Soldiers Song
The Hollies Lyrics

The smoke was slowly rising as the light began to fade
As the light began to wane, I saw smoke slowly ascending from some distant border raid.

There were fires on the skyline from some distant border raid
The skyline was adorned with fires due to the ongoing border war.

There I was riding out at seventeen to join my first brigade
At merely seventeen years of age, I decided to join my first brigade.

Many years ago
This all happened many years ago.

And I chanced upon a farmhouse where the woman took me in
I happened to find a farmhouse, and the woman living there provided me with food, wine, and shelter.

She gave me food and wine she gave me shelter from the wind
The kind woman gave me a warm shelter to spend the night and provided me with food and wine.

She delayed me from my regiment and service of my king
She prevented me from joining my regiment and serving my king for a while.

She said, "Soldier before I lose you to the fight
The woman said to me, "Before you go to battle and risk your life,

Oh, my soldier, I'll make a man of you tonight"
"I'll make a man out of you tonight, my dear soldier."

She took me over in the fading fire glow
That night, she led me on in the fading firelight.

On that wild and misty night she was my woman
On that fateful, misty night, she became my lover.

When I rose next morning I was gone before she stood
I left without a sound the next morning, before she woke up.

Tore myself away from there and left without a word
Without saying a word, I left her and rode away.

The sound of distant infantry was the only sound I heard
As I rode away, the only sound I could hear in the distance was that of the marching infantry.

And in that day I aged ten years and died a thousand deaths
That day, I aged ten years and felt the thrills of a thousand deaths.

I learned the feel of frozen steel and fear within my breast
I learned what it felt like to hold a frozen steel weapon and to feel an intense fear within my chest.

But the lesson I'll remember till they lay me to my rest
This lesson will be with me forever, even after I pass away and they bury me.

Keeps returning
This memory keeps returning to me.

And when the dice of war were thrown and victory was won
After the battle was over, and victory was ours,

My drunken young compatriots went out to have their fun
My young comrades, in their drunken state, went out to celebrate their victory.

And there was no single house they didn't burn or overrun on that evening
That evening, they burnt down and captured every house they found.

And I rode out to that place again as hard as I could ride
I rode as fast as I could to that place again.

But I found her by the cradle on that lonely mountainside
However, when I got there, I saw her by the cradle on that deserted mountainside.

In the hands of those brave friends of mine she suffered and she died
My friends were responsible for her torture and death.

Many years ago
All of this happened many years ago.

"Soldier before I lose you to the fight"
She said, "Dear soldier, before you go to battle and risk your life",

She said, "Soldier I'll make a man of you tonight"
"Tonight, I promise to make a strong, confident man of you, soldier."

She took me over in the fading fire glow
That night, in the fading light of the fire, she took me over.

On that wild and misty night she was my woman
That wild and stormy night, she was my lover.