Mike got out of school with a rep for raising hell
No one was buying those and he had nothing else to sell
So he turned his life on a dime, seemed like a good idea at the time
He went down to inquire about being all he could be
And the uniform man gave a verbal guarantee
So he borrowed a pen and he signes the line, seemed like a good idea at the time
Some people leave charmed lives
Don't spend it checking their backs for knives
They find that every single thing they thought
Leads them right to the place they want
But thinking only led us here
3.000 miles from a decent beer
And all we can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time
Jimmy worked the fryolater down at Chelsea Piers
When his girl came in to advise him to switch careers
She showed him a test with a clear blue line, seemed like a good idea at the time
Well Some people leave charmed lives
Don't spend it checking their backs for knives
They find that every single thing they thought
Leads them right to the place they want
But thinking only led us here
3.000 miles from a decent beer
And all we can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time
Standing around in scenic Baghdad
Spittin' out the sand between your teeth
Makes a man start to wonder
Why life dumped him out right here
In a Kevlar vest in a 100 degree dry heat
Well I was looking for a little escape from the day to day
I had a soft spot in my heart for the USA
Saw that ad like a neon sign, seemed like a good idea at the time
Yeah the world was just about as peaceful as it could be
It had to be the perfect time to be an enlistee
It was 2001 sometime in July, seemed like a good idea at the time