JOHNNY COME LATELY

Continuo a achar que o grande Steve Earle é um dos mais injustamente desconhecidos contadores de histórias que o songwriting americano revelou nos últimos vinte anos. A olhar para a Time desta semana e o seu portfolio fotográfico de soldados americanos no Iraque — há uma assombrosa, de David Swanson, que mostra um jovem marine a carregar munições; no seu olhar um misto de concentração maquinal, angústia latente e alheamento forçado; como quem está ali mas não quer estar nem sabe bem o que está ali a fazer — lembrei-me desta canção de 1988.

I'm an American, boys, and I've come a long way
I was born and bred in the USA
so listen up close, I've got something to say
boys, I'm buying this round

well it took a little while but we're in this fight
and we ain't going home 'til we've done what's right
we're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight
if I have to spend my last pound

when I first got to London it was pourin' down rain
met a little girl in the field canteen
painted her name on the nose of my plane
six more missions I'm gone

well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might
then the warden came around yelling "turn out the lights"
death rainin' out of the London night
we made love 'til dawn

but when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
with a chest full of medals and a GI loan
they'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
when Johnny comes marching home

my P-47 is a pretty good ship
and she took a round comin' cross the Channel last trip
I was thinkin' 'bout my baby and letting her rip
always got me through so far

well they can ship me all over this great big world
but I'll never find nothing like my North End girl
I'm taking her home with me one day, sir
soon as we win this war

but when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
with a chest full of medals and a GI loan
they'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
when Johnny comes marching home

now my grandaddy sang me this song
told me about London when the Blitz was on
how he married grandma and brought her back home
a hero throughout his land

now I'm standing on a runway in San Diego
a couple Purple Hearts and I move a little slow
there's nobody here, maybe nobody knows
about a place called Vietnam

but when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
with a chest full of medals and a GI loan
they'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
when Johnny comes marching home.