Marilyn O'Malley
Original Music


NINETEEN

When I was 19, I marched until my feet bled
I lay my body down on Highway 101
I was protesting the war

Now here you are at 19, you march until your feet bleed
You throw your body down on the Georgia ground
And you’re preparing for war

Could it really be 19 years since your birth
Was a prayer my body screamed for peace on this earth
Keep my son safe from harm

Doesn't seem that long ago that I was your age
Full of self-righteous naiveté, confusion and rage
But I believed with all my heart as I do now
That war is a waste of well-intentioned brave young men

Don't be like your father, my father, or my mother's father
I've been niece, cousin, sister-in-law, wife, grandchild, and daughter
Of men who went to war

Most of your life I was too poor to do much more than work
Had to feed your body before I could feed your soul
And I worked and wondered how you were

Now I have to count my gray hairs and Christmases and lovers
To believe it’s really true that you're nineteen and I'm your mother
Suddenly I feel old and alone

I look into your eyes and see your rebellious age
Your self-righteous naiveté, confusion and rage
And you’ve believed with all your heart as you do now
That war is the duty of well-intentioned brave young men

When I was 19, I marched until my feet bled
I lay my body down on Highway 101
I was protesting the war

Now here you are at 19, you march until your feet bleed
You throw your body down on the Georgia ground
And you're preparing for war.

Marilyn O'Malley © 2010