum

Heating rations on the manifold

And never sleep enough to dream about home

The gears are sticking and the pressure's low

I felt the bump that means its time to go

Another twenty miles.

Thirty-six hours and I still ain't slept

I'm hearing voices talk inside my head

In Burma Shaving rhyme

All we do is keep it rolling on

Trading bodies for petroleum

Heating rations on the manifold

Even now I've never felt that old

Because fifty years later and you don't forget

Being eighteen and scared to death

In a world that's changing fast

Now my own son sends his own son off

To fight the next fight to be fought

And the Red Ball brings me back..