Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with Columbia Records. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut The Barbra Streisand Album which won two Grammy Awards in 1963, followed by The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theater and nightclub standards, including her version of Happy Days Are Here Again. Beginning with My Name Is Barbra, her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.
Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.
Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty featured the songwriting, production and vocal talents of Barry Gibb and was the best-selling album of her recording career. During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like The Way We Were, Evergreen, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (her duet with Donna Summer), and Woman In Love; some of these came from soundtracks of her films. She recently took part in supporting Haiti in singing "We are the World 25th anniversary.
When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. [1]
[1] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."
Little Tin Soldier
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then they welded your hand in place
And then they put black paint in your eyes
They made you smaller than life-size
And they threw rocks at you
And chipped your pretty coat
When they knew you had to wear that coat forever
They fixed your legs so you could not run
And then they put you in boxes and sold you
None of them ever wanted to hold you
They just set fire to you
And singed your gallant plume
And they made you lie in boxes all together
And from the tiny dark glass
Of all those tiny prisons
I can hear tin soldiers singing
With the silence of their fears
Let it not rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
Let it not rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
I can hear tin soldiers singing
With the silence of their fears
Don't let it rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
Don't let it rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
Let it not rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
Don't let it rain tomorrow
So they will stay outdoors
The song Little Tin Soldier by Barbra Streisand is a powerful commentary on war and the way soldiers are treated as disposable objects. The opening lines describe how the soldier is given a gun but also has his hand welded in place, a metaphor for how soldiers are used for violence but have no power over their own fate. The next lines refer to how the soldier is made smaller than life-size, representing the way soldiers are dehumanized and reduced to mere tools for fighting. He is then pelted with rocks and his coat is chipped and damaged. This imagery reflects the violence and brutality of war and how soldiers are often physically and emotionally scarred by their experiences.
The second verse takes on a more emotional tone as it describes how soldiers are neglected and forgotten, left to languish in boxes with no one to care for them. They are not given a tongue to speak, and their legs are fixed so they cannot run away, symbolizing how soldiers are often silenced and unable to escape the horrors of war. The line "none of them ever wanted to hold you" is particularly poignant, emphasizing how war disposes of soldiers and makes them unwanted and unloved. The final image of the tin soldiers singing in their boxes, hoping for a respite from the rain, is a haunting reminder of the plight of soldiers and the need for peace and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Little tin soldier they gave you an innocent gun
You were given a weapon with no understanding of the harm it could cause.
And then they welded your hand in place
You were forced to hold onto that weapon, unable to let go.
And then they put black paint in your eyes
Your sight was clouded, leaving you blind to the truth of what you were doing.
They made you smaller than life-size
You were reduced to a mere toy, a thing without feelings or worth.
And they threw rocks at you
Others ridiculed and hurt you, taking pleasure in tormenting something weaker than them.
And chipped your pretty coat
Even your physical appearance, something that could bring you joy, was marred and destroyed by those who saw you only as an object.
When they knew you had to wear that coat forever
Those who controlled you did not care about your well-being or happiness, even though you were forced to live with the consequences of their actions forever.
Little tin soldier they neglected to give you a tongue
Your voice was silenced, unable to express your thoughts, feelings, or desires.
They fixed your legs so you could not run
You were trapped, unable to escape the situation you were in or flee from danger.
And then they put you in boxes and sold you
You were sold like an object, stripped of agency and choice in your own life.
None of them ever wanted to hold you
Even those who purchased you did not truly value or care for you as a living being.
They just set fire to you
You were used and disposed of, your worth ending once you ceased to serve their purpose.
And singed your gallant plume
Even the last vestiges of your dignity and grace were burned away, leaving you nothing but ashes and pain.
And they made you lie in boxes all together
In death, you were still confined, unable to even rest in peace without being surrounded by others like you.
And from the tiny dark glass
Even in death or captivity, you are still being observed and judged by those who see you only as an object.
Of all those tiny prisons
The boxes in which you are trapped are symbols of a larger system that seeks to control and suppress, and of a society that values things over people.
I can hear tin soldiers singing
Even as you are silenced and ignored, your voice and your story persist, reaching out to others who may also be suffering.
With the silence of their fears
The pain of your experience and the knowledge of your own vulnerability are carried by those who come after you, a reminder of the dangers that still exist.
Let it not rain tomorrow
May tomorrow bring no further pain or sorrow for those like you who have already suffered enough.
So they will stay outdoors
May those who have been trapped and confined be allowed to experience freedom and the wonder of the natural world, at least for a little while.
Don't let it rain tomorrow
May those who caused harm and perpetuated this cycle of oppression be stopped from causing further destruction and pain.
So they will stay outdoors
May those who have been oppressed be given the chance to reclaim their lives and experience the world in all its beauty and diversity.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMY WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William MacLellan
This is a beautiful piece from this album, sung with the typical emotion and articulation from Barbra... Very pretty, very sad at the same time. "What About Today?" is a fabulous album.
Holden Supreme
AGREE. WHAT A GORGEOUS SONG.
Robert Cadalso
this song and Barbra is just sublime.
Mark Gottlieb
I heard her sing this song when I was a young teenager and the feeling of those moments never left me....
Holden Supreme
Wow.
theblueangel28
this is an extraordinary record. and the first one she ever made with a political message
Lewis Breland
As a veteran, this means so much more.
Debi Thomas
This album is still a good as the day I bought it. I have the record album, the 8 track, cassette, CD. Wish they had the making of it on DVD.
I was in Viet Nam when I first heard it and still think it is her best ever. I love this song.
eric russell
This was to be her break-through album of pertinent '60's songs. But as she sang them with the same perfection and gusto that makes her shine, "Stony End" instead became the album that had her, in fact, singing the hip-funkier style of the era that she had previously kept clear of. There are some really great tracks, though on "What About Today"...this being one of them.