Bill Withers — I Cant Write Left-Handed

[Spoken Intro] We recorded this song on October the 6th Since then, the war has been declared over If you're like me, you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war One big drag A lot of people write songs about wars and government Very social things But I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young I had no more idea about any government or political things or anything And I think about those kind of young guys now Who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding So if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy With his right arm gone, just got back And I ask him how he was doing He said he was doing alright now but he had thought he was going to die He said getting shot at didn't bother him It was getting shot that shook him up And I tried to put myself in his position Maybe he cried, maybe he said... [Verse 1] I can't write left-handed Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother? Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell the family lawyer Trying to get, trying to get a deferment for my younger brother Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older [Refrain] Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to He done shot me in my shoulder [Verse 2] Boot camp we had classes You know we talked about fighting, fighting every day And looking through rosy, rosy colored glasses I must admit it seemed exciting anyway Oh, but something that day overlooked to tell me, Lord Bullets look better, I must say Brother, when they ain't coming at you But going out the other way And please call up the Reverend Call up, call up the Reverend Harris And tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me Tell him I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live I ain't gonna live to get much older Oh Lord [Refrain] Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't never seen Bless his heart ain't never done nothing to He done shot me in my shoulder [Outro] Thank you