1. In quarters of the third world as you mercenaries know
In mountain caves and jungles where your angels fear to go
The trick they say, my boy, is that you play a waitin’ game
Cause they may not come out runnin’ but they’ll come out just the same.

The man’s okayed a hand grenade, you toss it down the hatch
And watch for signs of panic as they scramble for the latch
You see some heads? You loose some lead for William Calley’s shame!
Yeah, they may not come out runnin’ but they come out just the same
Charlie don’t come out runnin’ but he comes out just the same.

(Spoken)
‘The US are there to protect the people of South Vietnam from atrocities against civilians’
‘What appears to be a massacre at My Lai is under no circumstances justified’.
Richard Nixon, Dec 8, 1969


2. You ain’t slackin’ off there boy? Fire another shell!
Just a coupla Contras there as far as I can tell!
Heaven’s gates are waitin’ for the timid or the tame
Sandanista don’t come runnin’ but they come out just the same.

From Kosovo and Baghdad to Ramallah, Palestine
Red Crescent take the wounded heroes further down the line
We’ll hit that Chinese embassy – bet NATO gets the blame!
Yeah, they may not come out runnin’ but they'll come out just the same!

(Spoken)
‘NATO and the United States deeply regret this incident and the loss of life it has caused.’
‘ NATO had no intention of hitting the Chinese Embassy’
US Secretary of Defence, William Cohen, May 10, 1998

3. See that woman tapping out that message on the wire?
That bike kid riding counting revolutions of his tyre?
And that one-leg mine detector, there? Well he’s only partly lame! -
Yeah, they may not come out runnin’ but they’ll come out just the same!

You ain’t getting younger boy – pension fund’s a must
Hope you got some money in that Cayman Island trust?
I got one more contract here for fortune, not for fame
They may not come out runnin’ but they’ll come out just the same.

It’s destiny that dances, boy, so go and do your worst
You’ll get no second chances boy so don’t you blow your first
Or I’ll be gunnin’ for yer if I ever hear your name!
They may not come out runnin’ but they’ll come out just the same
Yeah, Johnnie don’t come runnin’ but he comes out just the same.

(Spoken)

‘The Palestinian leadership declares its genuine sorrow and unreserved condemnation of this dangerous and criminal act,
which targeted the World Trade Centre in New York, the Pentagon and other locations’
Yasser Arafat, September11, 2001