There's Someone Waiting (Back Home)

Annotation

The Philly soul group, the O'Jays, from Canton, Ohio, released the song "There's Someone (Waiting Back Home)" (Neptune Records # N-20) in 1969, which looked at a reason for a soldier in Vietnam to be hopeful for the future - to return home to their loved one. It made patriotic and law-abiding references, such as "doing my duty, being a man" and "here to defend my homeland", but it is mainly a love song. The song was written by Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, well-known soul producers who founded the label Neptune, as well as Gamble Records, Philadelphia International Records, and TSOP.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: As I was sitting in my foxhole the other day / I looked over at my buddy and opened up a smile / He said 'how in the world can you be in such could cheer'... / I turned around and told him 'there's someone waiting back home' / As I sit here in this foreign land... / Doing my duty, being a man / I came over here to defend my homeland / I left my only love way back there / She sends me a letter to show me that she care / There's someone waiting back home / I got the cutest girl in the whole wide world... / She gives me strength each day

Notes

Neptune Records N-20 (17836), "The Sound of Philadelphia"; "There's Someone Waiting (Back Home)" (K. Gamble-L. Huff), 2:28, Assorted Mus., BMI; arranged by Thom Bell & Bobby Martin, produced by Gamble-Huff; distributed by Chess, Division of GRT. Issued in a Chess group company sleeve ("Distributed by the Chess group: Chess, Checker, Cadet, Cadet Concept"; "Mfg. by Chess Producing Corp., Chicago, Ill."). [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American soul vocal group formed 1958 in Canton, Ohio. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective

In collections

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