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Lyrics
[Intro]
[low vocal register]
Roll call
Sound off, sound off
This ain’t for stripes on the shoulder
This for the ones that never made it back over
[Verse 1]
Boots on
Mud on their name tags
Eighteen
Still learning what pain has
Got a rifle, got a rucksack, got a flashback
Got a mama praying every night that he come back
They told me
"Keep ‘em ready, keep ‘em lethal"
But who teaching ‘em
They more than just diesel
More than a number on a roster, on a chart
I’m tryna give ‘em game
How to carry their own heart
He like, "Sarge, when we done, what I do next?"
All he ever learned
How to brace for the apex
No savings, no plan, just a chain and a check
So I’m talking ‘bout credit while we ducking from the threats
[Chorus]
I want more than medals for my soldiers
More than folded flags on their shoulders
More than "yes, sir" echoes in the air
I want ‘em living, not just dying over there
I want more than medals for my soldiers
More than war stories when it’s over
More than pictures fading on a shelf
I want ‘em knowing they worth more than wealth
[Verse 2]
They teach us how to clear rooms, not clear trauma
Tell us bite down on the fear, on the drama
But when the smoke leaves and the crowd stops cheering
Who gon’ answer to the nightmares they hearing?
I see a young queen in a flak vest, hands raw
Carry whole squads on her back, still in awe
But the brass only see her as a rank and a slot
I see a leader in the making, whether here or not
Pulled the platoon in the motor pool, oil on the floor
Said, "Look, this life bigger than a tour or a war"
Talked budgets, talked school, talked how to be dads
How to say "I’m not okay" when the day goes bad
They trained me to shout, I learned how to listen
Reading every twitch, every stare, every distance
Got promoted ‘cause the numbers stayed high
But I’m staring at the sky, asking why they gotta die
[Chorus]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[whispered vocals]
Count ‘em up
Those dog tags cost more than gold
Count ‘em up
Every name got a story never told
[louder]
So when I line ‘em up in formation
I’m thinking ‘bout they future, not just the nation
Promise ‘em more than a folded cloth
Promise ‘em life after taking that cross
[Verse 3]
If I gotta stand between ‘em and a bad call
I’ma risk rank, risk all, let the chips fall
‘Cause a stripe ain’t worth it if it stripes their soul
If I can’t bring ‘em home, what this title really hold?
I seen bruises that the uniform hide
Heard jokes masking tears they swallow inside
So I write they fears in my private reports
Turn my anger to a plan, not a bitter retort
Told the colonel, "Sir, these kids need more
Than a pat on the back and another damn war"
I might age out, fade out, name get old
But if they walk out different, then my story been told
[Chorus]
Details
GeneratedDec 30, 2025
Duration3:51
LanguageEnglish
Style
rap, Moody West Coast-influenced hip-hop: swung drums, warm sub bass, clipped hi-hats. Sparse piano stabs and distant vocal chops in the verses, male vocals in an urgent conversational tone. Hook widens with stacked chants, filtered bass drop, and a marching snare pattern building intensity, then cutting back to raw drums and bass for the final verse., hip hop
Credits
Prompt by
JonnyBoy
JonnyBoyModelAria v5
Prompt
A hip hop rap song similar to Kendrick Lamar’s music. The song is about sergeant wanting more for his soldiers
