King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half-alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean
Simon was drafted in sixty-three
In sixty-four, sent over the sea
Last month this letter he sent to me
He said "You won't like what I'm sayin'"
He said "We've no friends here
No hardly a one
We've got a few generals who
Just want our guns
But it'll take more than that
If we're ever to win
Why we'll have to flatten the country"
"It's my own troops I have
To watch out for", he said
"I sleep with a pistol right under my head"
He wrote this last month
Last week he was dead
And Simon came home in a casket
I mind my own business, I watch my TV
Complain about taxes but pay anyway
In a civilized manner my forefathers betrayed
Who long ago struggled for freedom
But each day a new headline
Screams at my bluff
On TV some general says "We must be tough"
In my dreams I stare at this family I love
All gutted and spattered with napalm
King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean
King Henry Video (MV)
Pete Seeger - King Henry Lyrics
Official
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King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half-alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean
Simon was drafted in sixty-three
In sixty-four, sent over the sea
Last month this letter he sent to me
He said "You won't like what I'm sayin'"
He said "We've no friends here
No hardly a one
We've got a few generals who
Just want our guns
But it'll take more than that
If we're ever to win
Why we'll have to flatten the country"
"It's my own troops I have
To watch out for", he said
"I sleep with a pistol right under my head"
He wrote this last month
Last week he was dead
And Simon came home in a casket
I mind my own business, I watch my TV
Complain about taxes but pay anyway
In a civilized manner my forefathers betrayed
Who long ago struggled for freedom
But each day a new headline
Screams at my bluff
On TV some general says "We must be tough"
In my dreams I stare at this family I love
All gutted and spattered with napalm
King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half-alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean
Simon was drafted in sixty-three
In sixty-four, sent over the sea
Last month this letter he sent to me
He said "You won't like what I'm sayin'"
He said "We've no friends here
No hardly a one
We've got a few generals who
Just want our guns
But it'll take more than that
If we're ever to win
Why we'll have to flatten the country"
"It's my own troops I have
To watch out for", he said
"I sleep with a pistol right under my head"
He wrote this last month
Last week he was dead
And Simon came home in a casket
I mind my own business, I watch my TV
Complain about taxes but pay anyway
In a civilized manner my forefathers betrayed
Who long ago struggled for freedom
But each day a new headline
Screams at my bluff
On TV some general says "We must be tough"
In my dreams I stare at this family I love
All gutted and spattered with napalm
King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran
Red through the land
The year fifteen hundred and twenty
The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half alive
Just keep your mouth shut while
The planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean