The trio is currently ranked as the highest-selling female musical group in the USA, according to RIAA Gold & Platinum album certifications. As of 2012, The Chicks had won 13 Grammy Awards. While The Chicks continues, Maguire and Robison are writing and recording as Court Yard Hounds as of Feb 2010. The Dixie Chicks renamed the band in 2020 to The Chicks dropping Dixie from the official name as the name had the word 'Dixie' referencing the American Mason–Dixon line, which separated the free and slave-owning southern states.
Robin Lynn Macy was an original bandmember, as was Laura Lynch. Macy left the group in 1992, while Lynch was replaced by Natalie Maines in 1995.
The group aroused considerable controversy for publicly denouncing President George W. Bush and the imminent invasion of Iraq during the European leg of their Top of the World tour supporting Home. Many country music stations immediately pulled their music from the air, and the band received criticism from many corners of the media.
Travelin Soldier
Dixie Chicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she give him a smile
So he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me, I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your head
For the list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was the piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read and nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
The song "Travelin' Soldier" by Dixie Chicks tells the story of a young soldier who meets a girl in a café while waiting for the bus in his army green. He's feeling low, and she offers to spend time with him after her shift ends. They sit on the pier, and he tells her he has no one to send a letter to and if she would mind if he sent one back to her. They begin writing letters back and forth, with him telling her about his experiences in Vietnam and how he thinks of her when it gets rough. Meanwhile, she waits for him to come back, but she finds out that he was one of the local Vietnam dead, and she cries alone, never holding the hand of another guy. She vows to never forget him and the love they had, even though it was cut short.
The song highlights the impact of war on young love and shows how tragic it can be. The girl's grief is palpable throughout the song, with the poignant lyrics describing her pain at never being able to hold the hand of another guy. The song emphasizes that soldiers fighting in wars are not merely statistics, but human beings with emotions, longing for love and companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
Two days past eighteen
The soldier in the story is just eighteen, young and fresh out of school.
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Wearing his military uniform, the soldier was at a bus stop waiting to go somewhere.
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
The soldier sat in a booth in a cafe to rest while he was waiting for his bus.
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
The soldier placed his order with a young lady who had a bow in her hair.
He's a little shy so she give him a smile
The soldier was shy, and the girl gave him an encouraging smile.
So he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
The soldier asked if the girl would mind sitting down and chatting with him for a while.
And talking to me, I'm feeling a little low
The soldier shared that he was feeling down and just wanted someone to talk to.
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
The girl said she would be off in an hour and knew of a place they could hang out.
So they went down and they sat on the pier
The soldier and the girl went to a pier and sat down.
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
The soldier guessed that the girl probably had a boyfriend, but he didn't care; he just wanted a friend.
I got no one to send a letter to
The soldier shared that he had no one to write letters to while he was away.
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
The soldier asked if the girl would mind if he sent her a letter.
I cried
Refrain throughout the song indicating that the girl is emotional and crying.
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
The girl is committed to waiting for the soldier and won't date anyone else.
Too young for him they told her
People said she was too young to wait for the soldier who was away at war.
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
The girl is waiting for the soldier she met to return home so they can be together.
Our love will never end
The girl believes that the love between her and the soldier is strong and will last forever.
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
The girl is eagerly awaiting the soldier's return from the war.
Never more to be alone when the letter says
The girl finds comfort in the letters the soldier sends her because it reminds her that he is coming home to her.
A soldier's coming home
The soldier is coming home from war and the girl is excited to be reunited with him.
So the letters came from an army camp
The soldier sent letters to the girl from the army camp where he was stationed.
In California then Vietnam
The soldier was first stationed in California and then sent to fight in the Vietnam War.
And he told her of his heart
The soldier shared his feelings and emotions with the girl in his letters.
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
The soldier felt like he might be falling in love with the girl, but he was also scared because he was away at war.
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
The soldier wrote about how tough it is being in a war zone.
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
The soldier thought about the day he met the girl at the pier to distract himself from the hardship of war.
