I Can't Write Left-Handed - Anthony David

Bill Withers wrote this song in 1973

Back then it was about the Vietnam War which my father went to

And I understood it from the perspective of a kid who went to Desert Storm

And now it’s 2018 and there’s some young man in some war, somewhere and he’ll

understand it his way

And that’s just what it is, I mean, one thing I really like about this song is

it’s not, really political

It’s really about the conditions of the people that go

And the reasons that we go, is not political at all

It has more to do with our immediate circumstances

Like for m, I joined 'cause my daddy joined and

My daddy joind 'cause he needed a job, you know?

So like he said, «When they say, 'Go,' you just go»

Half the time, you go into some country you never heard of

Which is excitin' until you realize like, «Wow, this is really life and death,»

you know?

And I’m sure it’s the same way for the guy on the other side but

Once you’re in that situation, you’re wearin' that uniform and he’s wearin'

that uniform

And whether you’re political or not

You are in that situation right now

And it doesn’t matter what you’re political leanin’s are at that time

And that’s what I really love about this song 'cause it speaks that

The humanity, of soldiers, of humans on either side

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 my family lawyer

Try to get, try to get a deferment for my younger brother

Tell the Reverend Watkins to pray for me

I ain’t gonna live, I don’t believe I’m going to live to get much older