(G)We grew up next to a (D)funeral parlor 
(G)Death was always close (C)by 
When my (G)brother Lon was a (D)boy he'd hang out over (G)there 
(C)all the (G)time 

(G)So before he was grown (D) he'd seen more death then (G)most people ever will (C)see 

(G) But he was the only boy the Undertaker could get to help and 
(D)out and hell that was no paper route that's a(G) scary (C) place to (G)be 

(G) So the undertakers apprentice grew (D)up and turned 20 and he (G) 
went off to to new york (C)city to be(G)come a mortician now they all 
(D)thought he was crazy to (G)be what he (C) wanted to (G) be 

(G) When the Vietnam war came (D)along he got drafted the (G)only 
reason he didn't go over there to (C)die was his (G)chosen profession 
when they found (D) out he was a mortician, they said we got a 
(G)special job for (C)you in (G)mind. 

(G)Well they offered him a job of (D)bringing the bodies (G)home 
to their famil(C)ies and to say(G) on behalf of 
US Army we are(D) so sorry(G) (C) (G) 

Chorus 
He Was(Em)Bringing the (D)boys home(C) 
(G)Nobody wanted to (D)do it 
(G)Bringing them (C)boys home(D) 
to (G)stayy(C)yyyyy(G) 

(G)Through two dozen of our states of (D)our country to the 
(G)rich and the poor, black and white he would (C)bring. 
(g)There young men home just (D)him and the body for (G)one final (C)ceremon(G)y. 

(G)But the strangest assignment home was when he brought this 
(D)one boy home to Missouri and of course he (G)never saw but 
he saw a picture there of him on the mantle (C)there and he 
(G)froze and ice (C)ran through his (G)veins. Cause the picture of 
their dead boy there on the mantle looked exactly (D)like my brother 
Lon and the family asked him if he could stay on an extra day and if the 
family ever asked the army's orders were you (G)were to (C)stay (G)on. 

(G)It's like he was replacing for that (D)one extra day the one that could 
(G)never be re(C)placed. (G)Just for a little while they 
(D)wanted to look at his face. (G) (C) (G) 

Chorus 
(Em)Bringing the (D)boys home(C) 
(G)Nobody wanted to (D)do it 
(G)Bringing them (C)boys home(D) 
to (G)stayy(C)yyyyy(G)