1. |
No Excuses
03:55
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NO EXCUSES
Richard Robinson / Erin Enderlin
I did what I had to do and it was ugly
And I don’t feel like sugar coating shit
I still have nightmares, even with my eyes wide open
Sometimes I wish like hell I had a turn off-switch
I think about the time I can’t get back
With my grandparents, my mother, and my kids
I think about my brothers that I lost
And sometimes wonder why I’m the one who lived
I’m the kinda tough that cuts through steel
But that don’t mean that I don’t feel
I believe in God, and I know why I’m here
I may not know the purpose, but I know, one day it will be revealed
They poured blood out of my boots in Puerto Rico
I faced death in Mogadishu and Iraq
But I love my kids and my family
And I know love and faith brought me back
I fought some demons for this country,
And I still fight them here at home
And anybody who hurts my family
I won’t hesitate to let those demons go
I’m the kinda tough that cuts through steel
But that don’t mean that I don’t feel
I believe in God, and I know why I’m here
I may not know the purpose, but I know, it will be revealed
Jesus was a warrior and he made me one too
And I know he’s the reason that I made it through
That every day I make it through
I’m the kinda tough that cuts through steel
But that don’t mean that I don’t feel
I believe in God, and I know why I’m here
I may not know the purpose, but I know, one day it will be revealed
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2. |
Start Over
03:18
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START OVER
William (Joe) Austin / Stevenson Everett
Red dirt under Carolina Sky
74 Nova on riverside drive
She said she loved the blue in my eyes
And then we said goodbye
Raising babies, living her life
2 sides of the world, different sky
She was holding love in her arms, while I
Was lookin evil in the eye
Now my blue eyes are faded
The man that should have been never got created
And I been drunk I been sober
When I fall I just get back up, and I start over
Turkey Town road, Wildwood Spring
Planning our life, fighting for our dreams
Still dealing with the things I’ve seen
Cuz that hell keeps haunting me
Don’t live in the past they say
But I carry it with me every day
Gotta meet my demons face to face
Just to make it through the day
Now angers how I cry
Trying to find peace of mind under Kentucky Sky
Sometimes I’m drunk, sometimes I’m sober
When I fall I just get back up
And I start over
I’ve met God and I’ve met the devil
Tried to fight my way out the middle
Then God sent me an Angel to light the way
Even though my blue eyes are faded
And the man that should have been never got created
I been drunk I been sober
When I fall she picks me up and helps me start over
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3. |
Footprints In My Mind
02:44
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FOOTPRINTS IN MY MIND
Paul Strickland / Stevenson Everett
Small town Texas, until my number was drawn
Said goodbye to family
Come August I was gone
Found myself heading off to a foreign land
Wondering if I’d ever make it home again
Holding on to those I’d known, those I’d loved, and those I’d left behind
Those footsteps through my memories leave footprints in my mind
Back home life just went on
I was tryin to stay alive the day I turned 21
Bullets flew, brothers fell
Just a buncha kids trying to make it through a living hell
I think about those I’ve known, and those I’ve loved, and those I’ve left behind
And those footsteps through my memories, leave footprints in my mind
Now I’m an old man
Looking back on the life I’ve led
Thinking bout things I shoulda done and things I shoulda said
And those I’ve known, and those I’ve loved, and those I’ve left behind
these footsteps through my memories, leave footprints in my mind
All these footsteps through my memories leave footprints in my mind
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4. |
Soldiers Coming Home
03:40
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SOLDIERS COMING HOME
Jack McMillen / Erin Enderlin
I went down to the county seat with my dad and a couple friends
And we all told Mrs. Green if our country needed soldiers we wanted in
We all went through basic, then divided up where we were sent
And I landed in Vietnam, February 6, 1966
I flew in on a cargo plane with whole bunch of other guys
Way up in the North in the middle of the night
I remember the heat, the humidity, and the smell
And Captain Smith telling me that we were about to enter hell
And 21 and 20 we rode in duce and 1/2s
The orders we were given got our attention fast
“Boys stick to nicknames” do you’re job, don’t get too close
Cause there’s gonna be a lot a you that won’t be comin home”
