"Old Broken Soldier" (1 Viewer)

[Shannon Reuss]

May I recommend this poignant and haunting song by Joe Grant and sung by Tanglefoot. He initially wrote it from the standpoint of a soldier returning from WWI, but he and the rest of the band feel it is relevant with the soldiers of today as well.

Old Broken Soldier lyrics by Joe Grant
Eileen McQueen can you tell me
how long it's been since I left for the war
How long it's been since you held me
Promising love for rich or for poor
For better or worse, we said we'd be true
Now I'm back and the bloody war's through
Eileen McQueen I can't tell you
How cold it feels when the battle is done
How bitter the taste of the powder
How empty the face of a comrade cut down
For better or worse we believed it was true
For King and for country: how little we knew
Chorus
So lay me down on a deep feather bed
Hold me close and cradle my head
I'm an Old Broken Soldier back from the war
And the way we once loved, I can't love no more

So lay me down on a deep feather bed
Let me taste the sweet of your breath
Your voice is so soft and your words so sweet
So just lay me down and sing me to sleep
Eileen McQueen was I dreaming?
I heard you say it was just like before
I looked in your eyes they were gleaming
With tears of delight, promising more
Of the pleasure we knew every night, every day
Till the bloody war came and took it away
Chorus

 

[kogu]

Thanks, Shannon,
I do like the lyrics and will look for the song.

 

[trooper]

For King and for country. They get everywhere don't they.

 

[Shannon Reuss]

I have a friend who has been in a relationship with a soldier both before and after his time in Iraq and this song really strikes a poignant note with her. For several years it looked like he just wasn't going to be capable of maintaining his relationship with her or anything else (he also has a young son). He is now getting help for post traumatic stress disorder and things are looking a lot better for him.
As a former psych nurse who worked with veterans with PTSD and all the other issues that arise after combat this song really strikes a chord with me.
It is also just a great song in its own right--beautiful and haunting. You can find it on their Captured Alive album and I know Amazon and Rhapsody both have it.
Regards,