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
The soldier thinks about the girl and visualizes her pretty smile to keep his spirits up.
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while
The soldier assures the girl not to worry if he can't write to her for a period of time because of the difficulties of war.
One Friday night at a football game
One Friday night, there was a football game happening and people were gathered to watch.
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
The crowd said the Lord's Prayer and sang the national anthem to honor their country and fallen soldiers.
A man said folks would you bow your head
A man asked everyone to bow their heads to remember the local soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.
For the list of local Vietnam dead
They were reading the names of the soldiers who had died in the Vietnam War, who were from the local area.
Crying all alone under the stands
The girl was crying by herself under the stands because she knew one of the soldiers on the list of names read out.
Was the piccolo player in the marching band
The girl was a member of the band, playing the piccolo.
And one name read and nobody really cared
One soldier's name was read, and it seemed to go unnoticed by most people at the game.
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
The soldier's name that was read was cared about by the girl who had formed a connection with him, and she still wore the bow in her hair.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DeathsHood
This song hits me hard, in a very odd way: My father was a drill instructor in the army before I was born.
He trained a number of platoons, and quit the military just after I was born, because he didn't want to be deployed away from family for long months/years.
A few years ago, he confessed that he still gets calls from grieving widows, asking if he can attend the funerals of men he trained, that died while deployed.
Most of them moved to the US because they wanted to be heroes. Wanted to go to war and put their skills to use.
He showed me platoon photos of the men he trained, and several of them show almost completely blanked out faces. Almost all the men in the platoon are now dead.
Almost all the men he trained have gone to war, and not made it home.
It was the only time in my life that I've ever seen my father cry.
He thinks he didn't train them well enough, and that's why they never made it home.
Songs like this have hit very hard since he told me that.
@bootneckbairn137
The first time I heard this I was in Afghanistan and it was played on the radio shortly before I was rehearsing a repatriation duty that would happen later on that evening for a Marine from my unit that was killed.
Every time I hear it now, it provokes such emotion in me. I think about the dismembered bodies I carried as they made their final journeys home. I think about the families, friends and loved ones. I think about how there is now a void in so many lives that can never be replaced. I think about love. I think about war. I think about my son, and the sister he will have in 10 days. I think about how lucky I am to have life a head of me but at the same time an overwhelming sense of sadness that so many were not able to return from war and live the lives that they would have lived.
I think.
I reflect.
I remember.
Rest In Peace Damian, Georgie, Tony, John, Steven, Damien, Marc, Ben and Mick.
@bacsi19461
I have decided to make a comment here after some thought. I have kept this info close to my heart for 53 years now and am getting old and wearing out. This song speaks directly to me. I dedicate this comment to Sgt. Jessee Frank Morgan and Cpl . Auburn Foreman. They both died beside me on a worthless little hillside in Dec. 1965. Both were my close friends. As a medical corpsman, I did my best but they did not make it and I was badly wounded. I have never posted their names before but this lovely song seems the right place to recognize them. Semper Fi buddies and Jesse, your son is a fine young man. I talk to him regularly and told him all about u and how u died.
@carolmoore1038
Thank you for your service. Welcome home.
@bacsi19461
@@carolmoore1038 thanks Carol. It was our duty and we did our best. I served with America's finest young mem. I was honored to be beside them. I am now 74 and reaching the end but the memories never left me.
@mikeo678
Thank you for sharing your story and making the wold better by your actions.
@alanmoore8167
Thank you sir for your service
@bacsi19461
@@mikeo678 thanks Mike, your comment means a lot to me. I loved and still love this awesome country.
@desertlillie9659
I have never listened to this song without crying like a five year old. I remember, as a little girl, watching the soldiers who fought in Vietnam coming off the plane. God bless every one of them and may Gods rest those who never came home. May they rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord. ❤️🙏🏼
@MrUzt
Invaders being sad
@WarrenVincenzo
All American Heroes.
We salute you.
@WarrenVincenzo
@@pkramer123 TREASON!
That's a shame because I reckoned that you were Kramer from Seinfeld...
And I always liked him.