Toby Keith - American Soldier

I'm kinda posting for the sake of posting. A couple of topics rattling around the ol' can I wouldn't mind talking about, but not one I'm motivated enough to really frame as a blog entry.

So, I'll post the lyrics to a good song. I'm a fan of Toby Keith because of this song, American Soldier. There are very few songs, at least that I've heard, capturing the spirit and ethos of the common soldier, not even Ballad of the Green Beret, SSG Sadler's classic song. American Soldier does a pretty good job of it. Here are the lyrics. I recommend listening to the audio. The video's pretty good, too. [Youtube video added 14DEC13.]



I'm just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at 'em, bright and early
I'm all business in my suit
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success
From my head down to my boots

I don't do it for the money
There's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah I'm real good under pressure
Being all that I can be

And I can't call in sick on Mondays
when the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey, I'm true down to the core

And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don't want to die for you
but if dyin's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor
'cause freedom don't come free

I'm an American soldier, an American
beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American soldier

Yeah, an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
So Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American
An American, an American soldier

UPDATE 12/06/04: Chuck Cannon wrote the song for Toby Keith.

- Eric