“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
~Maya Angelou
“Nineteen”
Nineteen, the number on his back, voted captain of his
High school football team
Took us all the way to state, got a scholarship to play
Down in Tennessee
He could catch, he could throw, he could run, he could go
Like you've never seen
Nineteen
But on the day those twin towers came down
His whole world turned around
He told ‘em all, I can't play ball
There's a war on now
So he marched right in with a few good men,
And joined the Marines
At Nineteen
He's the boy next door,
He might have carried your bags at the grocery store
Now he's somebody's son in a hole with a gun
In a foreign land trying to hold on
To his American dream
At nineteen
There's a sniper out there in the dark somewhere,
And a soldier’s down
We need someone who can duck and run
To get him out some how
Won’t one good man raise his hand,
And take one for the team
How ‘bout you Nineteen
He's the boy next door,
He might have carried your bags at the grocery store
Now he's somebody's son in a hole with a gun
In a foreign land trying to hold on
To his American dream
At nineteen
Brought him home today with a big parade
Down on main street
Got a purple heart and a silver star,
A soldier gave a speech
Said he could catch, he could throw, he could run,
He's the one who rescued me
He could have played for Tennessee
He was Nineteen
He was only Nineteen.
“That’s for our troops.” ~Taylor Hicks
Join us in remembering and honoring our American heroes this Memorial Day weekend. Their sacrifice and devotion to duty is the most precious gift of all to us and to our country.
“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.” ~William Shakespeare
~Maya Angelou
“Nineteen”
Nineteen, the number on his back, voted captain of his
High school football team
Took us all the way to state, got a scholarship to play
Down in Tennessee
He could catch, he could throw, he could run, he could go
Like you've never seen
Nineteen
But on the day those twin towers came down
His whole world turned around
He told ‘em all, I can't play ball
There's a war on now
So he marched right in with a few good men,
And joined the Marines
At Nineteen
He's the boy next door,
He might have carried your bags at the grocery store
Now he's somebody's son in a hole with a gun
In a foreign land trying to hold on
To his American dream
At nineteen
There's a sniper out there in the dark somewhere,
And a soldier’s down
We need someone who can duck and run
To get him out some how
Won’t one good man raise his hand,
And take one for the team
How ‘bout you Nineteen
He's the boy next door,
He might have carried your bags at the grocery store
Now he's somebody's son in a hole with a gun
In a foreign land trying to hold on
To his American dream
At nineteen
Brought him home today with a big parade
Down on main street
Got a purple heart and a silver star,
A soldier gave a speech
Said he could catch, he could throw, he could run,
He's the one who rescued me
He could have played for Tennessee
He was Nineteen
He was only Nineteen.
“That’s for our troops.” ~Taylor Hicks
Join us in remembering and honoring our American heroes this Memorial Day weekend. Their sacrifice and devotion to duty is the most precious gift of all to us and to our country.
“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.” ~William Shakespeare
"Nineteen" performed by Taylor Hicks at Roxy's 3.18.2009
Video courtesy of PayTheDevil
“Nineteen,” was written by Jeffrey Steel, Gary Nicholson, and Tom Hambridge and recorded by Taylor Hicks on The Distance. Image is courtesy of www.democracycellproject.net.
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7 comments:
Very nice post. I like the song myself!
Thank you ~~ Our troops do so much and make the ultimate sacrifice with so little recognition unless there is some detrimental to say about them.
Be sure to thank a person of the U.S. military EVERY DAY -- not just on Memorial Day.
Thanks, Everyone, for honoring and celebrating our troops. You are right, Julie. They get much too little recognition and thanks. We owe them so much!
I'm proud that Taylor remembers them as he started doing with "Do I Make You Proud" dedication. You will hear him say at the end of "Nineteen"..."That's for the troops."
Fly the flag and honor our troops!
"Dead upon the field of glory,"
Hero fit for song and story.
~John Randolph Thompason
"Nineteen" is a fine represenatation of this quote.
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields,"by the Canadian Army doctor John McCrae, Moina Michael replied with her own poem: entitled "We Shall Keep the Faith".
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
So began the poppy that is sold by Veterans groups ( American Legion) across the nation as a remembrance of those fallen warriors.
Sadly, the reality of "Nineteen" has knocked on the doors of far too many families and friends of those in the military. For the thousands of soldiers who have returned home with "visible" injuries or with injuries that only they can "see" or "feel", they need support not only from their loved ones but also from their governments to help them put their lives back together.
I cannot imagine how it must feel for a parent to send their child off to war. "Nineteen" represents not only those who are chronologically 19 but those beyond "Nineteen" who courageously serve their countries.
The song, "Nineteen", became an instant favourite of mine the first time I heard it. Taylor delivers the message with sensitivity and a heartfelt sense of reality that tugs at the heartstrings. Kudos to the writers of "Nineteen" - a song that touches everyone's heart. It inspires compassion and understanding of the countless sacrifices made by many.
The words "Thank you" seem so inadequate to say to those who bravely find themselves in unfamiliar countries not knowing what type of situation they will find themselves in. Inadequate as the words may be, I do say THANK YOU to all of the brave men and women who serve so that I can live in a country of democracy. I say THANK YOU to their families who wait for them to come home.
When I first heard Ninteen it hit me hard. My son's very good friend enlisted at 19 bagged groceries at our local grocery store and was in Iraq when I first heard it. He came home March 10th the day Taylor's CD was released, I played the song for him that night and he said it was a powerful song and touched his heart. Once it hit youtube he sent it over to his buddies still in Iraq.
JI
I'm so glad you son's friend is home from Iraq, Jerseyirish. How ironic that he came home on March 10.
Nineteen is very powerful. It's a story that grabs us all. It feels like every town and every young boy and girl who have served in the Armed Forces.
I'm so glad that the troops appreciate it. I hope they know that they are not forgotten and that we care.
Thanks very much for sharing your story and thoughts!
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