Songwriter: John Parr

Producer: John Parr

From the day I enlisted
To the day that I check out
Got somethin' deep inside me
That life just can't kick out

I got somethin' I believe in
A country that I love
I swear I will defend her
With the strength of God above

Over and over I do what I can
Shoulder to shoulder I'll stand
I'm a Military man
Yes I am

I was standin' in the bar room
When trouble walked in the door
Mindin' my own business
But I'd seen their kind before

Well the biggest one came over
Started chewin' on my ear
Talkin' down my country
Then he spat in my beer

I felt the power surge through this right hand
He and his devil's were damned
By a Military man
Don't mess with a Military man
Don't mess with a Military man

I ain't nothin' special
I am just a man
There's a line you can't cross
I drew it in the sand

If you stand against me
I will not back down
I will fight for freedom
I am duty bound
Duty bound
Duty bound

I'm a Military man
Yes I am

John Parr

John Parr (born 18 November 1952) is a Grammy-nominated English musician, best known for his 1985 US #1 single “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” and for his 1984 single “Naughty Naughty” (US Rock #1). Parr was nominated for a Grammy award for “St Elmo’s Fire” in 1985.

Parr first entered the music scene when he was 12 years old and formed a band with two fellow schoolmates, which they named The Silence. The band had achieved some success. They eventually became professional and started to tour Europe. He then joined a band named Bitter Suite who were a huge success in the working men’s clubs in Yorkshire, he then formed a “Super Band” with musicians from other working men’s club bands, and named the band Ponders End , a band that set a new precedent for the bands in the north.

Parr secured a publishing deal with Carlin America in 1983 and in the same year Meat Loaf asked him to write some songs for his new album. It led to a fateful meeting with John Wolff, who was tour manager for The Who. Foreseeing the initial demise of The Who, Wolff was looking for a new venture and considered Parr to be a suitable partner. Parr first visited America in 1984 and worked with Meat Loaf on Bad Attitude. Meanwhile, Wolff secured Parr’s solo Atlantic recording deal in New York.