[Strophe]
    C 
Sam Stone came home, 
       F 
To his wife and family 
      G                           C 
After serving in the conflict overseas. 
        C 
And the time that he served, 
    F 
Had shattered all his nerves, 
     G                            C 
And left a little shrapnel in his knee. 
        F 
But the morphine eased the pain,
[Pre-Refrain]
  
And the grass grew round his brain, 
    D7                              G    G7 
And gave him all the confidence he lacked, 
       D7                               G    G7 
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back.
[Refrain]
          C                                 Dm          F 
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, 
                              G 
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose. 
       C 
Little pitchers have big ears, 
      Am                       D 
Don't stop to count the years, 
                                  G           G7 
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. 
  
Mmm....
[Strophe]
     C 
Sam Stone's welcome home 
        F 
Didn't last too long. 
 G                           C 
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime 
        C 
And Sammy took to stealing 
    F 
When he got that empty feeling 
     G                            C 
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime. 
       F 
And the gold rolled through his veins
[Pre-Refrain]
  
Like a thousand railroad trains, 
 D7                              G    G7 
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose, 
       D7                               G    G7 
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes...
[Refrain]
          C                                 Dm          F 
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, 
                              G 
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose. 
       C 
Little pitchers have big ears, 
      Am                       D 
Don't stop to count the years, 
                                  G           G7 
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.
[Strophe]
 C 
Sam Stone was alone 
        F 
When he popped his last balloon 
 G                           C 
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair 
        C 
Well, he played his last request 
    F 
While the room smelled just like death 
     G                            C 
With an overdose hovering in the air 
       F 
But life had lost its fun
[Pre-Refrain]
 
And there was nothing to be done 
 D7                              G    G7 
But trade his house that he bought on the G. I. Bill  
       D7                               G    G7 
For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill.
[Refrain]
          C                                 Dm          F 
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, 
                              G 
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose. 
       C 
Little pitchers have big ears, 
      Am                       D 
Don't stop to count the years, 
                                  G           G7 
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. 
C