“Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
“Oh, Nak, kau terlihat baik-baik saja, aku senang kau anakku,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Anda membuat saya bangga mengetahui bahwa Anda memegang pistol.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
Lakukan apa yang dikatakan kapten, banyak medali yang akan Anda dapatkan,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home.”
Dan kita akan meletakkannya di dinding saat kau pulang. “

As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Saat kereta tua itu ditarik keluar, John mulai berteriak,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
Tellin ‘ev’ryone di lingkungan sekitar:
“That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know.”
“Itu anak saya yang akan pergi, dia adalah seorang tentara sekarang, Anda tahu.”
She made well sure her neighbors understood.
Dia memastikan bahwa tetangga-tetangganya mengerti.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
Dia mendapat surat sesekali dan wajahnya tersenyum
As she showed them to the people from next door.
Saat dia menunjukkannya kepada orang-orang dari sebelah.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
Dan dia membual tentang anaknya dengan seragam dan pistolnya,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.
Dan hal-hal ini kamu sebut perang kuno yang baik.

Oh! Good old-fashioned war!
Oh! Perang kuno yang baik!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
Kemudian surat-suratnya tidak lagi datang, untuk waktu yang lama mereka tidak datang.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Mereka berhenti datang sekitar sepuluh bulan atau lebih.
Then a letter finally came saying, “Go down and meet the train.
Kemudian sebuah surat akhirnya terdengar, “Turun dan ketemu kereta.
Your son's a-coming home from the war.”
Anakmu pulang dari perang. “

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
Dia tersenyum dan langsung turun, dia melihat ke mana-mana
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
Tapi dia tidak bisa melihat anak prajuritnya terlihat.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
Tapi saat semua orang berlalu, akhirnya dia melihat akhirnya,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.
Saat dia tidak bisa mempercayai matanya.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
Oh wajahnya terangkat dan tangannya tertiup angin
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
Dan dia memakai penjepit logam di pinggangnya.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
Dia berbisik agak lamban, dengan suara yang tidak dia ketahui,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!
Sementara dia bahkan tidak bisa mengenali wajahnya!

Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.
Oh! Raja! Bahkan tidak mengenali wajahnya.

“Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
“Oh, beritahu saya, anak kesayangan saya, doakan saya apa yang mereka lakukan.
How is it you come to be this way?”
Bagaimana Anda bisa sampai seperti ini? “
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
Dia mencoba yang terbaik untuk berbicara tapi mulutnya hampir tidak bisa bergerak
And the mother had to turn her face away.
Dan sang ibu harus membalikkan wajahnya.

“Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
“Tidakkah kamu ingat, Ma, saat aku pergi berperang
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
Anda pikir itu hal terbaik yang bisa saya lakukan?
I was on the battleground, you were home .
Saya berada di medan perang, Anda ada di rumah.