(BAGPIPES PLAY PART OF TAPS LIGHTLY)

Black granite reflects the morning sun

Another day in Washington has begun

I trace a name with my trembling hand

A boy who never made it back to our land

He was eighteen, eyes of bright sky blue

Now he's just a number on panel two

In the shadow of honor, the weeping willows cry

Underneath the heavy weight of a gray DC sky

Fifty-eight thousand stories etched in stone

Reminding every heart that they're never alone

I leave a yellow rose where the dark walls meet

In the shadow of honor, the silence is sweet

An old man stands in his faded green coat

Clearing the tears from his weathered throat

He salutes a ghost only he can see

Whispering, "Buddy, it should've been me

"The wind blows soft through the open Mall

Carrying the prayers left against the wall

Then I walk a bit further down to the center line

Looking for the name that belongs to mine

There you are Daddy, carved deep in the cold

A young brave soldier who never got old

I press my forehead right against your name

And tell you your grandbaby has your eyes just the same

In the shadow of honor, the weeping willows cry

Underneath the heavy weight of a gray DC sky

Fifty-eight thousand stories etched in stone

Reminding every heart that they're never alone

I leave a yellow rose where the dark walls meet

In the shadow of honor, the silence is sweet

It’s a long black scar in the beautiful grass

A mirror of the future and a ghost of the past

They gave up their tomorrows for our today

There aren't enough words for a country to say

In the shadow of honor, the weeping willows cry

Underneath the heavy weight of a gray DC sky

Fifty-eight thousand stories etched in stone

Reminding every heart that they're never alone

I leave a yellow rose where the dark walls meet

In the shadow of honor, the silence is sweet

Yeah, the silence is sweet

God bless 'em all

At the wall

In the shadow of honor