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SW​:​S Retreat - August 2015

by SongwritingWith:Soldiers

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    Our retreats pair professional songwriters with veterans, active duty service members, and military families to write songs about their military experiences and returning home. Melissa, Richard, Keenan, Josilyn, Mastin, and Lochlan Burkett; Dusty Baxley; Jennifer Allen and Tom, Summer, Journye, and Boston MacDonald; Amelia, Adam, and Sydney Martin; Taniki, Brandon, Jermaine and Terry Richard; and Luis Rivera participated in the August 2015 retreat. These songs are their stories.
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1.
WE CAN DO ANYTHING Taniki and Brandon Richard / JD Martin Sometimes we fight with our heads down Traveling a road with no ground Falling back to the way the world lives Blind to the way we wanna be Blind to the plan we hope to see Losing sight of the way it really is But the fight is so much bigger than me and you So let’s lift up our heads and see the truth We can do anything Push through the struggle Find a piece of heaven In the midst of the trouble You don’t climb to the top of the mountain and then quit You have to keep on reaching for every little bit We can do anything…together We can do anything Tread light, push on and don’t fret Leave the past and don’t forget Hold on to the memories Each battle may not be won But we will win the war so hold on Make a new life for the family Yes the fight is so much bigger than me and you So let’s lift up our heads and see the truth We can do anything Push through the struggle Find a piece of heaven In the midst of the trouble You don’t climb to the top of the mountain and then quit You have to keep on reaching for every little bit We can do anything…together We can do anything
2.
SWEET SWEET HONEY Taniki, Brandon, Jermaine, and Terry Richard / Ashley Cleveland We were meant to be together God told us We found out what really matters God showed us He took us places that we had refused to go Taught us things we never knew we needed to know Focused on an unseen future plan Because He loves us We got the sweet, sweet honey in the pot of gold So let’s take care to never let it go Nice and slow As we grow Now we’re anything but normal And that’s o.k. Different you, different me We do it God’s way Some may call it backwards but we fit together We celebrate the moments through any kind of weather Stronger standing on His promise Day by day We got the sweet, sweet honey in the pot of gold So let’s take care to never let it go Nice and slow As we grow
3.
Human Again 03:47
HUMAN AGAIN Luis Rivera / Darden Smith / Jay Clementi I just want to feel human again I just want to feel human again Looking in the mirror thinking about who I used to be Wish it was clearer where the next road leads All of my life I’ve felt alone I can’t find a place where I belong I just want to feel human again I just want to feel human again There’s a place in my heart that you can’t see It’s a little piece of the best of me All of my life I’ve been on the run From myself and from what I’ve done I just want to feel human again I just want to feel human again I can’t judge myself any longer I’ve known dark, like you won’t believe I want to stop these dreams I just want to feel human again I just want to feel human again
4.
ALL MY LIFE IS A SONG Eric Burkett / JD Martin / Darden Smith All my life I’ve been singing All my life is a song I could try to keep it inside But that wouldn’t last for long Cause life is so damn sweet It’s the harmony That helps me carry on All my life I’ve been singing All my life is a song When the hard times wash over me I let the music come And it lifts me up so high Reminding me that I Can carry on I just take a breath and I sing Because God has gifted me If I did not raise my voice that would be wrong So that is why I sing Because God has lifted me If I did not raise my voice that would be wrong Because all my life is a song Because all my life is a song Sweet, sweet song Sweet, sweet song
5.
NOTHING BUT A THING Adam Martin / Jay Clementi This 4 wheel drive ain’t quite like the one back home Desert camo, full of ammo, it ain’t got no chrome No Johnny Cash on the radio Yeah out here, it ain’t cold beer in the console, it’s a box full of grenades, Oakley shades, and a convoy on the roll This far down range anything goes It’s bullets and tracers, mortars from the sky Searching through the ashes, can’t feel enough to cry It’s your worst nightmare but a warrior’s dream Suck it up soldier, ain’t nothing but a thing Coffee in my lip, fingertips close to a gun Home in my chair, I’m still there but I don’t tell no one I close my eyes when the day is done – and it’s Bullets and tracers, mortars from the sky Searching through the ashes, can’t feel enough to cry It’s your worst nightmare but a warrior’s dream Suck it up soldier, ain’t nothing but a thing Let the numb sink in, kill the pain again Cover up your conscience with justified sin It’s bullets and tracers, mortars from the sky Searching through the ashes, can’t feel enough to cry It’s your worst nightmare but a warrior’s dream Suck it up soldier, ain’t nothing but a thing Suck it up soldier, ain’t nothing but a thing
6.
Ghosts 03:48
GHOSTS Adam, Amy, and Sydney Martin / Jay Clementi Tucked my baby in last night Turned on her pink night light She said Daddy who’s that man you just walked by him My heart was in my throat Thought we were all alone I said baby no one’s there She said Daddy I’m not scared I’ve seen his face before One time on Grandma’s porch He didn’t say too much Just rocked and watched over us Now I believe in Ghosts I don’t care what you say I feel it in my bones I swear he was there that day There ain’t a shadow of doubt in my soul Now I believe, I believe in ghosts Lost a good friend of mine One cold December night Now his little girl is home, with her momma all alone I didn’t know what to say When she said daddy walked me To school today Now I believe in Ghosts I don’t care what you say I feel it in my bones I swear he was there that day There ain’t a shadow of doubt in my soul Now I believe, I believe in ghosts Campfire songs and a midnight dust devil Danced up a thousand glowing red embers You could blame it on the wind but I’ll tell you it was him Making sure we remember Now I believe in Ghosts I don’t care what you say I feel it in my bones I swear he was there that day There ain’t a shadow of doubt in my soul Now I believe, I believe in ghosts
