Eighth grade, standing my ground   Outweighed by at least 30 pounds   Oh, Willie T. James   Meanest boy in the school   Toe to toe outside of homeroom   Like two gunslingers in the hall at high noon   There’s no backing down now   You’d just look like a fool   Somebody had to stand up to him   I stood up, and got knocked back down again   That’s a fight I couldn’t win      Stumbling for words on the phone   Dad’s trying to tell me why he’s not coming home   It’s your mother and me   Boy, it’s not your fault   So it’s one weekend a month   And a summer vacation   Made a special trip back, for my graduation   Said, “I’m proud of you, son... take good care of your Mom”   I tried to be a man and hold it in   I didn’t want to cry in front of him   That’s a fight I couldn’t win      And sometimes you’ve got to let go   Sometimes you’re gonna lose   You try to choose your battles   But sometimes they choose you      Soldiers holding our ground   Shots ringing out, and the men going down   We were caught in harm’s way   Way too far from home   Well it’s not about pride or the headline story   Not for the country, or even Old Glory   At times like that, you’re trying to bring each other back home   I ran over to help my friend   I tried to keep the life inside of him      Mm, hm... I tried      That’s a fight I couldn’t win   That’s a fight I couldn’t win