Name: 40 Years On
Duration: P00H03M36S
Description: For Larry Joe Isom. Thank you for the song, for your service, and for the honor of being your friend.

40 Years On

from Wishing on Planes by Shannon McMahon

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$1 USD or more
Buy the Full Digital Album

about

For Larry Joe Isom. Thank you for the song, for your service, and for the honor of being your friend.

lyrics

He left home when he was just 16

He forged his mama's name

He joined the United States Marines

To play the president's war game

He was looking for a reason to be

He was looking to serve his country proud

40 years on he still carries the scars

And the memory of what went down

Dropped in the jungle in '69

It was mass confusion most of the time

In the pitch black dark of that night

The shots rang out through the fog

When the smoke cleared

There were so many dead

The earth beneath his feet stained red

And the blood of his friends on his hands

He can never wash clean

He was looking for a reason to be

He was looking to serve his country proud

40 years on he still carries the scars

and the memory of what went down

When he got out he couldn't go home

So he tried to build a life of his own

No help to deal with his aching soul

Or to heal his shattered heart

40 years on he still wakes in the night

Tries to shake the dream from his sight

But the hurt the shame and the secrets

will travel with him to the next life

He was looking for a reason to be

He was looking to serve his country proud

40 years on he still carries the scars

and the memory of what went down

credits

from Wishing on Planes, released May 10, 2016

license

about

Shannon McMahon Stratford, Connecticut

Shannon McMahon, a singer/songwriter from Stratford, CT, creates contemporary folk music with rich vocals and songs that resonate with a strong sense of the human experience. Her warm, earnest voice is reminiscent of Joan Baez and Natalie Merchant. Her music is available on Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and CDBaby. ... more

contact / help

Contact Shannon McMahon

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Shannon McMahon, you may also like:

Holy Omen
by Greta Ruth

Ruth's sophomore release explores sacred signs against a backdrop of folk melodies and acoustic guitar. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 12, 2023
go to album
Meet Me at the River
by Dawn Landes

On “Meet Me By the River,” Dawn Landes’s self-described “Nashville record,” buoyant country melodies settle deep into lush instrumentation. Bandcamp New & Notable May 7, 2018
go to album
I Need to Start a Garden
by Haley Heynderickx

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 10, 2018
go to album
CONSEQUENCES
by Kim Edgar

Collaborating remotely with 12 songwriters from all over the world, Kim Edgar emerged with a work of striking art pop. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 11, 2023
go to album
Timber
by Bryan Rahija

Gorgeous fingerstyle guitar playing from this Portland, Oregon musician that captures the spirit of American Primitive in dazzling detail. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 30, 2021
go to album
Live at Club 47
by Doc Watson

A partnership between Yep Roc and The Southern Folklife Collection, the LP features a never-before-heard live performance by Doc Watson. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 16, 2018
go to album
Great Loveday Wonder : The Collected Demo Recordings
by Billy Childish / William Loveday Intention

From the always-great label Tompkins Square comes two-dozen plus demos from alt legend Billy Childish. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 16, 2024
go to album