“Stand Down” was written for someone many of us know: the soldier returning from active duty in the military, only to face another kind of battle at home with PTSD, depression, addiction, and the many kinds of issues that come with exposure to the ravages of war. Some get the help they need, but far too many do not.
Stand Down was a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest 2016.
Lyrics
Stand Down / Susan B. Shann /© 2017
He goes down to the local bar to hang out with his friends
But no matter how the evening starts, they know how it’s gonna end
He’ll wind up drunk, in a fight
Cursing those demons in his mind and swingin’ fists
He never used to be like this
Stand down, soldier, you’ve been fighting much too long
Ten years back home, but the battle rages on
Time to let go of the pain, get your feet back on the ground
Stand down, soldier, stand down
Some days he can find himself, and leave that place behind
Then he slips into the shadows like a ghost from another time
Living in his private hell, seeing faces of the ones who fell
And the ones he couldn’t save - man, they haunt him every day
Stand down, soldier, you’ve been fighting much too long
Ten years back home, but the battle rages on
Time to let go of the pain, get your feet back on the ground
Stand down, soldier, stand down
He went to serve his country, with honor and with pride
But seeing so much suffering changed him deep inside
He thinks about the friends he’s lost, the grieving families
And the faith that used to pull him through, now so far out of reach
Took his life with a 45, left a note beside the bed
Said “I love you all, but I can’t stop this war inside my head
I thought I was so brave and strong, but
Now I find I can’t go on – please forgive me if you can
I tried to be a good man.”
Stand down, soldier, you were fighting much too long
Ten years back home, now the battle’s finally done
Set free from all your pain, laid to rest here in the ground
Stand down, soldier, stand down
Stand down, soldier, stand down