“Stars & Bars” Verse 1 Stars were my first memories, hangin’ high and brave, At the time I learned what freedom costs, and what it saves. Family, friends, and borrowed homes, wherever life had dragged, I carried more than just my name— I carried our country’s flag. Verse 2 From dusty drills to thundered fire, it flew through smoke and flame, A promise stitched in red and white, not fortune, not for fame. Hospitals, ships, and runways wide, in skies with engine scars, We raised it high to say “we stand,” Under those stars and bars. Chorus It’s more than cloth, it’s more than thread, More than a wind-worn brag, It’s every oath a soldier swore, Every letter never sent back. From a young man’s first salute To a folded goodbye in hands, I remember what it cost us all When I see those stars and bars. Verse 3 On the shoulders of our women and men, sewn into worn-out greens, It followed them through sleepless nights and places rarely seen. And when the bugle cried its last, and silence took command, They folded up a lifetime In that flag passed hand to hand. Verse 4 I may not know the battles fought behind a veteran’s eyes, The limbs they lost, the scars they hide, the tears they swallowed dry. But every time Old Glory waves against a quiet sky, I’m reminded why they stood their ground— So the rest of us could rise. Chorus It’s more than cloth, it’s more than thread, More than a wind-worn brag, It’s every oath a soldier swore, Every letter never sent back. From a young man’s first salute To a folded goodbye in hands, I remember what it cost us all When I see those stars and bars. Bridge Some folks see a flag on a pole, Some see a chapter closed, But some of us see faces Of the ones who never made it home. Final Chorus So fly it high at sunrise, Lay it gently when it’s time, Say a prayer for every name Written between those lines. I’ll stand a little straighter, Hat in hand, heart on guard, Every time I see Old Glory— Those stars… and those bars.
