Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' cover version
John's father was a preacher who taught him "Thou shalt not kill"
When the draft notice came in August father pronounced it as God's will
He boot camped in Mississippi not far from New Orleans
They drilled him and they trained him, marched him straight into the sea
Just knowing she was waiting helped him to survive
And when he came close to dying helped him stay alive
Now he's coming home, it's 1945
John met her on his furlough, his brother was going out with her best friend
She took him home to meet her parents, John asked if he could see her again
First date was to the movies, drove her home to say goodbye to the family
She promised she would write him when he shipped out for overseas
Just knowing she was waiting helped him to survive
And when he came close to dying helped him stay alive
Now he's coming home, it's 1945
He got wounded south of Paris in the summer of '44
They patched him up in England, sent him back to the war
He remembers the day it ended, he can't recall the place
He took her picture from his helmet, just stared into her face
Just knowing she was waiting helped him to survive
And when he came close to dying helped him stay alive
Now he's coming home, it's 1945
It's 1945
It's 1945
It's 1945
1945 is a song written by Joe Grushecky and Bruce Springsteen in July 1995, with Springsteen providing most of the music and Grushecky most of the lyrics. The song was released on Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' 1997 album Coming Home. The above lyrics are for Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' cover version of 1945 as released in 1997.
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed 1945 live.
List of available versions of 1945 on this website:
1945 [Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' cover version]