Dave's Music #75 We Remember in Song

Today's blog is a shared blog with the Great River Folk Fest Songwriting contest, and I'm adding one special song at the end, plus starting in 2023 one new song each Memorial Day.  For far too many generations we find a need to stop and remember the men and women who have died in service of our country.  We can argue about motivation of the politicians, but we admire the folks in the line of duty.  Many a pen has been taken up also to document the story of war, loss, and refugees; and this year several have come into our songwriting contest. We want to pause  with it being a contest for a day and share their songs with you, and we'll let their words be our description; but in the end we'll use a song to dream of peace.

1) The Battle is Over - Gracious Me

The Battle’s Not Over  © Gracious Me 

VERSE ONE

I know a man who'd been in the war.

He can't sit with his back to the door.

He jumps when horns blare, and he's always keeping score

still unsure, can he be who he was before?

CHORUS

The battle's not over

He's still fighting hard.

His body may be safe

But his mind's still on guard.

The battle's not over 

It's deep inside

It comes and it goes now

the enemy's his mind.

VERSE TWO

He wakes up shakin', covered in sweat.

Each friend an enemy he hasn't met.

I can't make him trust the war's over yet.

Every shadow the flick'ring ghost of a threat.

CHORUS

The battle's not over

He's still fighting hard.

His body may be safe

But his mind's still on guard.

The battle's not over 

It's deep inside

It comes and it goes now

the enemy's his mind.

VERSE ONE REPEAT

I know a man who'd been in the war.

He can't sit with his back to the door.

He jumps when horns blare, and he's always keeping score

still unsure, can he be who he was before?

(Tag) Can he be who he was before?

2) The Battle is Not Over - Songa

Olive Branch to Olive Green

by Jim Brown Mario Friedel

There never was much money, in his whole family

Not a sign of riches, least not that you could see

Grew up wearing hand me downs from his big brother Bill

Drafted him in ‘63 said son, you're gonna kill

He was happy, he was free...Olive Branch to Olive Green

Restless days and sleepless nights, not knowing what’s in store

Wasn’t in his dreams or plans to wear a uniform

A burley guy in olive green, stood him by the door

Said “Son we’ll trade them blue jeans for an AG 44.”

Olive Branch to Olive Green; off to serve for his country

Olive Branch to Olive Green; serving time to keep us free

Sailing cross the world somewhere, just spoilin’ for a fight

Hand to hand, tooth and nail, just didn't seem right

Wasn't seeking honor or a decorated name

Living with those battle scars was driving him insane

Olive Branch to Olive Green; sacrificed for his country

Olive Branch to Olive Green; sacrificed to keep us free

3) The Boy He Used to Be - Jane Fallon

The Boy He Used to Be

Cheeks like apples; a great big laugh, a wholesome, happy lad.

They dressed him up, gave him a gun,

sent him out to face a world gone mad.

Did what he was told to do, then quietly came home.

Left behind a shattered youth in the trenches of Toulon.

Oh he did not speak about it; he could not let them see

that he would never be the same – the boy he used to be.

As a child when kids were cruel, he would not fight them after school.

He would turn the other cheek –

believed that golden rule.

When death was his companion it tore him up inside--

The grim and ugly deeds of war he did just to survive.

Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see

that he would never be the same, the boy he used to be.

Went to church, knelt to pray, read his Bible faithfully each day.

Raised a family, worked a job,

seemed to get along ok.

Somewhere through the years, his prayers ran out of breath

And this godly man slowly drank himself to death.

Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see

that he would never be the same, the boy he used to be.

4) War Song - Doug Kolmar

War Song

I wish I didn’t have to write a war song

For this one or the next one

Or the one that came before

But If I thought a song could make a

difference

I’d write a really good one

The song to end all wars

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

You don’t have to go to war, it will come to

you

Maybe one day on your way to school

Or shopping at the mall

Now that shopping bag holds all that she

can carry

As she joins the line of refugees

From a city ‘bout to fall

She’s just a kid

She’s just like you

What will we do?

The clown becomes a hero and the

strongman breaks a sweat

But a smile is no umbrella

When the bombs are raining down

The rest of us are

walking on a high wire

Over shattered lives and bodies

When that circus comes to town

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

I wish I didn’t have to write a war song

I wish children didn’t pay the price

When men’s sabres ring

Maybe all a song can do is be a witness

We remember songs and

Songs remember everything

Hmmm

© 2022, Doug Kolmar

5) Pick Up the Baby and Run - Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke

PICK UP THE BABY AND RUN -

C'mon now Mama - Hurry up Papa

We can't wait no more

Vigilantes are coming - We must keep running

They will take us now for sure

Pick up the baby and run

To the land in the distance

To the land of resistance

To the land of the free

Pick up the baby and run

From the place where we are

To the place that's as far

As the eye can see

We will meet at Grande Rio - Vaya Con Dios

The place where your brother died

Estaremos Ayee Manana - Sen Sentir Pena

Safe on the other side

CHORUS

Go now Muchacho - Don';t let them catch you

Out on the desert floor

Santa Maria - Pray that she see you

Tu Corazon Pertenece El Senor

CHORUS

6) The Dream of Peace - Jason Baker

"The Dream Of Peace"

Once there was a dream of peace
It flew around the world
It dreamed itself in every heart
And there a flag unfurled

A humble rag proclaiming love
And peace for humankind
From heart to heart the dream flew on
And left something behind

A Dream of a world where sunflowers bloom
If we Dream a Dream of Peace
We can make that dream come true

The dream of peace it flew away
Escaping drums of war
Yet left a grain in every heart
Waiting for a door

And when the light is let to shine
The seeds of peace will grow
Sunflowers live in every heart
Where love is free to flow

A Dream of a world where sunflowers bloom
If we Dream a Dream of Peace
We can make that dream come true

Here's one song that we all know well:

For 2023, I thought I would add another song rather than recreate this playlist.  Here's a song we know from a Dixie Chick cover of Bruce Robison's song Travelin' Soldiers.  I looked, I don't seem to own it or have it in the library any more, so I searched Bandcamp and found this wonderful cover by Rebecca Lowe.  It appears she's now focused more on a duo with her husband called Kubecca which I'm sure I'll be following soon.

One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your head
For the list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was the 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 a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home

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