Travelin' Soldier
Dixiechicks Lyrics

Two days past eighteen
The story begins with a young man recently turned eighteen who decided to join the army.

He was waiting for the bus in his army green
He was dressed in his military uniform, waiting to be transported to his next destination.

Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
He went into a nearby café and sat at a table.

Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He ordered food from a waitress who wore a bow in her hair.

He's a little shy so she give him a smile
The boy was shy, so the waitress gave him a friendly smile.

So he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
He asked her if she would like to sit down and talk with him for some time.

And talking to me, I'm feeling a little low
He wanted someone to talk to because he was feeling down.

She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
The waitress agreed to sit with him, and suggested they go to another location after she finished work.

So they went down and they sat on the pier
They went to the pier and sat together.

He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
The boy wondered if she had a boyfriend, but he was still interested in her.

I got no one to send a letter to
He had no one to write letters to while he was away.

Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
He asked the waitress if it would be okay for him to send her letters while he was away.

I cried
The chorus, repeated several times throughout the song, represents the girl's emotional response to various events in the story.

Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
The girl is committed to waiting for the soldier, and will not get involved with another man.

Too young for him they told her
People discouraged her from pursuing a relationship with someone in the military, thinking that she is too young for him.

Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
The girl is patiently waiting for the soldier she met at the café to come back to her.

Our love will never end
She believes their love will never fade away.

Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
The girl counts the days until the soldier returns home.

Never more to be alone when the letter says
Receiving letters from the soldier brings her comfort and happiness, and helps her feel less lonely.

A soldier's coming home
She eagerly awaits his return home from the war.

So the letters came from an army camp
The soldier kept his promise to write letters to the waitress, even while stationed in an army camp.

In California then Vietnam
The soldier was sent from California to fight in the Vietnam War.

And he told her of his heart
He confided in her about his feelings and emotions.

It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He admitted that he might be in love, but was scared of the dangers of war and the possibility of not making it home.

He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
The soldier confessed that things were difficult and challenging for him over there.

I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
Remembering their time together at the pier brings him comfort and happiness during tough times.

And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Thinking of her smiling face and kind nature gives him hope and happiness while he's away.

Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while
He reassured her that everything will be okay, but that he will not be able to write to her for some time.

One Friday night at a football game
The story takes a tragic turn when they attend a football game one night.

The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
During the game, people recited the Lord's Prayer and sang the national anthem, showing patriotic spirit.

A man said folks would you bow your head
A man asked people to bow their heads to remember the local soldiers who had died during the war.

For the list of local Vietnam dead
The man read out the names of the soldiers from the local area who had been killed in Vietnam.

Crying all alone under the stands
The girl was devastated by the news that her soldier had died in the war.

Was the piccolo player in the marching band
The girl was a member of the marching band who played the piccolo.

And one name read and nobody really cared
The name of the soldier who died was read out, but nobody seemed to pay attention to it except for the girl.

But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
The girl, who had met and fallen in love with the soldier, was the only one who mourned his death.