[Verse 1]
Boots on the tarmac
Dust in my teeth
Got a flag on my shoulder
Got a squad at my feet
From the ocean to the cornfields
Every town, every street
I’ve seen faces I’m fighting for
They the reason I don’t sleep
Orders in my headset
Heart in my throat
Prayin’ I come back home
With a folded-up note
I ain’t here for the medals
Or a headline quote
I’m here so my people
Get to stand and vote
[Chorus]
I got stars on my shoulder, stripes in my veins (hoo-ah)
Do it for the kids who don’t know my name
Every mile, every minute, every sky I see
I’m fighting so my country gets to live out free
Hands on the line, we don’t break, we bend
Stand tall, back-to-back, this is how we defend
If the night gets dark, just remember me
I’m out here in the fire for your right to be free
[Verse 2]
Waking up in a barracks
Dreams stuck overseas
See my brother in the doorway
That I couldn’t bring to leave
Call home on a Sunday
Mama holding back tears
Says, “Son, I’m proud of you”
But I can hear her fear
Training on the range
All the sweat, all the scars
Carrying the weight
Of a thousand stars
We don’t pick the fight
But we answer the call
If the line starts shaking
We refuse to fall
[Chorus]
I got stars on my shoulder, stripes in my veins (yeah)
Do it for the kids who don’t know my name
Every mile, every minute, every sky I see
I’m fighting so my country gets to live out free
Hands on the line, we don’t break, we bend
Stand tall, back-to-back, this is how we defend
If the night gets dark, just remember me
I’m out here in the fire for your right to be free
[Bridge]
From the ones who never made it
To the ones still here
Raise a glass, say a name
Make the silence hear
We ain’t perfect, we’re just people
Bleed the same red deep
We just chose to stand watch
So the rest can sleep
[Chorus]
I got stars on my shoulder, stripes in my veins (hoo-ah)
Do it for the kids who don’t know my name
Every mile, every minute, every sky I see
I’m fighting so my country gets to live out free
Hands on the line, we don’t break, we bend
Stand tall, back-to-back, this is how we defend
If the night gets dark, just remember me
I’m out here in the fire for your right to be free (yeah)