I Had to Shoot That Rabbit - Tom Paxton

I had to shoot that rabbit

He didn’t see me standing there

He wasn’t even runnin'

Dogs were hollerin' everywhere

He was afraid to run

Somehow I was a-raisin' my gun

Raisin' it higher

Ready to fire

I had to shoot that rabbit

He was just too scared to move

All his runnin' was over

What did he care what I had to prove

It was supposed to be fun

Somehow I was a-raisin' my gun

It was all loaded

Something exploded

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but habit

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but…

I had to shoot that rabbit

The sergeant told me now Jimmy now do it right

I don’t remember it clearly

He looked much too young to fight

He couldn’t run no more

Somebody told me that war is war

Then why am I cryin'

And who is dyin'

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but habit

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but…

I had to shoot that rabbit

The sergeant told me now Jimmy now do it right

I don’t remember clearly

He looked much too young to fight

He couldn’t run no more

Somebody told me that war is war

Then why am I cryin'

And who is dyin'

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but habit

I had to shoot that rabbit

It was nothin' but…