Azizullah    (When the Soldiers Came)            By John Flynn

You worked with your father in the fields that day
When the soldiers came
When the soldiers came
Run Azizullah! he cried and you obeyed
When the soldiers came that day

Maybe it was not entirely their fault
As the soldiers claim
As the soldiers claim
They fired warning shots and ordered you to halt
When the soldiers came that day

We know there is something called the fog of war
That the soldiers blame
That the soldiers blame
Though the land they were trespassing on was yours
When the soldiers came that day

5.56 milometer NATO rounds
When the soldiers aimed
When the soldiers aimed
Opened up your body as they brought you down
When the soldiers came that day

Maybe they were doing just what they’d been told
To the soldier’s shame
To the soldiers shame
Maybe they could not tell you were twelve years old
When the soldiers came that day

Fervently we wrap the flag around our eyes
In the soldier’s name
In the soldier’s name
We shared the guilt but we did not apologize
When the soldier’s came that day

Azizullah like you your country has been caught
In a soldier’s game
In a soldier’s game
May Allah heal the fear and pain that you were taught
When the soldiers came that day

Azizullah on Golgatha
The soldiers put nails through
The hands and feet of someone meek
and innocent as you

(c) 2004 Flying Stone Music