In addition to being a gifted songwriter, Isbell is regarded as an exceptional guitar player. His style is mostly in the alt-country genre, but is also infused with rock and blues elements.
Jason Isbell's debut solo album Sirens from the Ditch was released on July 10th, 2007, on New West Records. With his band The 400 Unit, he toured in support of this release in the US and Canada during the summer and fall of 2007. Both Isbell and the band released a follow-up album, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit on February 17, 2009.
Tour Of Duty
Jason Isbell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stepping on the platform
Trying to see you through the rain
I don't know the ways you've changed since I left
And I really don't care
I've done my tour of duty
Now I'm home and I ain't going anywhere
All the loneliness and boredom
And the work I did in vain
All the work we did in vain
Now I'm not the same as I was
I've done my tour of duty
Now I'll try to do what a civilian does
And I promise not to bore you with my stories
And I promise not to scare you with my tears
I never would exaggerate the glory
I'll seem so satisfied here
I've been eating like I'm out on bail
Collard greens and chicken wings
And oysters by the pail
Eating oysters by the pail
Making up for those lost days
'Cause I've done my tour of duty
Now I'm going to put you in the family way
We'll laugh like little children telling secrets
Probably cry like old women drinking gin
'Cause I've done my tour of duty now I'm home
And I ain't leaving here again
I've done my tour of duty
Now I'm home and I ain't leaving here again
“Tour of Duty” is a song about a soldier's return home. The singer arrives at the train station, through which the love of their life will be seen in the rain. They’d been abroad for a while and apologize that they don’t know how their lover has changed. The singer explains that they’ve gone through a great deal of loneliness and frustration, and they’ve achieved everything they might, which allowed them to become a better person. Since returning, they’ve been eating and drinking a lot, but everything they do is because they want to embrace their loved one and try the life of a non-soldier.
Throughout the song, the bridge highlights the singer's unease about how to behave around his lover and keep himself from sobbing or becoming too personal with his experiences. His army career he refers to as his "duty of service," but he still tries to adapt to civilian life. He proceeds to let his lover know that he won’t be going anywhere soon after he spent time describing how he had to travel around the world performing his duties. The singer has now found a place to call home, and he never wants to lose that again.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm arriving on the day's last train
I have just arrived on the final train of the day
Stepping on the platform
I'm stepping off the train onto the platform
Trying to see you through the rain
I'm struggling to see you in the rain
I don't know the ways you've changed since I left
I'm unaware of how you've changed in my absence
And I really don't care
But honestly, it doesn't matter to me
I've done my tour of duty
I have completed the time I was required to serve
Now I'm home and I ain't going anywhere
And now that I'm home, I'm not planning on leaving again
I taught myself to tolerate the pain
I trained myself to handle the pain and difficulties
All the loneliness and boredom
The isolation and monotony
And the work I did in vain
And the labor I put in that didn't seem worthwhile
All the work we did in vain
All the effort put in that seems to have been a waste
Now I'm not the same as I was
Now I have changed as a result
Now I'll try to do what a civilian does
Now I will attempt to live like a regular person
And I promise not to bore you with my stories
I give my word that I won't tell you overly long or uninteresting stories
And I promise not to scare you with my tears
I won't shock or frighten you with my emotions
I never would exaggerate the glory
I wouldn't ever stretch the truth to make myself look better
I'll seem so satisfied here
I will appear content in my current environment
I've been eating like I'm out on bail
I've been consuming food excessively, as if I'm free from imprisonment
Collard greens and chicken wings
I have been eating collard greens and chicken wings
And oysters by the pail
As well as consuming lots of oysters
Eating oysters by the pail
That's how many oysters I've been eating
Making up for those lost days
I'm compensating for all the time I previously missed
'Cause I've done my tour of duty
Since I've served my time in the military
Now I'm going to put you in the family way
Now, I'm going to impregnate you.
We'll laugh like little children telling secrets
We'll giggle with the innocence of young children sharing tales
Probably cry like old women drinking gin
We may weep like elderly women as they drink gin
'Cause I've done my tour of duty now I'm home
Because I have served my time and now I'm back home
And I ain't leaving here again
And I'm not going to leave again
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jason Isbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Preston
on Yvette
I can barely make out a little light from the house on the cul-de-sac
Bedroom upstairs, it's a family affair.
I've watched you in class, your eyes are cut glass and you stay covered up
Head to your toe, so nobody will know it was you
I might not be a man yet,
But that bastard will never be,
So I'm cleaning my Weatherby
My sight and my scope
And I hope against hope.
I hope against hope.
Your mother seems nice, I don't understand why she won't say anything.
As if she can't see who he turned out to be.
I might not be a man yet,
But your father will never be,
So I load up my Weatherby.
I let out my breath
And I couple with death.
I couple with death.
Saw your father last night in the window the light made a silhouette.
Saw him hold you that way, he won't hold you that way anymore, Yvette.