BRING THEM HOME (IF YOU LOVE YOUR UNCLE SAM)^©

Studio version

If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

It will make the politicians sad, I know
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
They wanna tangle with their foe
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

They wanna test their grand theories
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
With the blood of you and me
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Now we'll give no more brave young lives
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
For the gleam in someone's eyes
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

(Hooo-hooo hooo-hooo)
(Hooo-hooo hooo-hooo)

The men will cheer and the boys will shout
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Yeah and we will all turn out
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

The church bells will ring with joy
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
To welcome our darlin' girls and boys
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

We willl lift their voice and sound
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Yeah, when Johnny comes marching home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bruce Springsteen recorded this song with The Seeger Sessions Band in Jan 2005 during the third of the 3 "Seeger Sessions", but he did not include it on his 2006 cover album, We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions.

The Seeger Sessions consist of three recording sessions (a 2-days session on 01 and 02 Nov 1997, a 1-day session in Dec 2005, and a 1-day session in Jan 2006), during which all the album's songs were cut live in the living room of Bruce's New Jersey farmhouse. The songs were not rehearsed and all arrangements were conducted as Bruce and the band played.

During The Seeger Sessions tour, Bruce added some lines of his own to the original song. On 18 May 2006, he headed to Oslo, Norway, for his 20 May show at Spektrum Arena. He used a small studio in Oslo (Disclab Studios) to lay down the final lead vocal on the track. In an interview he did with the Norwegian newspaper VG, Bruce says:

"We discovered this beautiful little studio down by a canal. I had written some new lyrics for 'Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)' on the way to Oslo, so I recorded some vocals there... Hopefully we'll be able to use it some time or another, maybe on a Seeger Sessions, Volume 2 sometime, who knows? But its certainly the first recording I have done in Oslo!"

The Oslo studio recording of this track -- which includes Bruce's additional lyrics -- was officially available on Bruce's official website as an internet-only download single.

Bruce Springsteen and The Seeger Sessions Band performed this Vietnam-era song during the The Seeger Sessions tour, debuting on 10 May 2006 at Palais Bercy, Paris, France. Check out the live 10 May 2006 version.

Check also Pete Seeger's 1966 version (more details about the song origin) and Pete Seeger's 2003 version.

Thanks Thomas Smith and Celeste Fremon for the lyrics help.