Time A Long Time Ago (add your flavor/remix this tune)
Melody and Lyrics: Lonnie Ray Atkinson
By no means a radical anti-war song (it is reform-minded on purpose), this tune is meant to be a simple appeal to bring all troops home now. The vocals are quite raw with no effects, and it is meant to be a country song. If you are interested (or you think you know someone that might be interested) in adding some music (or better vocals) to the mix, you can download the raw a capellas here at ccMixter (just click on the word "download" under the word "stream"). When you are done, you can email me any mp3s here.
All contributions will be considered Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0.
Your time and talent is greatly appreciated.

Lyrics:
in a war nobody can win
and a debt that won't never get paid
tell me how many have to die on both sides
before we can call it a day
 
there's always another turning point
oh yeah, it's always victory up ahead
while the big boys talk about  conditions on the ground
every new deadline just means new dead
 
and the billions that disappeared
all the trillions we could have spent here
just how long can we afford a lifestyle of war
while back home there ain't a dollar to spare
 
and anyway, what are we really trying to build
I said what are we accomplishing
but poverty and corruption, shattered infrastructure,
and puppet governments
 
chorus 1:
what the hell are we waiting for
to bring our children home from these wars
tell me just how long can we act like we don't know
it was time, along time ago
 
 
and all your promises, they make me wary
what about the bases and the mercenaries
where do you find the gall to call it withdrawal
when tens of thousands are left behind….
 
they don't want no occupation
and we got problems right here in our nation
if we're gonna withdraw, we should do it right
and bring home every last one
 
chorus 1:
what the hell are we waiting for
to bring our children home from these wars
tell me just how long can we act like we don't know
it was time, along time ago
come on home
(solo)
 
we got families on both sides crying
for their loved ones damaged and dying
no don't listen to the guilty tell you why
the only way to honor the dead is to let more people die
 
we ain't no safer, we ain't no stronger
we won't take these lies any longer
you know we're better than this, this ain't our fight
that ain't our country, it ain't our right
 
chorus 2:
so what the hell are we fighting for
let's bring our children home from these wars
tell me just how long can we tell ourselves the same thing…
chorus 3:
and it hurts so bad to admit it
and still some of just don't want to get it
but tell me, friend,  how long can you act like you don't know
it was time… one more time
chorus 1:
what the hell are we waiting for
to bring our children home from these wars
tell me just how long can we act like we don't know
it was time, a long time ago

This song is under the Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0.
You are free to download this song and share it with as many people as you like (please respect and include attributions).