Oorah Up!

Ten hours in two days to go
On a southbound turn around to San Antone
Parked my rig at a stop north of New Orleans
Shared some hard luck stories with some black coffee
With a storm survivor wearing old fatigues
Asked him what it was that got him through
He said Paris Island class of sixty two
Where I learned

Give a war cry sound off
Oorah up
Never give in when things get tough
No way no sir not any time
From your gut give a battle cry
Quitting' don't run in our blood
Just hunker down and Oorah up

Turns out he was a company man
Third battalion first marines Vietnam
Came home with a Purple Heart and a mean tattoo
His buddies gave him in the jungle to salute
His semper fi won't die attitude
Talked a lot about standing tall and tough
He said you gotta face life with your sleeves rolled up

And give a war cry sound off
Oorah up
Never give in when things get tough
No way no sir not any time
From your gut give a battle cry
Quittin' don't run in our blood
Just hunker down and Oorah up

I asked him if he's ever met a private James
Told him how my dad went M.I.A
He said no but I know the price he paid
And I think of it every time I say

Give a war cry sound off
Oorah up
Never give in when things get tough
No way no sir not any time
From your gut give a battle cry
Quittin don't run in our blood
Just hunker down and Oorah up