On The Mountain with the Snow

I still have many memories

     and most of them are good

But there are a few I would forget

     if I only could

And the men, who were there with me

     I remember nearly all

But if I’m to tell the truth

     most names I can’t recall

I could tell you stories

     and swear that they were true

But if I got the facts all wrong

     I’d feel I’d lied to you

Sometimes your mind plays tricks

     it’s true with all of us

And memories we may think are clear

     we maybe shouldn’t trust

And each and every single man

     I knew there was my friend

So the last thing I would want to do

     is embarrass or offend

So the stories will go untold

     of that time so long ago

And of the men who were stationed there

     On the Mountain with the Snow

A few men there played Army

     and wanted us to play

But if we didn’t play it right

     we would have to pay

This game had too many rules

     by which we should abide

So we never really played so well

     although we sorta tried

The men I knew were a special breed

     and this I’ll guarantee

Most of the men upon the hill

    were more intelligent than me

The men who were on the hill

     were a cut above the rest

In anything they tried to do

    they were among the best

These men were very special men

     no average G. I. Joe

These men who were stationed there

     On the Mountain with the Snow

There were musicians and college grads

    and some had been teachers

And I heard that in civilian life

     some became preachers

To convince you they were perfect

     I wouldn’t even try

I’m sure you’d see right through it

     and know it was a lie

There is one flaw, which I recall

     of which I’m not so proud

There were a few who drank too much

     I hung out with that crowd

But find a better group of men

     I guarantee you couldn’t

They’d have your back time after time

     maybe even when they shouldn’t

Quick to forgive and slow to judge

     these men upon the hill

I still remember most of them

     I guess I always will

Some memories I once had lost

     Phil Ward returned to me

When he posted his web site

     for all of us to see

I thank you Phil for reminding us

     of that time so long ago

And of the men who were stationed there

     On the Mountain with the Snow;

Not all of my memories

     are of the guys I knew

If you don’t mind and have the time

     there’s two I’ll share with you

I’ll tell you of a German girl

     somehow it just seems right

A girl I met in Bischofsgrun

     when I went downtown one night

A sweet young thing named Annalis

     she helped me make it through

We’d talk, we’d dance, may have gone too far

     but just a time or two

If I live to be a hundred

     her name I won’t forget

For she was always there for me

     that beautiful brunette

We’d spend some time together

     then up the hill I’d go

That’s where I lived, way back then

     On the Mountain with the Snow

But my fondest memory

     my favorite one of all

Came up the hill one summer day; 

   or springtime….maybe fall

The season’s not important

     but strange as it may sound

There was no snow upon the hill

     not a snowflake could be found

She was a lovely lady

     on tour with the U.S.O.

Who came to entertain the men

     On the Mountain with the Snow

I met her in the cabin

     well actually, the latrine

She was such a beauty

     like none you’ve ever seen

The moment that I saw her

     I tried my best to flirt

She smiled at me, she was amused

     not offended or hurt

She had come to fix her makeup

     before she’d entertain

That she thought she needed makeup

     to me, that seemed insane

But that’s where I met her

     Before she joined the show

That had come to entertain the men

     On the Mountain with the Snow

I had to work the swing shift

     but caught part of the show

That’s when she sang a song to me

     before I had to go

“You’re just too good to be true”

     was the song she sang to me

She sang while setting on my lap

     for all the guys to see

I know that each and every man

     was envious as hell

But I’m sure that every single one

     felt good for me as well

I never got to know her

     and it’s hard to explain

At the time, it seemed like no big deal

     never even got her name

And now it seems like yesterday

     but it was forty years ago

When she sang to me on Schneeberg

     The Mountain with the Snow

Don "Rigger" Riggs - 2009