One Tin Soldier

One tin soldier
Listen children to a story That was written long ago,
'bout a kingdom on a mountain And the valley folks below.
On the mountain was a treasure Hidden deep beneath a stone,
And the valley people swore They'd have it for their very own.

So the people of the valley Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure Tons of gold for which they'd kill.
Came the answer from the kingdom, With our brothers we will share,
All the riches of the mountain, All the treasure buried there.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing,
Come the judgment day,
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away.
Now the valley cried with anger, Mount your horses, draw your swords
And they killed the mountain people, So they won their just rewards
Now they stood before the treasure
On the mountain dark and red Turned the stone and looked beneath it Peace on earth, was all it said.

Written by Brian Potter, Dennis Earle Lambert • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group