7.
MOTHER SOLDIER Jennifer Allen / Darden Smith I wore your picture in a locket When I was overseas So no matter where I traveled I carried you with me I missed Christmas I missed birthdays Your first day at school But right here over my heart I always carried you Mother soldier The hardest thing I’ll ever do I kept your picture in a locket That’s how I made it through When I was a mother and a soldier too I couldn’t take the missing you So I shut down my heart Now you’re right here next to me I’ve forgotten where to start Mother soldier I did what I had to do And that picture in a locket That’s how I made it through When I was a mother and a soldier too I just hope you understand I’m doing the best I can And I’m trying to make up for lost time Mother soldier Still doing what I have to do And that picture in a locket That’s how I make it through I keep your picture in a locket That’s how I make it through I’m a mother and a soldier too I’m a mother and a soldier too
8.
Welcome Home 03:14
WELCOME HOME Dusty Baxley / Ashley Cleveland / JD Martin I came home in 2009 to die I gave ‘em everything I had to give Now I wondered why I gave ‘em 22 years, I got back a million tears I didn’t know how to feel and I was too numb to try I boarded a plane, I was Sydney bound I went as far from here as I could get To put the war down I couldn’t get out of my head, I stayed drunk and high instead I was the lost soul that didn’t know he could be found They said Welcome home. Job well done. Welcome home It just felt wrong We met at a jukebox in a horse show bar I said excuse me ma’am can you read the titles? Don’t know where my glasses are We talked and talked all night, for the first time it felt right Now she rides with me on my ‘blue girl’ We don’t need no sidecar She said Welcome Home. It felt so safe. Welcome Home She is my amazing grace
9.
Howdy-Do 02:22
HOWDY-DO Jennifer Allen and Summer, Journye, and Boston MacDonald / Ashley Cleveland / Darden Smith Our house is always crowded, it’s the place to be We got the toys we like the noise we treat you like family We know what it means to be far from home So when you come to our house you’re never alone No matter what happens we stick like glue Everywhere we go it’s always something new So when the hard times come a-knockin’ We tell ‘em ‘howdy-do’ 9-11, NY, Tennessee, Iraq We had to learn to see the poetry in that We’ve had our share of problems we’ve got a few of them still But we really, really love each other and we always will No matter what happens we stick like glue Everywhere we go it’s always something new So when the hard times come a-knockin’ We tell ‘em ‘howdy-do’ We dream about the future while we take it day-by-day We living in this moment before the moment goes away Life chooses its own path, we’ve got no control So when crazy comes around, give me your hand to hold No matter what happens let’s stick like glue Everywhere we go it’s always something new So when the hard times come a-knockin’ We tell ‘em ‘howdy-do’
10.
I AM NOT ALONE Journye MacDonald / Ashley Cleveland On the beam I was invincible I was the best that I could be Til injury made the doctors say ‘no more’ I lost my dance when I lost my routine What in the world can I count on? I think that now I know You are there when I need you You are there when I don’t Everywhere, I can feel you Everywhere I am not alone When Pop died I was inconsolable He was the one who understood I cried and cried but you were incredible You made me laugh, you showed me life was good Who in the world can I count on? I think that now I know You are there when I need you You are there when I don’t Everywhere, I can feel you Everywhere I am not alone This is my chance to say what you mean to me For picking me up and being my friends For helping me put the past behind me So that I could live in the present again Who in the world can I count on? I think that now I know You are there when I need you You are there when I don’t Everywhere, I can feel you Everywhere I am not alone
11.
A-Team 02:39
A-TEAM Melissa, Richard, Keenan, Josilyn, Mastin, and Lochlan Burkett / JD Martin / Darden Smith We’re the A-Team We’re Adaptable We’re crazy, Crazy fun Sometimes it’s chaos But it makes sense to us We’re better together Through all kinds of weather We’re the A-Team They call us the A-Team We’re the A-Team We’re amazing Climbing higher everyday We’ve been apart but our hearts Are stronger than before We’re the A-Team God-given See the way we’re living We’re the A-Team A-Team When despair is in the air we rise up Bring hope show faith Shine the light in the darkest night We can cry about the hard times But God gives us the strength To laugh Take note, we’re the A-Team We’re the A-Team We’re awesome Auspicious Animals Adventurous We’re the A-Team They call us the A-Team
12.
Sweet Dreams 02:58
SWEET DREAMS Darden Smith & Group I want to be happy, I’m so tired I’ve been driving so many miles I started at home headed to Paris Island I’ve been through so many trials Sweet dreams, sweet dreams Sweet dreams, sweet dreams Floating on clouds high above America I look down at everybody staring at ya I want to go outside and play, start a new day Smile at everybody and say: Sweet dreams, sweet dreams Sweet dreams, sweet dreams Tomorrow I can find my way Find my way back home It’s been so long Since I had… Sweet dreams, sweet dreams Sweet dreams, sweet dreams

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released November 9, 2015

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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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