#namesistillrecall
The Soldier Man I Am
By Paul Baldry
It’s a soldier man I am,
And I’ve walked the killing ground.
I swear to God, if I ever see the sunrise
And feel its warmth come round,
I’ll hold it in my mind, safe and sound,
And never again return to the battleground.
I was fifteen years of age,
Too young to know the cost.
But I followed lads who swore they’d never
Watch another young life lost.
On that cold, cold battleground
Where the young stay young for evermore,
And the weight of what you witness
Stays with you at your core.
It’s a soldier man I am,
And I’ve walked the killing ground.
I swear to God, if I ever see the sunrise
And feel its warmth come round,
I’ll hold it in my mind, safe and sound,
And never again return to the battleground.
At twenty one I learned
How fast a man can break.
How courage cracks like winter ice
When the earth begins to shake.
How the strongest heart can falter
When the shells come screaming through,
And the lad you were at fifteen
Is a stranger now to you.
Now at sixty five years old,
I’ll meet you at the door.
I’ll take your arm and guide you through
The shadows left by war.
I’ll tell you of the hardships
And the names I still recall—
The ones who never made it home,
The ones who gave their all.
It’s a soldier man I am,
And I’ve walked the killing ground.
I swear to God, if I ever see the sunrise
And feel its warmth come round,
I’ll hold it in my mind, safe and sound,
And never again return to the battleground.
God… I never want to see another soul
Go down that cold, cold battleground.
Feb 18
Feb 18, 2026 at 4:04 AM UTC