It's not hard to reach back to the day
Underneath an Iowa sun
Running to the tower of Waterloo
Looking for the Sullivan train to come
His five boys would run to the top
And salute him as he went by
First we'd wave hello
Then we'd wave goodbye
Goodbye

It's not hard to reach back to the days
After the attack on Pearl
Overnight my buddies turned into men
Running out of time for games and girls
The Sullivan boys were not overlooked
Uncle Sam calling each by name
The very next day they left on a mystery train

Say goodbye, bye, bye, Mrs. Sullivan
Don't you cry, cry, cry, cry, cry
We regret to inform you
The Navy is taking your sons away
All five, five, five, five
So put your blue star in the window

It's not hard to reach back to her smile
When she received their letters
The letters, they sounded generally the same
They said they couldn't come home
At least they were together
On a mighty fighting battleship
Somewhere in the South Pacific
The letters never got much more specific

Say goodbye, bye, bye, Mrs. Sullivan
And don't you cry, cry, cry, cry, cry
We regret to inform you
The Navy is keeping you sons away
All five, five, five, five
So keep your blue star in the window
In the window

It's not hard to reach back to the day
When the war finally came home
Uncle Sam, he'll send you a telegram
So he doesn't have to tell you over the phone
I heard she cracked up
When they found out what the war had cost
And all five of her boys were lost
They were
They were
They were

Oh, say goodbye, bye, bye, Mrs. Sullivan
Go ahead and cry, cry, cry, cry, cry
We regret to inform you
That all your sons have passed away
All five, five, five, five
So change your blue star to gold
Blue star to gold
Blue star to gold
Blue stars, change them to gold


Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe

Sullivan song meanings
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11 Comments

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    General Comment

    I must say, this band deserves more recognition than it recieves. I grew up with these boys, they're a local band here and I enjoy their sounds very much. The band altogether has its unique way of writing and playing their material. This song here, is one of their most known songs throughout by anybody that knows who Caroline's Spine. This has to be one of my favorites overall and I believe the rest of their music needs to be heard. As with the above posts, I must agree. This song IS based off a true story, and one of the most emotional pieces I have ever heard. I'll be honest, it did bring tears to my eyes the first time I heard it.

    Malignanton June 16, 2002   Link

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