My Dearest Darling Anne
I’d swim the deepest ocean,
Cross the longest sand,
Just to spend one moment with my dearest darling Anne.
Her hair is as dark as night,
Her eyes as warm as the sun.
But oh how I wonder if she trusts my love.
When I think of the things I’ve done.
Will she know the young boy who went to war
who is coming home a changed man a young boy no more
Will she see my nightmares and my dreams
and feel my agony when I hear my buddy’s screams
Will she taste the blood, the sweat and the smoke
Will she see my fear when I am trying to be brave
And will she know that I’m expecting and fearing an early grave
And will she understand that I’m no longer whole
For when you take another man’s life, you lose part of your soul
Well Iv’ed loved her in the past and I love her even still.
And I only hope she realizes I always, always will.
For when I arrive home in that great U.S.A.
I want my Anne beside me for always and always to stay.
(1966)
I wrote this in Viet-Nam BEFORE I got my " Dear John " letter
