John
Burns
We walk these fields in search of history,
Try to understand the great things that happened here,
And amongst the statues to armies and generals and weapons
of war,
One man's story shines out above them all.
The birth of a nation and one sides victory,
The words of your leaders don't mean that much to me,
But one man's strength and courage and belief in what was
right,
Made me see this place in a different light.
With his rifle in his hand and freedom in his heart,
John Burns took his place out in the line,
He didn't need to fight but did what he thought was right,
John Burns long may your light shine,
John Burns long may your light shine.
And on that dreadful day when the battle raged,
His strength and courage inspired much younger men,
His white hair shone like a beacon they all could see,
Wounded he fought on so they could be free.
With his rifle in his hand and freedom in his heart,
John Burns took his place out in the line,
He didn't need to fight but did what he thought was right,
John Burns long may your light shine,
John Burns long may your light shine.
Copyright Nick Allmark 2005
John
Burns fought on the Union side at the battle of Gettysburg.