Boys in Green

In Nineteen Hundred and Thirty Three
Off in Washington, DC
Roosevelt created the CCC
Like nothing we’d ever seen
He called on fellers across the land
To join together, lend a hand
To learn a skill, to take a stand
We were the boys in green
Hurrah for the love of the country
Hurrah for the patriot’s dream
With their brains and their backs, with a pick and an axe
Hurrah for the boys in green
When I was lad of just eighteen
We stocked the rivers, lakes and streams
Together fueled this nation’s dreams
We were the boys in green
We built the houses, cleared the land
Ran the fences, built the dams
Made quite a home for Uncle Sam
We were the boys in green
We build the bridges, trails and roads
We dredged the lakes, we hauled the loads
No more the beach or dune erodes
We were the boys in green
We fought the fires, stemmed the floods
Gathered seeds and planted woods
That grew to be your neighborhoods
We were the boys in green
With shovel, trowel, hammer and spade
We built this country, learned a trade
By God, it’s quite a world we made
We were the boys in green
Now as an old man I stand perplexed
In a world all paved and multiplexed
And wonder, who is coming next
Where are the boys in green?