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Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army greens
Sat down in a booth in 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 a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for a soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter said
A soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
In 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 sitting' 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
[chorus x2]
He was waiting for the bus in his army greens
Sat down in a booth in 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 a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for a soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter said
A soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
In 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 sitting' 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
[chorus x2]
Lyrics submitted by LittleDeshu
Track duration: 05:42
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How long have I tried to overcome the loss of the love of my life to a war such as Vietnam. Handsom, strong and a wonderful alround man from the sixties. Picked in a ballot to fight for his country It's over thirty years now and still I cannot completely let go. I thought I had mastered it on many occasions but I hadn't really. He returned to us, beat up and broken, just one day away from R&R. He suffered for 20 years from wounds and memories that he would have rather forgotten but was a fine soldier who was proud to defend his country. He was an MM winner, Not that he claimed that as his but always said it belonged to his band of company members fighting side by side, all for the same cause.
I am now sixty years of age, think of him more than I care to admit. Have tried to move forward on more occasions than I would like to tell you. I told myself, I could let go and move forward and I did I thought. I know why I could "never hold the hand of another guy" because he was my one true love and I really could never love another man fully. There is also an upside to this story, I will always hold him in my heart, with love and affection till we meet again. I have no idea of how our life would have gone but I have the wonderful memories and know the love and good times we shared can never die no matter what. Living through this experience allows me to understand the true meaning of this song. However reading the comments above it has touched many in many different ways. I love it and play it regularly . Thanks to the Dixie Chicks and thanks to all our brave soldiers who proudly defended our country.
The kind that understands your immaturity and ungratefulness to vets like me who have fought wars for others. You should be kissing my ass and telling me "welcome home" rather than continuing the insult of spitting (if even just figuratively) on those who did and do serve.
Indeed, who truly is the arrogant asshole?
The meaning is obvious, aside from the last part about the piccolo player and everything.
Calling a younger girl a "little girl" is just something that country singers do- it doesn't necessarily mean that she was very young, like a child, but that she was decently young, like a teenager.
I wish I could understand the last part. I don't want it to mean that he died, even though I know that's probably the case, seeing as this is a country song. The piccolo player is most likely the little girl with the bow in her hair.
- It's a country song, and so it has to be sad.
- If there was a happy ending, no one would care. We would listen and forget. It wouldn't speak to our emotions.
- It wouldn't be telling us the truth! 58,000 men died in Viet Nam.
- We would need to know the rest of the story, which might not be so good. Our vets returning from Viet Nam had a difficult time. The Dixie Chicks might have to write an entire album about the boy and his struggles to fit back into society.
Thanks for the voice!