Travelin' Soldier

Travelin’ Soldier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRbo9FJ-yM

This week I’m going to talk about a song a bit out of the norm for me. It’s by the Dixie Chicks, one of the few country bands I like, and this and their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide are my favorite two songs by them. The Song is called Travelin’ Soldier, from their 6^th album Home (2002).

I’ve heard this song since it came out, but then it seemed to disappear for years…until I heard it again this week.  The song’s lyrics tell a powerful story of the love that grows between two strangers waiting to be reunited. The story begins when a boy and a girl sitting on a pier right before he leaves for the army. He tells her “I got no one to send a letter to. Would you mind if I sent one back to you.” The unnamed boy is reaching out to this girl he doesn’t even know in hopes for a connection, and the chorus shows that the connection quickly turned into love.

The chorus is my favorite part of the song because of the emotion and personality the Dixie Chicks put into their singing. I can almost feel the sadness the “pretty little girl with a bow in her hair,” which a girl as young as her should never be burdened with. Her commitment to him is evident, and though she is fictional, she’s a reminder of how important our relationships with others, especially those we love, are. The majority of us will never understand the hope, pain, sadness, and power of men and women that are “waitin’ for the love of a travelin’ soldier,” but the song gives me a glimpse into their emotions. The last part of the chorus changes the sadness and pain to happiness though when the girl receives the letter saying her love is coming home.

I hope everyone who has a loved one in the military receives that letter too, and I thank everyone who has served for the dedication to us and our country. I could go on and on about this song, but the rest is for you all to discover and appreciate. Until next week.

Travelin Soldier Lyrics:

Two days past eighteen 
He was waiting for the bus in his army green 
Sat down in a booth at a cafe there 
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair 
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile 
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while 
And talking to me, 
I'm feeling a little low 
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go 

So they went down and they sat on the pier 
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care 
I got no one to send a letter to 
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you 

Chorus: I cried 
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy 
Too young for him they told her 
Waitin' for the love of the travelin' soldier 
Our love will never end 
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again 
Never born to be alone when the letter said 
Soldier's coming home 

So the letters came from an army camp 

From California then Vietnam 
And he told her of his heart 
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of 
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here 
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier 
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile 
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile 

[Chorus] 

One friday night at a football game 
The lord's prayer said and the anthem sang 
A man said folks would you bow your heads 
For a list of local vietnam dead 
Crying all alone under the stands 
Was a piccolo player in the marching band 
And one name read and nobody really cared 
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair 

I cried never gonna hold the hand of another guy too young for him they told her waitin' for the love of the travelin' soldier our love will never end waitin' for the soldier to come back again never more to be alone when the letter said soldier's coming, {repeat chorus}