Air Corps Lament

	  		 
Verse 1:
     E 
Mine eyes have seen the days of men who ruled the fighting sky 
     A                                          E 
With hearts that laughed at death and lived for nothing but to fly 
    E   
But now those hearts are grounded and those days are long gone by 
    A            E 
The Air Force is gone to hell 

E 
Glory, flying regulations 
A                       E 
Have them read at every station 
E 
Crucify the man who breaks one 
    A                    E 
The Air Force is shot to hell
 

 
Verse 2:
  E 
My bones have felt their pounding throb a hundred thousand strong 
  A                               E 
A mighty airborne legion, sent to right the deadly wrong 
    E 
But now it's only memory, it only lives in song 
    A            E 
The Air Force is gone to hell
 

 
Verse 3:
   E  
The lordly Flying Fortress and the Liberator, too 
     A                              E  
Once wrote the doom of Germany with contrails in the blue 
    E     
But now the skies are empty and our planes are wet with dew 
    A        E   
And we can't fly for hell 

Verse 4:
    E 
Hap Arnold built a fighting team that sang the fighting song 
 A                                E 
About the wild blue yonder in the days when men were strong 
    E  
But now, we're closely supervised for fear we may do wrong 
    A            E 
The Air Force is gone to hell
 

E 
Glory, flying regulations 
A                       E 
Have them read at every station 
E 
Crucify the man who breaks one 
    A                    E 
The Air Force is shot to hell
 

 
Verse 5:
      E 
I have seen them in their T-Bolts when their eyes were dancing flame 
     A                                     E 
I've seen their screaming power dives that blasted Goering's name 
    E 
But now they fly like sissies and they hang their heads in shame 
      A        E 
Their spirit's shot to hell
 

Verse 6:
     E 
They flew B-26's through a living hell of flak 
    A                               E 
And bloody, dying pilots gave their lives to bring them back 
    E  
But now they all play ping-pong in the operations shack 
      A           E 
Their technique's gone to hell 
 
Verse 7:
    E 
You heard your pounding fifties blaze from wings of polished steel 
    A                            E 
The purring of your Merlin was a song your heart could feel 
    E  
But now, the L-5 charms you with its moaning, groaning squeal 
    A                  E 
And it won't climb for hell 

E 
Glory, flying regulations 
A                       E 
Have them read at every station 
E 
Crucify the man who breaks one 
    A                    E 
The Air Force is shot to hell 


Verse 8:
         E 
Have you ever climbed a Lightning up to where the air is thin 
         A                                    E  
Have you aimed her long nose downward just to hear the screaming din 
         E 
Have you tried to do it lately? Better not; You'll auger in 
    A           E 
And then you'll sure catch hell!
 

 
Verse 9:
       E 
We were cocky, bold and happy when we played the angels' game 
   A                                  E  
We split the blue with buzzing and we rolled our way to fame 
    E 
But now that's all verboten and we're all so gol-durn tame 
    A        E 
Our spirit's shot to hell 

 
Verse 10:
   E 
One day I buzzed an airfield with another reckless chap 
   A                             E 
We flew a hot formation with his wingtip in my lap 
    E   
But there's a new directive and we'll have no more of that 
   A                E 
Or you will burn in hell! 

E 
Glory, flying regulations 
A                       E 
Have them read at every station 
E 
Crucify the man who breaks one 
    A                    E 
The Air Force is shot to hell 


 
Verse 11:
    E  
Mine eyes get dim with tears when I recall the days of old 
     A                                 E 
When pilots took their choice of being old, or young and bold 
 E  
Alas, I have no choice and I will live to be quite old 
    A            E 
The Air Force is gone to hell 
 
Verse 12:
    E 
But smile awhile, my pilots though your eyes may still be wet 
     A                                  E 
Some day we'll meet in heaven where the rules have not been set 
    E 
And God will show us how to buzz and roll and really let 
    A         E 
The Air Force fly like hell!
 

Outro 
E 
Glory, no more regulations 
A 
Rip them down at every station 
E  
Ground the guy who tries to make one 
    A      E              A 
And let us fly like hell!