[Verse 1] Nineteen years old in a field tent in Saigon Red mud on her boots before the breaks of dawn Sirens screaming through the humid air Blood on her apron, rubber bands in her hair She held the hands of boys who’d never see twenty-one Doing double-shift triage under a blazing sun Learning how to swallow her tears real deep Holding back the nightmares so the wounded could sleep. --- [Pre-Chorus] She learned bravery isn't the absence of fear It’s wrapping a bandage while the mortars land near She bore the weight of a heavy steel cross A front-row witness to a generation's loss. --- [Chorus] Oh, Margaret came home on a commercial flight Landed in the tarmac in the middle of the night No parades on the street, no welcoming crowd Just angry faces shouting insults out loud They looked right through her when she tried to speak Said "Women didn't serve, girl, you're looking for attention unique" Oh, Margaret bore the scars nobody could see Carrying the ghosts of the brave and the free. --- [Verse 2] Flashbacks in the kitchen when a car backfires Sweating through the bedsheets under midnight wires PTSD shaking through her trembling hands While the country moved on like it didn't understand They denied her benefits, denied her the truth Told her to forget about her shattered youth But a nurse doesn't quit when the room turns dark She gathered up her courage and she made her mark. --- [Pre-Chorus] She learned bravery isn't the absence of fear It’s speaking up loud when nobody wants to hear She bore the weight of a heavy steel cross And stood for the brothers that were stranded and lost. --- [Chorus] Oh, Margaret came home on a commercial flight Landed in the tarmac in the middle of the night No parades on the street, no welcoming crowd Just angry faces shouting insults out loud They looked right through her when she tried to speak Said "Women didn't serve, girl, you're looking for attention unique" Oh, Margaret bore the scars nobody could see Carrying the ghosts of the brave and the free. --- [Bridge] She organized the rallies on the Capitol lawn Marching for the POWs before the dawn Holding up the photos of the missing men Vowing they would never be forgotten again Standing in the rain with a folded silk flag Carrying her story in a canvas duffel bag She fought the war twice—once across the sea And once right here in the land of the free! --- [Outro] Nineteen years old in a field tent back then... Now she stands tall for the women and men. No silent soldier anymore... Margaret Cole, victorious in war.
