Irving Berlin - What Can You Do With A General? lyrics

When the war was over, why
There were jobs galore
For the GI josephs who were in the war
But for generals things were not so grand
And it's not so hard to understand

What can you do with a general
When he stops being a general?
Oh, what can you do with
A general who retires?

Who's got a job for a general
When he stops being a general?
They all get a job but a general no one hires

They fill his chest with medals
While he's across the foam
And they spread the crimson carpet
When he comes marching home
The next day someone hollers when
He comes into view
"Here comes the general" and they
All say "General who?"

They're delighted that he came
But they can't recall his name

Nobody thinks of assigning him
When they stop wining and dining him
It seems this country never has enjoyed
So many one and two and
Three and four star generals unemployed