The boy only wanted to give him mother something And all of her roses had bloomed Looking at him as he came rushing with them Knowing her roses were doomed All she could see were the thorns buried deep With tears in his eyes as she tended his wounds CHORUS: But she knew it was love It was one she could understand He was showing his love And that's how he hurt his hands He still remembers that night as a child On his mother's knee Holding him close as she opened her Bible And quietly started to read Then seeing a picture of Jesus he cried "Mama, He's got some scars just like me!" CHORUS: And he knew it was love It was one he could understand He was showing his love And that's how he hurt his hands Now, the boy's grown and moved out on his own When Uncle Sam comes along A foreign affair, but our young men were there And luck had his number drawn It wasn't long 'til our hero was gone He gave to a friend what he learned from the cross CHORUS: And they knew it was love It was one they could understand He was showing his love And that's how he hurt his hands