‘Bang-Bang’ Johnny loomed large above my youth:

A cowboy hero shooting baddies down,

He made the world a better place to live.

Part comic-book, part black and white TV,

He had the most profound effect on me.

 

I never questioned what is right and wrong

Or asked myself about the shades of grey.

I just assumed that guys with guns and stripes

Would constitute a proper force for good.

I never wondered why; perhaps I should.

 

The fire bombs looked pretty as they dropped;

The air crews were the rock stars of their time.

The generals, with parties in full swing,

Would shrug off what was inconvenient.

You know, I once thought Johnny heaven-sent.

 

I should have understood why wars are fought

And why the big battalions will win;

Why baddies thrive and innocents are slain,

Why rabbits run and tumble one by one,

As power celebrates a job well done.