Air Corps Lament chords by Dick Jonas

Key: A

🎸 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



🎸 Chorus:
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

🎸 Chorus:
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

🎸 Chorus:
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!

🎸 Chorus:
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:
E
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!