SONG PROJECTTRAVELING SOLDIERBY: THE DIXIE CHICKS

By: Katie BernardMrs. TurnerBlock 1

Two days past eighteenHe was waiting for the bus in his army greenSat down in a booth in a cafe thereGave his order to a girl with a bow in her hairHe's a little shy so she gives him a smileAnd he said would you mind sittin' down for a whileAnd talking to me, I'm feeling a little lowShe said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go

So they went down and they sat on the pierHe said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't careI got no one to send a letter toWould you mind if I sent one back here to you

I criedNever gonna hold the hand of another guyToo young for him they told herWaitin' for the love of a travelin' soldierOur love will never endWaitin' for the soldier to come back againNever more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home

So the letters came from an army campIn California then VietnamAnd he told her of his heartIt might be love and all of the things, he was so scared ofHe said when it's getting kinda rough over hereI think of that day sittin' down at the pierAnd I close my eyes and see your pretty smileDon't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile

Chorus: I criedNever gonna hold the hand of another guyToo young for him they told herWaitin' for the love of a travelin' soldierOur love will never endWaitin' for the soldier to come back againNever more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home

One Friday night at a football gameThe Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sangA man said folks would you bow your headsFor a list of local Vietnam deadCrying all alone under the standsWas a piccolo player in the marching bandAnd one name read but nobody really caredBut a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair (CHORUS x2)

THE DIXIE CHICKSDixie Chick’s is a country band that was started in

1998 and has been winning gold albums and music awards ever since. Sisters Emily Robinson and Martie Maguire used to play for tips on a corner of a Dallas street when they were little. One day, they received $375 in one hour and someone on the street asked if they could hire them for group gatherings and parties. After that, they became one of the region’s favorite country groups. The Dixie Chick’s got their name from listening to Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken” but Martie Maguire said that she didn’t want to be a chicken so the name was shortened to Dixie Chick’s.

Back

ARMY GREENCamouflage is what soldiers where to blend in

with the environment that they are fighting in. It helps disguise the soldiers so they can hide and attack their pray without being noticed. Their suites involve tricky patterns to trick the eye. There are all different types of camouflage. People in the Vietnam War wore forest camouflage because Vietnam was covered in tall grass and forests. nature. Different countries have undergone different evolutionary stages towards the development of military camouflage because every environment is different.

Back

SEND A LETTERLetters from home always helped a soldier carry on,

whether it be from Mom or Wife, they meant a lot. Vietnam was a horrific place. There were dead bodies everywhere and the soldiers never got a break. Some soldiers looked forward to the end of the day when they could sit down in bed and read a letter to their wife. Many soldiers never even got a chance to write back. Some army camps were being attacked so much that they couldn’t receive mail or send it.

It’s easier to write letters to troops today because they have guarded fortresses and buildings where they have computers to write an e-mail. They didn’t have all that back them. A soldier only had his tent, a blanket to sleep on, his canteen, and maybe another pair of dry clothes. They had to carry their stuff every time they moved so they couldn’t really bring a lot with them.

Back

TOO YOUNG FOR HIMThe draft was made to serve as a “back up system”

for the US military. It was used to fill open spots in the military that couldn’t be filled by volunteers. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, it wasn’t really that important to many teenage boys. They would sign up right when they turned 18 and most of them were shipped out to war right away.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the man who came up with the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. On December 1, 1969, the first draft lottery was held. A large glass tub held 366 blue rubber balls containing every birth date from any man that singed up from the age of 18 to 26. The draft ended in 1973 and then came back in April 1975 because Soviets were invading Afghanistan.

Back

TRAVELING SOLDIERThere were many army bases all over the

Southeast Asia during Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, many American military & civilian personnel were stationed at bases throughout Thailand and also in the neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia.

This war saw the most participation of African Americans to serve in any American War. They made up 12.6% of the soldiers in Vietnam. From the Civil War through the Korean War, segregated African American units performed in both combat and support capacities. In 1948, President Harry Truman ordered the military establishment to desegregate. The Navy and Air Force accomplished integration by 1950, but the army did not achieve desegregation until after the Korean conflict.

Back

CALIFORNIACalifornia is one of the largest and most

popular states in the United States. It is located on the West Coast bordered by Oregon to the north and Arizona to the south. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.

During the Vietnam War, California was the epicenter of the war’s national front. Within its boundaries were most of the nation’s defense contractors and military centers from which troops were trained. California was also the state where everyone could voice their opinions. It was a place of activism. Activism means the direct use of confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause.

Back

RHYMING SCHEME

eighteengreen therehairsmilewhilelowgo 

A Rhyming Scheme is a regular pattern of rhyme, one that is consistent throughout the extent of the poem. In this song, the rhyming scheme is aa, bb, cc, dd, and so on. Rhyme is determined by sound, not spelling.

Back

REPETITION:Chorus: I cried Never gonna hold the hand of another guyToo young for him they told herWaitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier Our love will never endWaitin' for the soldier to come back againNever more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home

Repetition is when you have a word and use it more than once. Repetition is a major rhetorical strategy for producing emphasis, clarity, amplification, or emotional effect.

Back

THEME:I believe that the

Theme of this song is that people are sent off to war and die too young. My song talks about a young love that was brought on my a young soldier and a waitress. The soldier is sent off to war and the two teenagers keep in touch by writing letters back and forth. Things start to get rough in Vietnam and the soldier is killed. His name is read a loud at a football game and no one cries except the waitress and a piccolo player.

Back

VERSE

A Verse is a line of lyrics from a song or poem.

Example:Crying all alone under the stands

Back

FORESHADOWINGForeshadowing means that the lyrics show hints of what is coming.

The lyrics in the example below foreshadow that the soldier is going to die.

Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile

Example:

Back

CITED SOURCES:Everett, Glenn. "Technical Tips for Reading Sonnets and Early Modern Poetry."      http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/ENGL201/rhyme_schemes.htm. Al      Felreis, n.d. Web. 24 May 2010.

Holdorf, Dave, and Luis Cantu. "1969 Draft Lottery."      http://www.landscaper.net/draft.htm. Frank Baker, 24 Mar. 2010. Web.      28 May 2010.

"Animal Defense." http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/      adaptations/camou1.html. Education Department at University of      Richmond, 25 Jan. 2006. Web. 28 May 2010.

Fabian, Shelly. "Biography of the Dixie Chicks."      http://countrymusic.about.com/od/dixiechicks/p/dixiechickspr.htm.      N.p., 28 May 2010. Web. 28 May 2010.