I saw a lot of things that no one should ever see
It was hard and dirty work, hardly had a place to brush our teeth
I was in artillery, 105 air mobile
But I volunteered to be a door gunner on the choppers flying over
Captain Buck called me up, said Jack, I need your help
I know I can rely on you, for these men we’ve got to get out
Found POWs, ragged, in bad shape
And proud to say I helped them back to safety that day
10 men flew through the jungle deep
And that’s one good memory that I’ll gladly keep
“Boys I’ve got your six, just stick to me real close”
Cause I’m gonna make sure that we’re gonna get you home
And we did get them out, and not much later got to go
Called my friend Jim back in Missouri said gas up that GTO
I’ll be at the airport in a couple days or so
Nobody said too much, when we got in the air
Don’t remember who I sat by, but I recall a couple tears
When I heard the pilot say over the intercom
Say “We’re out of Vietnam, ladies and gentlemen we’re going home”
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5. |
White Marbled Stone
03:26
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WHITE MARBLED STONE
Tim Hill / Jay Clementi
You can make an alcoholic
Survivor's guilt’s what they call it
But it’s tough to put a label on how I feel
Can’t erase the things I’ve seen
Your smile haunts my dreams
Self medicating aint no way to heal
I’m fighting all the time yeah that’s why I’m
Here among the white marbled stone
Wondering why God called you and not me home
I’m going to survive, keep your spirit alive
Live, love, and laugh for you
Do all the crazy things you’d do, Brother your not alone
Here among the white marbled stone
Pain comes around everyday
I gotta get that dragon slayed
It’s gonna take getting close with a sword of truth
You were strong with a lion's heart
Without your help I’ll get torn apart
I need your warrior spirit to help me through
That’s why I came to talk to you
Here among the white marbled stone
Wondering why God called you and not me home
I’m going to survive and keep your spirit alive
Live, love and laugh for you
Do all the crazy things you’d do, Brother your not alone
Here among the white marbled stone
Maybe it’s a cry for help
Maybe its a prayer
But I have the chills
And can feel you in the air
Here among the white marbled stone
Wondering why God called you and not me home
I’m going to survive and keep your spirit alive
live, love and laugh for you
Do all the crazy things you’d do, Brother your not alone
Here among the white marbled stone
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6. |
Asking Why
03:54
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ASKING WHY
Gloria Downey / Jay Clementi
When you blow in from Baghdad you’re thankful to be alive
You try to dust off the pain and shame and step back into your life
You reach out for help, and they fill you with pills and lies
Something ain't right
Why isn’t anyone asking why
Can anyone hear our cry
We see you there we know you care
America we don’t want to die
Why isn’t anyone asking why
We all hear the numbers, how many a day
We lose - I wonder how much money big pharma gets paid
For each of us, don’t know who to trust, or cuss or who to blame
Why isn’t anyone asking why
Can anyone hear our cry
We see you there we know you care
America we don’t want to die
Why isn’t anyone asking why
So tired of being
Afraid to pick up the phone
Seems like every time I do another friends is gone….and another friend is gone
Why isn’t anyone asking why
Can anyone hear our cry
We see you there we know you care
America we don’t want to die
Why isn’t anyone asking why
Why can’t you see this doesn’t have to be
Will there be anyone left, when they call about me
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7. |
Rules of Engagement
03:54
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RULES ON ENGAGEMENT
Anthony Wheeler / Maia Sharp
The deal was implied
That if they survived
There’s a place to go if they came back broken
But 22 a day
Are drifting away
That deal dishonored, not just unspoken
They followed the rules of engagement
They did what they said they would do
Put their lives on the line, hearts broken like mine
Seeing what they’re going through
Sleeping on the pavement
Where are those rules of engagement
The Geneva Convention
Had a good intention
From where I stood, we held true to that
We took in the wounded from outside the wire
Under constant gunfire
But I couldn’t shoot back
To follow the rules of engagement
We did what we said we would do
With lives on the line, hearts broken like mine
Seeing what they’re going through
Sleeping on the pavement
Where are those rules of engagement
No bullets or bombs anymore
In the war after the war
I wake up every morning
With a mission on my mind
The wounds unseen, the records unclean
