He waves his flag like a martyr
He bears his sins like a cross
He wears his skin just like armor
He'll never admit what it cost
He walks with a chip on his shoulder
He carries his burdens alone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
There once was a time when he loved her
The promise was sealed with a kiss
And sometimes he’s soft like the water
But sometimes he’s hard like a fist
He can't feel a thing when he holds her
As if he was carved from a stone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
His heart wasn't always so broken
His head wasn't always so hard
Most of his words go unspoken
Most of his memories are scars
Each day he’s a little bit older
But the ghosts just won’t leave him alone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
It seems like she's staring right through him
From a picture that sits on a shelf
He's almost glad that she left him
If only he could leave himself
Each day he's a little bit colder
'Til one day he's cold to the bone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
He bears his sins like a cross
He wears his skin just like armor
He'll never admit what it cost
He walks with a chip on his shoulder
He carries his burdens alone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
There once was a time when he loved her
The promise was sealed with a kiss
And sometimes he’s soft like the water
But sometimes he’s hard like a fist
He can't feel a thing when he holds her
As if he was carved from a stone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
His heart wasn't always so broken
His head wasn't always so hard
Most of his words go unspoken
Most of his memories are scars
Each day he’s a little bit older
But the ghosts just won’t leave him alone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
It seems like she's staring right through him
From a picture that sits on a shelf
He's almost glad that she left him
If only he could leave himself
Each day he's a little bit colder
'Til one day he's cold to the bone
Some boys grow up to be soldiers
And some of them never come home
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What was the inspiration for “Some Boys Grow Up To Be Soldiers”?
The character in this song is nobody in particular. We all know him. He’s somebody’s uncle, friend, neighbor, father, son. He’s far from perfect, but when he served he was willing to lay down his life. It didn’t come to that, but he lost some essential part of himself along the way. I think of this as an anti-war song. Not a song about the men and women who die in wars, but about the survivors who return to find home is no longer their home. Of course “he’ll never admit what it cost” and so there is nothing to do but soldier on.
January/February Lyric Contest Winner Brian Estes Details "Some Boys Grow Up To Be Soldiers" « American Songwriter