The man who went in but never came out
(for a fallen firefighter)
I never knew Big Jim
To be anything but brave
Getting his kicks
From the people he’d saved
So I was a bit shocked
When that man so stout
Was the man who went in
And never came out
Some deep need inside
Made him take up the hose
As if he always knew
What no one else knows
Like living and dying
Is what life’s all about
Making him go in
And never come out
The smoke was so thick
Almost no one could see
Still he grabbed up his gear
So he could still breathe
Then climbed to the sky
With a wave and a shout
The man who went in
And never came out
I heard Jim was father
Husband and son
All those that knew him
Loved him as one
I heard he played hard
As prankster or scout
The man who went in
And never came out
How to you recall him
A man so many loved
Was he hero or martyr
Or none of the above?
How does his family
Learn to live without
The man who went in
And never came out?
Why do men do things
Like Big Jim did that day,
Defying all odds
With a shout and a wave?
With axes and hoses
They rush into Hell’s mouth
The men who go in
And never come out
I wish I knew Jim
Like his closest of friends
I knew him to be quiet
A brave man and grim
I can’t say at all
I knew what he was about
The man who went in
But never came out.