And I know what I’m fighting for this time
They followed the rules of engagement
They did what they said they would do
Put their lives on the line, hearts broken like mine
Seeing what they’re going through
Sleeping on the pavement
Where are those rules of engagement
Where are those rules of engagement
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8. |
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I CAN DO IT DIFFERENTLY NOW
Merci McKinley / Maia Sharp
I made sure everybody had what they needed
To carry out the mission and come back alive
Everything I couldn’t forget, the disrespect
I put it on the shelf to survive
Good friends here today and gone tomorrow in vehicles burning
Nobody told me bout the enemy within
And I’m pulling back the curtain on the battles of serving
I didn’t get to live in the moments along the way
Sometimes I’d let the darkness steal the day
But I thank God I’m still here somehow
By his grace, I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
I was there when the lights turned on
I was there when the lights turned off
With the buildings shaking and mortars flying
I tried to make the sacrifice enough
Climbing out of the sinking doubt and the valleys I was thrown in
I got stronger, I got wiser
And I got a second chance to live again
I lost so many moments along the way
Sometimes I’d let the darkness steal the day
But I thank God I’m still here somehow
By his grace, I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
My soldiers, they weren’t just numbers
Everyone was a person and I did my best
There’s a calmness and a stillness
I left my mark where it counts
I’m free from restlessness
And I thank God I’m still here somehow
By his grace, I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
I can do it differently now
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9. |
Made For Breakin
04:06
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MADE FOR BREAKIN
William (Joe) Austin / Gloria Downey / Tim Hill / Jack McMillen / Merci McKinley / Richard Robinson / Paul Strickland / Anthony Wheeler / Jay Clementi / Erin Enderlin / Stevenson Everett / Maia Sharp
These chains were made for breaking
This moment’s mine for the taking
Tearing down the walls of this prison of my own making
These chains were made for breaking
I took off the uniform and hung up the boots
Now I’m fighting on a new front line
But I’m still doing everything I can do
To not leave anyone behind
Stuck in what’s next
Stuck in what’s happened
Freedom’s in the moment I thought that I was trapped in
These chains were made for breaking
This moment’s mine for the taking
Tearing down the walls of this prison of my own making
These chains were made for breaking
Some days you put one foot in front of the other
And it feels like learning how to walk again
Holding out a hand to my sisters and brothers
Seems like a good place to begin
I’ll never stop defending
Fighting for a new beginning
These chains were made for breaking
This moment’s mine for the taking
Tearing down the walls of this prison of my own making
These chains were made for breaking
There’s a new day breaking
Love and laughter for the taking
So many memories left for the making
There’s a new day breaking
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10. |
Seeing The Sunshine
02:51
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SEEING THE SUNSHINE
William (Joe) Austin / Gloria Downey / Tim Hill / Jack McMillen / Merci McKinley / Richard Robinson / Paul Strickland / Anthony Wheeler / Jay Clementi / Erin Enderlin / Stevenson Everett / Maia Sharp
I’m grateful for my friends
I’m grateful for my children
Grateful for my family and my freedom
I’ve escaped death
I’m still standing tall
Fought off my demons and Humbled by it all
And Seeing the sunshine
Makes feel alive
Blessed to survive the night
Everything’s gonna be alright
Watching the steam
Burning off the trees
The world is coming alive just like me
Seeing the sunshine
Makes feel alive
Blessed to survive the night
Everything’s gonna be alright
Hey hey hey oh
Hey Hey hey oh
Everything’s gonna be alright
No this The hurt aint gonna last
Just remember this too shall too pass
Seeing the sunshine
Makes feel alive
Blessed to survive the night
Everything’s gonna be alright
Hey hey hey OH
Hey Hey hey oh
Everything’s gonna be alright
©2023 SongwritingWith:Soldiers Music (ASCAP) / Mawmaw's Songs (ASCAP) / Delaney Butte Songs (ASCAP) / Arkansassy Songs (SESAC) / Crooked Crown Music (BMI)
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SongwritingWith:Soldiers Nashville, Tennessee
SongwritingWith:Soldiers is a non-profit 501c (3) organization.
Our Mission: We transform lives by using collaborative songwriting to expand creativity, connections, and strengths.
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