Transcribed from the sound file found at box.net:

BE QUIET WHEN WILLIE WALKS BY
Mike O'Reilly

Did you see the old boys with their uniforms on, marching down Main Street today?
Some helped the others as they went along. Their minds seemed so far away.
And when they laid the wreath at the top of the hill, I saw some of them cry
As they thought of their friends they knew long ago in ages long since gone by.

Old Willie Johnson walked all alone as the rain came tumbling down,
And someone they laughed as Willie drew near, for he was the drunk of the town;
And one of the men came over and said, "You know, Willie's one heck of a guy.
If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today, so be quiet when Willie walks by.

"He sold all his medals a long time ago for the help a bottle could hold,
But it's hard to crawl out of the cracks in your soul when the last of your pride has been sold;
But deep down inside there's a heart of pure gold and a spirit that money can't buy,
So remember, my friends, and bow to the truth. Be quiet when Willie walks by.
Yes, be quiet when Willie walks by."

[As sung by Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen on their album "Songs of the American Spirit," Pinecastle Records 1138, 2004. It has also been recorded by The Dick Smith/Mike O'Reilly Band on "Life's Road."]