Private First Class Lyrics

Private Manning standing in a court room
Pleading guilty; he shouldn't have to
Truth be told, he should be floating down
parade routes
But - the truth WAS told, and what good
did that do?

If it was you,
You might wish you'd been born a liar
A coward

His conscience barked as he watched
our Apache
Cowboy-kill civilian Iraqis
Their laughter rolled like tanks over bodies
He thought: "What if everyone could see
what I see?"

If it was you,
You might wish you'd been born a liar
A coward

9 months in a hole
3 years in a cage
For having a soul
The American way

If it was you,
You might wish you'd been born a liar
A coward
And not a hero

*Please Note: When Kevin performs this song live, he changes all of the pronouns to the female form due to Bradley Manning becoming Chelsea Manning. These lyrics reflect the song as it is heard on the album, not any live versions that may exist.*