One of my favorites.

When I was just a young boy on the Oklahoma plains I tried to keep my shoes shined, tried to keep a clean name; way over town lived a boy named --- --- we weren't allowed to talk to him say hi none of that no no

I went off to school --- sat right in front of my desk all the kids they made fun of him because -- was such a mess lordy but oh he worked hard and he took home a mess a good grades and when it came time to go to big school --- went far away

Cause that's the way it was and that's the way it is and that's the way it was and that's the way it is yeah...lordy

I went off to college got myself a job in the campus store in the meantime -- spent his time writin bout the world and war

I didn't understand all the things he was talkin about so my friends and me from that ol fraternity we just got drunk and blocked it all out yes we did lord

then we graduated lost our deferments our excuse and the man said come here boys gonna put your educations to a good use

went down to the draft board and there was --- lookin live and well yeah but when it came time to put his name on the line he told em all to go to Hell yes he did lord lord yes he did

--- was by far the smartest the most concerned with humanity but it was him they took far away and stuck in a pentitenary lordy

I can't help but wonder if we'd all stand up like him then there'd be no one to carry those damn guns for somethin nobody believes in

but that ain't the way it was that ain't the way it is (repeated repeatedly to the end)