two days past eighteen

he was waiting for the bus in his army green

sat down in a booth in a cafe there

gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair

he's a little shy so she gives him a smile

and he said would you mind sittin'down for a while

and talking to me i'm feeling a little low

she said i'm off in an hour and i know where we can go

so they went down and they sat on the pier

he said i bet you got a boyfriend but i don't care

i got no one to send a letter to

would you mind if i sent one back here to you

i cried never gonna hold the hand of another guy

too young for him they told her

waitin'for the love of a travelin soldier

our love will never end waiting for the soldier to come back again

never more to be alone when the letter said

a soldier's coming home

so the letters came from an army camp

in california then vietnam

and he told her of his heart it might be love and all of

the things he was so scared of

he said when it's getting kinda rough over here

i think of that day sittin'down at the pier

and i close my eyes and see your pretty smile

don't worry but i won't be able to write for a while

i cried

never gonna hold the hand of another guy

too young for him they told her

waitin'for the love

of a travelin soldier

our love will never end

waitin'for the soldier

to come back again

never more to be alone

when the letter said

a soldier's coming home

one friday night at a football game

the lord's prayer said and the anthem sang

a man said folks would you bow your heads

for a list of local vietnam dead

crying all alone under the stands

was a piccolo player in the marching band

and one name read but nobody really cared

but a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

i cried

never gonna hold the hand of another guy

too young for him they told her

waitin'for the love

of a travelin soldier

our love will never end

waitin'for the soldier

to come back again

never more to be alone

when the letter said

a soldier's coming home