Though few of you commented on our survey, "Have The Wars In Iraq / Afghanistan Affected Your Music?", I'd like to bring to your attention somebody who has not only been directly affected by those wars, but who wrote a song for his son who is now serving his fourth combat tour in Iraq. He is retired military veteran David Carver and the name of his song is, "Bring Us Home".

Click "read more" below.



David Carver describes himself as a 22-year retired military vet who served in both Viet Nam and The Gulf War. But the Roseville resident is also an amateur songwriter who was inspired to write a song for his son who is serving in Iraq. The result was "Bring Us Home" which first aired on WDET's "Detroit Today" on July 2, 2007.

Carver explains the circumstances surrounding the recording.

His son, Thomas Carver, had returned safely from Afghanistan several months before. He did some state-side training and was about to return Iraq for his fourth combat tour when his dad finished the song.

"I wrote for years without ever recording anything," Carver said in a recent telephone interview. "But when I wrote this one I felt I had to get it out there."

"Bring Us Home" was completed using a demo house in Nashville called The Paramount Group and was recorded as a country song, a genre often used to whip up patriotic ferver and promote war. But Carver's lyrics reflect his heart-felt worry about the troops and his lack of confidence in the mission in Iraq, a view increasingly shared by many veterans:

Bring Us Home
(click here to listen to MP3 file)
(click here to listen to WMA file)
I set my boots down in the burning sand/ somewhere across the ocean in a foreign land / I'm not sure exactly why we're here / the president hasn't really made it clear /

So Bring Us Home, Bring Us Home/ bring us back to the land we call home / I don't want to die today / at least not this way/ so bring us home, please bring us home /

Let the words get out across the land / tell all the senators to take a stand / so many tears have came today / for all the soldiers so far away /

so le'ts don't wait another day / far too many lives will have to pay /

I think we all need to tell the man / we really don't like his plan / I will always stand up for what's right / but I'm sure this is not our fight

- lyrics by David Carver (reprinted with permission)

Thomas Carver really liked the song, but his wife cried when she finally heard it.

"She didn't hear it until Thomas had already left for Iraq," Dave Carver explained. "So I can understand how that could be tough."

Carver is currently working on two more compositions that aren't related to the war and he hopes to work more with local talent in the future. If you'd like to contact Dave Carver, you can e-mail him at DaveCar99@aol.com

-Mitch

For anybody who'd like to add "Bring Us Home" to your set list, I've created a rough lead sheet for you to follow. Just be sure you give credit to Dave Carver and dedicate it to the troops.

Click Here For Chords & Lyrics to "Bring Us Home"

Click here to Vote in our poll: "Have the Wars in Afghanistan / Iraq affected your music?"



Mp3 now available.