For Eli
Andrea Gibson Lyrics


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Eli came back from Iraq
and tattooed a teddy bear onto the inside of his wrist,
above that a medic with an IV bag,
above that an angel
but Eli says the teddy bear wont live
and I know I dont know, but I say, "I know."
Cause Eli's only 24 and I've never seen eyes
furthur away from childhood than his
eyes old from a wisdom
he knows I'd rather not have
Eli's mother traces a teddy bear on the inside of my arm
and says,
"not all casualties come home in body bags."
And I swear,
I'd spend the rest of my life writing nothing
but the word light at the end of this tunnel.
if I could find the F'n tunnel
I'd write nothing but white flags
somebody pray for the soldiers,
somebody pray for whats lost,
somebody pray for the mailbox that holds the official letters
to the fathers, mothers, sisters and little brothers of
Micheal, 19
Stephen, 21
John, 33
how ironic that their deaths sound like bible verses
The herses parked in the halls of the high school recruting
black, brown, and poor
while anti-war activists outside
Walter Reed Army Hospital scream
"100, 000 slain"
as an amputee
on the third floor breathes forget-me-nots onto the window pane
but how can we forget what we never knew
our sky
is so perfectly blue it's repulsive
somebody tell me where god lives
cause
if god is truth god doesn't live here
our lies have seared the sun too hot to live by
there are ghosts of kids who are still alive
touting M16s with trembling hands
while we dream
ourselves stars on Survivor
another missile
sets fire to the face in the locket
of a mother who's son
needed money for college and she swears
she can feel his photograph burn
how many wars will it take us to learn that only the dead return
the rest remain forever caught between worlds of
shrapnel shatters body of three year old girl
to
welcome to McDonalds can I take your order?
The mortar
of sanity crumbling
stumbling back home to a home that will never be home again
Eli doesn't know if he can ever write a poem again
one third of the homeless men in this country are veterans
and we have the nerve to Support Our Troops
with pretty yellow ribbons
while giving nothing but dirty looks to their outstretched hands tell me
what land of the free
sets free its eighteen-year-old kids into greedy war zones
hones them like missiles
then returns their bones in the middle of the night
so no one can see each death
swept beneath the carpet and hidden like dirt
each life a promise we never kept
Jeff Lucey came back from Iraq
and hung himself in his parents basement with a garden hose
the night before he died he spent forty five minutes on his fathers lap
rocking like a baby
rocking like daddy, save me
and don't think for a minute he too
isn't collateral damage in the mansions of washington
they are watching them burn
and hoarding the water
no senators' sons are being sent out to slaughter no
presidents' daughters are licking ashes from their lips
or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks in case
they ever make it home alive
our eyes are closed
America
there are souls in
the boots of the soldiers
America
F your yellow ribbon
you wanna support our troops
bring them home




and hold them tight
when they get here

Overall Meaning

This song is a powerful and emotional commentary on the devastating effects of war on soldiers and their families. Andrea Gibson tells the story of Eli, a soldier who returned from Iraq and tattooed a teddy bear on his wrist. The tattoo symbolizes the loss of innocence and the harsh reality of life in the warzone. Eli's eyes reflect the maturity and wisdom he gained from his experience, but also the trauma and pain he carries with him.


The song emphasizes the devastating impact of war on soldiers and the families they leave behind. The lyrics describe the heartbreak of families receiving official letters announcing the death of their loved ones, the irony of the deaths sounding like bible verses, and the hypocrisy of supporting the troops with ribbons while not offering them the support they need after returning home. Gibson also addresses the issue of homelessness among veterans and the psychological toll of war.


The artist ends the song with a call to action, urging listeners to bring troops home and offer them the support they need. The song is a poignant reminder of the importance of acknowledging the human costs of war and working towards peace.


Line by Line Meaning

Eli came back from Iraq
Eli returned from his service in Iraq


and tattooed a teddy bear onto the inside of his wrist,
Eli got a tattoo of a teddy bear on his wrist


above that a medic with an IV bag,
He also got a tattoo of a medic with an IV bag above the teddy bear


above that an angel
There is an angel tattooed on the upper part of his wrist


but Eli says the teddy bear wont live
Eli believes that the teddy bear tattoo won't survive


and I know I dont know, but I say, "I know."
The singer admits to not having a deep understanding of Eli's situation, but still makes a statement


Cause Eli's only 24 and I've never seen eyes
The singer observes that Eli is only 24 years old and has eyes that look much older


furthur away from childhood than his
Eli's eyes show that he has been through experiences that have taken him far away from his childhood


eyes old from a wisdom
Eli's eyes look aged, reflecting the wisdom he has gained from his experiences


he knows I'd rather not have
Despite the air of wisdom Eli now carries, he knows the artist would rather not have it


Eli's mother traces a teddy bear on the inside of my arm
Eli's mother draws a teddy bear on the singer's arm


and says, "not all casualties come home in body bags."
She reminds the artist that not all war casualties come back in body bags


And I swear,
The singer feels deeply affected by Eli's situation


I'd spend the rest of my life writing nothing
The singer would dedicate their life to writing


but the word light at the end of this tunnel.
They would focus on the idea of hope and the end of difficulties


if I could find the F'n tunnel
The artist recognizes that they cannot find the tunnel and therefore cannot focus on hope


I'd write nothing but white flags
If they could, the artist would write about peace and surrender


somebody pray for the soldiers,
The singer asks for prayers for the soldiers


somebody pray for whats lost,
They also ask for prayers for what has been lost, both human life and the larger cost of war


somebody pray for the mailbox that holds the official letters
The letters sent to families of lost soldiers are heartbreaking, and the artist hopes for them to find peace as well


to the fathers, mothers, sisters and little brothers of
The letters are addressed to the families of the soldiers


