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I Can’t Write Left-Handed Lyrics by Bill Withers

Live at Carnegie Hall

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[Spoken Intro]
We recorded this song on October the 6th
Since then, the war has been declared over
If you're like me, you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war
One big drag
A lot of people write songs about wars and government
Very social things
But I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young
I had no more idea about any government or political things or anything
And I think about those kind of young guys now
Who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding
So if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go
And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy
With his right arm gone, just got back
And I ask him how he was doing
He said he was doing alright now but he had thought he was going to die
He said getting shot at didn't bother him
It was getting shot that shook him up
And I tried to put myself in his position
Maybe he cried, maybe he said...

[Verse 1]
I can't write left-handed
Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother?
Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell the family lawyer
Trying to get, trying to get a deferment for my younger brother
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord
I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older

[Refrain]
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen
Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder

[Verse 2]
Boot camp we had classes
You know we talked about fighting, fighting every day
And looking through rosy, rosy colored glasses
I must admit it seemed exciting anyway
Oh, but something that day overlooked to tell me, Lord
Bullets look better, I must say
Brother, when they ain't coming at you
But going out the other way
And please call up the Reverend
Call up, call up the Reverend Harris
And tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me
Tell him I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live
I ain't gonna live to get much older
Oh Lord

[Refrain]
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't never seen
Bless his heart ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder

[Outro]
Thank you
Credits
Bill Withers

Bill Withers

About “I Can’t Write Left-Handed” by Bill Withers

Read the complete lyrics to "I Can’t Write Left-Handed" by Bill Withers from the album "Live at Carnegie Hall". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop, Blues, Gospel.

"I Can’t Write Left-Handed" is performed by Bill Withers. from the album "Live at Carnegie Hall" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "I Can’t Write Left-Handed", explore more songs by Bill Withers using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Bill Withers · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"I Can’t Write Left-Handed" is credited to Bill Withers. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"I Can’t Write Left-Handed" appears on "Live at Carnegie Hall".

Visit the Bill Withers artist page at /artist/bill-withers for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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