A Soldier's Prayer

Annotation

The song "A Soldier's Prayer" (Peachtree Record Company # P-104) by Eddie Billups (from Atlanta?), a northern soul super rare collectable - it sells for thousands of dollars, with the last auction on Ebay hitting $3,900 (May 2012) - has a gospel, religious feel to it, as the soldier "prays night and day", that "one day you'll soon take me by the hand". The track actually opened with a little patriotic line, with the soldier telling the listener that "I'm...way over here fighting for a good cause". Released on the Atlanta label Peachtree, founded by Henry Wynn & William Bell - the latter, who produced this record, had some similar themed Vietnam songs already discussed: "Soldier's Goodbye" (1966), "Marching Off to War" (1966), and then in 1970 "Lonely Soldier".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I'm just a lonely soldier / Way over here fighting for a good cause / Cause I want you, cause I need you / This is your soldier's prayer / I pray night and day / If you could here me...you'd here me say / I will always have faith in you / I will always do the things you want me to / If they'll let me come home to you / Oh darling, my faith in you will never die / And honey, these are real tears that I'm crying / Every time I get a letter... / You tell me, that I've got to understand / That one day you'll soon take me by the hand

Themes

Soldier's Perspective

In collections

Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]