Marching Off to War

Annotation

Another Vietnam related single from the southern soul singer William Bell, from Memphis Tennessee, the song "Marching Off to War" (Stax Records # S-191) focused on that moment when the troops left their homes and headed off to Vietnam - "standing at the station, troops waiting in line". The soldier's loved one said that "she'd wait three years or more", which made the soldier's "life worth living". The single entered the R&B Billboard charts on 9 July 1966 at # 40, reaching its peak on 13 August, at # 27. It stayed in the top 50 for 8 weeks. See his two other Vietnam singles: "Soldiers Good-bye" (1966: Stax Records # 45-199) & "Lonely Soldier" (1970: Stax Records # STA-0070).

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Marching off to war, ? I'm coming back / Marching off to war, field pack on my back / She kissed me at the door, she said she'd wait three years or more / She threw her arms around me, that made my life worth living for... / Standing at the station, troops waiting in line / Wives, sweethearts, and babies standing there waving and crying... / I got my rifle in my hand, but I'll be coming back / I'm going were the action is, I've got my pack on my back

Notes

Stax 45-191 (STX-10224), light-blue label; "Marching Off to War" (Floyd, Cropper), vocal, 2:45, Pub. East, BMI; "Distributed by Atlantic Record Sales, 1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y.". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American soul singer and songwriter, born 16 July 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee; Stax artist ('Marching Off to War'); long based in Atlanta, Georgia. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective

In collections

Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs · US Combat Perspective Songs [War Years]