In '68 I turned nineteen
Lost in the jungle of a distant land
Strapped to a gun, biggest I'd ever seen
Fighting with my buddies in the mud and sand
AJ couldn't take it got the shakes and cracked
Sniper took out Speedo's knee
Jimmy stole a jeep went AWOL and got sacked
They all got out months before me
And I'm goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
Goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
In '82 I was thirty-three
Pumping gas at an Exxon outside Roanoke
Late one night my mama called me
Daddy fell down, doctor said it was a stroke
He and I never saw eye to eye
His idea of fun involved fists and beer
Haven't seen him for a couple of years
But now he's gone so I'm out of here
And I'm goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
Goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
In 2001 I was fifty-two
My wife left me for her girlfriend Jean
Alone in a dive east of Baton Rouge
When the business went bust the IRS got mean
Speedo called to see if I was doin' ok
Jimmy called too, I said "don't make a fuss."
AJ had a camper where I could stay
They all chipped in, now I'm on a bus
And I'm goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
Goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
Some folks find home in the forest
Some find it on the deep blue sea
Some folks never find their home at all
Home is where my friends are there for me
AIDS took Jimmy man he got real sick
AJ checked out, put a bullet in his head
Speedo got lucky, cancer came on quick
Every one of my friends is dead
In 2020 I'll be seventy three
Doc says my kidney's shot, I know she's right
Smoking and liquor took their toll on me
I won't make it through another night
And I'm goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends
Goin' home, goin' home
Goin' home to my friends