The Aberdeen Foundation

SOME SOLDIERS RETURN
[ country ]

There’s an empty chair tonight at a warm December table
She softly smiles at two young children barely out of the cradle
There’s been many long, lonely nights, since he’s been gone
She’s never believed in her heart that he’s not comin’ home

Some soldiers return, some never come home

And for loved ones left behind, life goes on

We try to give ‘em comfort, do the best we can

But if we haven’t ever walked in those shoes, we’ll never understand

Her mind drifts back a year ago to a tearful winter evenin'
Children sang “peace on earth, good news about forgivin'”
The day she heard a brave soldier’s plane had gone down
A charred fragment of parachute is all they ever found

Some soldiers return, some never come home

And for loved ones left behind, life goes on

We try to give ‘em comfort, do the best we can

But if we haven’t ever walked in those shoes, we’ll never, ever understand

You know, we drove 5-inch nails in a brave soldier’s outstretched hands
Another father lost an only son and no doubt he understands

There’s an empty chair tonight at a warm December table
She smiles as two young children read about a babe in a stable
She knows in her heart one day a brave soldier will be returnin'
Children sing “peace on earth, good news about forgivin'” *

* For the family of LCDR Michael Scott Speicher, whose plane went down January 17th, 1991, the first night of the Operation Desert Storm air war. No part of Lieutenant Speicher’s body has ever been found and he is presumed to have survived the crash and been captured by Iraqi forces. His official status remained KIA-BNR, killed in action—body not recovered, until January 11th, 2001, when it was officially changed to MIA—missing in action. The most liberal and most conservative of families, losing a loved one to war, share a same common loss, cutting deep beyond all ability of words to describe.

No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher and signed by the author. Inquiries: Freedom Tracks Music ~ Records, 292 Trails Circle, Nashville, TN 37214 or requested via eMail. Essays entitled Revolution and Revolution -- Side B are open copyright and may be reproduced or utilized as often as one likes.