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
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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!