A southern boy by unhappy chance
I was too young to understand
I wanted to make my papa proud
Didn’t much care what the war was about

When the states began dividing
I took my place as a fighter
Became right hand of a great man
Number one soldier under Jackson’s command

And I was brave on the front lines
Tried to save face as I let men die

Time went on
And it got bloody
And I stayed strong
I did my duty
Black and white, I watched them fall
Tried to tell myself it was all their fault

And we were righteous
In our fury
And stand beside us
Or be buried
I heard their cries
And in my mind I couldn’t escape those eyes
Those eyes just like mine
In a war full of lies
Who can choose the right side?

Oh mercy, please remember me
I’ve felt a love for the enemy
Gods and heathens
Are we men or demons?

Oh mercy, cleanse these hands of mine
Wash away the blood from this land,
‘Cause I don’t think this is what we meant by freedom

And so I marched onto that field
A heavy heart, a gun to weild
But something inside me had changed
I couldn’t bring myself to keep killing this way

So I layed my arms down in that valley
And Gettysburgh could do without me
I headed for the hills
Before I got far, I heard a thunderous sound
I fell to straight to the ground
Oh papa are you proud, are you proud now?

Oh mercy, please remember me
I’ve felt a love for the enemy
Gods and heathens
Are we men or demons?

Oh mercy, cleanse these hands of mine
Wash away the blood from this land,
‘Cause I don’t think this is what we meant by freedom

Oh mercy, please remember me
I’ve felt a love for the enemy
Gods and heathens
Are we men or demons?

Oh mercy, cleanse these hands of mine
Wash away the blood from this land,
‘Cause I don’t think this is what we meant by freedom

Oh mercy, please remember me
I’ve felt a love for the enemy
Gods and heathens
Are we men or demons?

Oh mercy, cleanse these hands of mine
Wash away the blood from this land,
‘Cause I don’t think this is what we meant by freedom