Micheal, 19 Stephen, 21 John, 33
The artist lists the names and ages of soldiers who have died


how ironic that their deaths sound like bible verses
The singer reflects on the irony of how the names and ages of the dead soldiers sound like biblical verses


The herses parked in the halls of the high school recruting
Funeral hearses are parked in the high school halls for recruitment purposes


black, brown, and poor
The military disproportionately recruits people of color and those from low-income backgrounds


while anti-war activists outside
Outside the recruitment hall, anti-war activists protest


Walter Reed Army Hospital scream
Anti-war activists also protest at the Walter Reed Army Hospital


"100, 000 slain"
The protesters shout about the number of soldiers who have been killed


as an amputee
An amputee who has returned from the war is in the hospital looking out of the window


on the third floor breathes forget-me-nots onto the window pane
The patient breathes on the window, leaving marks resembling forget-me-nots


but how can we forget what we never knew
The singer ponders the difficulty of forgetting something that we never experienced


our sky is so perfectly blue it's repulsive
The sky is a perfect shade of blue, but it's hard to enjoy because there is so much pain and suffering


somebody tell me where god lives
The artist asks for the location of God


cause if god is truth god doesn't live here
The artist suggests that if God represents truth, then truth is hard to find in this world


our lies have seared the sun too hot to live by
The lies we tell have made life unbearable, like the heat of the sun


there are ghosts of kids who are still alive touting M16s with trembling hands
The mental scars of war haunt soldiers who are still alive, and they demonstrate this by trembling while holding weapons


while we dream ourselves stars on Survivor
While soldiers are living a nightmare, civilians dream of being stars on a reality show


another missile sets fire to the face in the locket of a mother who's son needed money for college and she swears she can feel his photograph burn
A missile has destroyed the face of a woman's son, whose picture is in a locket. The mother feels like the photograph has burned


how many wars will it take us to learn that only the dead return
The singer ponders why it takes so many wars for us to realize that only death comes out of them


the rest remain forever caught between worlds of shrapnel shatters body of three year old girl to welcome to McDonalds can I take your order?
Those who survive are forever trapped between the horrible realities of war and the mundane, everyday tasks of life


The mortar of sanity crumbling stumbling back home to a home that will never be home again
The psychological stability of soldiers is breaking down as they struggle to return to a life they no longer know


Eli doesn't know if he can ever write a poem again
Eli is struggling to express his feelings through poetry after returning from war


one third of the homeless men in this country are veterans
A significant number of homeless men in America are veterans


and we have the nerve to Support Our Troops with pretty yellow ribbons
The artist is critical of how people show support for the troops


while giving nothing but dirty looks to their outstretched hands
The artist observes that people only give dirty looks to the hands of homeless veterans, not any actual help


tell me what land of the free sets free its eighteen-year-old kids into greedy war zones
The artist questions the freedom of a country that sends its youth to fight in wars for commercial interests


hones them like missiles then returns their bones in the middle of the night so no one can see each death swept beneath the carpet and hidden like dirt
The military trains soldiers to be weapons, only to later discard them like trash


each life a promise we never kept
The idea of freedom and safety that soldiers thought they were promised has been broken


Jeff Lucey came back from Iraq and hung himself in his parents basement with a garden hose
Jeff Lucey, a veteran, committed suicide in his parents' home after returning from Iraq


the night before he died he spent forty five minutes on his fathers lap rocking like a baby rocking like daddy, save me
The night before Jeff Lucey took his life, he sought comfort from his father and held onto him like a child


and don't think for a minute he too isn't collateral damage in the mansions of washington they are watching them burn and hoarding the water
The singer believes that Jeff Lucey was also a victim of those in power who watch people suffer and do nothing to help


no senators' sons are being sent out to slaughter no presidents' daughters are licking ashes from their lips
The artist suggests that those in power never send their own kin to war


or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks in case they ever make it home alive
Even if soldiers make it back alive, they are still haunted by the trauma of the war


our eyes are closed
The singer believes that as a society, we are blind to the reality of war and the suffering it causes


America
The singer addresses the country as a whole


there are souls in
The artist suggests that soldiers themselves have lost their souls


the boots of the soldiers
The idea is that the soldiers' soul is trapped inside their boots


America
The artist reiterates their address to the country


F your yellow ribbon
The singer thinks that the yellow ribbon symbol of support is hollow


you wanna support our troops
The artist challenges those who claim to support the troops


bring them home and hold them tight when they get here
The singer thinks that the best way to support the troops is to bring them home and show them love and care upon return




Contributed by Camden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@agelagozales8303

Just WOW!! It is not always that a phrase in a poem moves me. "Our eyes are closed, America. There are souls in the boots of the soldiers, America." Impressive!!

@madelineoctober

Unbelievable! They deliver the truth with piercing clarity, grounded in the eternal music that is their poetic craft. Such a powerful piece. Thank you for sharing it with us.

@sahniemea2534

"how can forget something we never knew"

"There is ghost of kids who is still alive"

Those line gave me a goosebumps

@madisoncriddle2321

I love this poem!! It made me cry, I loved how it talked about how we don't know about it.

@jonathanchangwe9572

Wow this is the earliest I've ever been at this channel. 45 minutes And I love the poem🙏

@osmundmillion3299

how can we forget something we never knew

@anshrajahan4135

I cannot be this lucky to be the 1st one here! Andrea, you are my love!

@dicksonoswald4671

💜

@renresurreccion1498

❤️

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