Travelin' Soldier
The Chicks Lyrics

Two days past eighteen
A young man who had just turned eighteen was waiting for the bus in his army green.

He was waiting for the bus in his army green
The young man was dressed in his army uniform, waiting for a bus to take him to the army camp.

Sat down in a booth in a café there
The young man took a seat in a café and sat down at a booth.

Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He asked a waitress to take his order. She had a bow in her hair, and he found her cute.

He's a little shy, so she give him a smile
The young man was shy, so the waitress gave him a warm smile to ease his nerves.

And he said, "Would you mind sittin' down for a while
Feeling a little low, he asked the waitress if she would mind sitting down and talking to him.

And talkin' to me, I'm feeling a little low?"
The young man was feeling down, and he wanted someone to talk to.

She said, "I'm off in an hour, and I know where we can go"
The waitress told him that she would be off work soon, and she knew a place they could go to spend more time together.

So they went down, and they sat on the pier
Eventually, they went to the pier and sat down to keep talking and spending time together.

He said, "I bet you got a boyfriend, but I don't care
He wondered if the waitress had a boyfriend, but he didn't care because he was enjoying her company.

I've got no one to send a letter to
He had no one to write letters to while he was away at the army camp.

Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?"
He asked the waitress if he could write to her while he was away.

I cried
The singer expresses her sadness and emotional distress throughout the song.

Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
The singer pledged her love and devotion to the soldier, vowing never to hold another man's hand.

Too young for him they told her
Many people told the singer that she was too young for the soldier, who was older and more experienced.

Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Despite the naysayers, the artist remained devoted to the soldier, waiting for his return.

Our love will never end
The artist felt strongly about the depth of their love for each other, believing it would never end.

Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
The singer eagerly awaited the soldier's return home from the war.

Never more to be alone when the letter said
The singer was overjoyed when she received word that the soldier was coming home, knowing she would no longer be alone.

"A soldier's coming home"
The artist celebrates the return of the soldier from war, bringing the song full circle.

So the letters came from an army camp
The soldier sent letters from the army camp to the artist to let her know how he was doing and to express his undying love for her.

In California then Vietnam
The letters came from California and then from Vietnam as the soldier traveled around during the war.

And he told her of his heart
In his letters, the soldier shared his feelings and emotions, pouring out his heart to the singer.

It might be love, and all of the things he was so scared of
The soldier admitted in his letters that he was scared of the unknown, but he believed that what he and the artist shared might be love.

He said, "When it's gettin' kinda rough over here
The soldier would turn to memories of the time he spent with the singer to keep his spirits up when things got tough during the war.

I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
The soldier remembered fondly the day he and the singer sat on the pier and talked about life together.

And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
The soldier thought about the smile on the singer's face and the happiness it brought him during difficult times.

Don't worry, but I won't be able to write for awhile"
The soldier comforted the artist by telling her not to worry if he wasn't able to write for a while, and that he would be back with her soon.

One Friday night at a football game
At a football game on a Friday night, a list of local Vietnam war dead was read out loud to the crowd.

The Lord's Prayer said, and the anthem sang
After the list was read, the crowd said the Lord's Prayer and sang the national anthem.

A man said, "Folks, would you bow your heads
A man asked the crowd to bow their heads in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives during the war.

For a list of local Vietnam dead"
The list that was read out loud was a tribute to the local soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.

Crying all alone under the stands
The artist was upset and crying silently under the stands, unable to find comfort in anyone around her.

Was a piccolo player in the marching band
The artist noticed a young piccolo player in the marching band, who was also crying and upset.

And one name Red, and nobody really cared
The singer heard the name Red on the list and realized that one of the soldiers who died was the same soldier she had been waiting for.

But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
The piccolo player found some comfort in the artist, who also had a bow in her hair.