He was my brother He was born the day I left He took the mother lode And I took all the rest He was a fighter He was always in control He kept a candle burning Way down in his soul Shots fired in anger And a widow cries alone Just one more mother's son Who wo'nt be coming home They speak in whispers There are riders to the east The blind man says "Mister bring a bottle and a priest" That's the way it always goes That's the way it's always been Who you are or what you know You're like a feather on the wind Let the river wash you 'way Reach the river if you can Past the blue and past the grey All the way to no man's land There was no shelter There was nowhere left to run They came like eagles screaming Down out of the sun I heard the whistle sound The engine pulled away I saw my brother down I left him where he lay Some fight for honor There are those that fight for gold Some die believing All the fairy tales they're told There are no heroes And there is no marching band There are no miracles down here In no man's land That's the way it always goes That's the way it's always been Who you are or what you know You're like a feather on the wind Let the river wash you 'way Reach the river if you can Past the blue and past the grey All the way to no man's land