There was a decorated General with a heart of gold
That likened him to all the stories he told
Of past battles won and lost and legends of old
A seasoned veteran in his own time

On the battlefield he gained respect for fame
With many metals of bravery and stripes to his name
He grew a beard as soon as he could to cover the scars on his face
And always urged his men on

But on the eve of great battle with the infantry and dream
The old general tossed in his sleep and wrestled with its meaning
He awoke from that night to tell what he had seen
And walked slowly out of his tent

All the men held tall with their chests in the air
With the courage in their blood and a fire in their stare
And it was a gray morning and they all wondered how they would fair
Till the old general told them to go home

He said
I have seen the others
And I have discovered
That this fight is not worth fighting
And I've have seen their mothers
And I will no other
To follow me where I'm going

So, take your shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young men, you must be living
Take your shower, shine your shoes
Well, you got no time to lose
You are young men, you must be living
Go now, you are forgiven

But the men stood fast with their guns on their shoulders
Not knowing what to do with the contradicting orders
The general said he would do his own duty but he would extend it no further
The men could go as they pleased

But not a man moved, their eyes gazed straight ahead
Till one by one they stepped back and not a word was said
And the old general was left with his own words echoing in his head
He then prepared to fight

He said
I have seen the others
And I have discovered
That this fight is not worth fighting, no
And I've have seen their mothers
And I will no other
To follow me where I'm going

So, take your shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young men, you must be living, yeah
Take your shower, shine your shoes
Well, you got no time to lose
You are young men, you must be living
Go now you are forgiven

Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, you are forgiven
Go

Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, you are forgiven
Go

Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, you are forgiven
Go now, got to be, got to be, got to be, got to be, got to be, hey (go now you are forgiven)


Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44, edited by taramae88

The General Lyrics as written by Peter Heimbold Bradley Joseph Corrigan

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The General song meanings
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    General Comment

    Spatch731, I'm sorry but you probably couln't be more wrong if you tried. Your just not deep enough. This song is bout a General who devotes his life to war and fighting for freedom, but then one night realizes that he has been going about finding peace in the wrong way and has a spiritual awakening about what he has done and all the people he has killed. The Soliders leave willingly, they hesitat because they are trained for battle and are in disbelif about what they are hearing. Did you notice the line "the general said he would do his own duty, but he would extend it no further". and then it says "he then prepared to fight" He let his men go live their lives and cherish their days and he stayed as a one man army and would die in battle. I kind did a bad job of explaining what I mean, but I hope you get the gist of it.

    I_LOVE_CAMPon December 08, 2005   Link

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