(Spoken Intro: You know, everything that's ever been written about the Civil War, they wrote about brother fightin' brother and father fightin' son, and nobody has ever really written a song about the ones that stayed behind, you know, like the women that lost their men. That's what this is about.)

Have you seen Amanda Blaine
In the hills of Shiloh...
Wandering through the morning rain
In the hills of Shiloh?
Have you seen her at her door
Listening for the cannon roar
And a man who went to war
From the hills of Shiloh?
Have you heard her mournful cries
In the hills of Shiloh?
Have you seen her haunted eyes
In the hills of Shiloh?
Have you seen her running down
Searching through the sleepy town
In her yellowed wedding gown
In the hills of Shiloh?

Have you seen her standing there
In the hills of Shiloh?
Wind a'blowing through her hair
In the hills of Shiloh
Listening for the sound of guns...
Listening for the roll of drums...
And a man who never comes
To the hills of Shiloh?

Have you heard Amanda sing
In the hills of Shiloh?
Whispering to her wedding ring
In the hills of Shiloh?
Hear her humming soft and low...
For Amanda doesn't know...
'Twas ended forty years ago
In the hills of Shiloh.


Lyrics submitted by knate15

In The Hills of Shiloh song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    Reaches the depths of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln what a horror.

    davecydellon July 03, 2019   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Forty years after the War ended would have been 1904. Amanda Blaine would have been probably in her early 60s or so by then,depending on how old she was when her man went away...since she still wore her(yellowed)wedding gown,she was likely recently married and very young,likely no more than 20. Can only imagine how many times real-life stories like these actually played out,on both sides.

    Smith472120on September 25, 2023   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Just a correction to the lyrics as printed.

    The verse that includes the lines ‘have you seen her running down searching through the sleepy town’ should read ‘sleeping town.’ There is a difference between ‘sleepy’ and ‘sleeping’. In the Judy Collins recording it is clear she says ‘sleeping’ not ‘sleepy’.

    Waverlydadon January 04, 2024   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.