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Ellis Paul

Plastic Soldiers

I had grass stains not scars
Eight years old in my backyard
A box of army men
On a blue sky afternoon
Out of the pine trees and sap
Plastic soldiers would attack
In my imaginary war
I led platoons

Come home soldier,
dinner’s getting colder
It’s time to put your toys away
Marching orders,
backyard borders
You will live to fight another day
Put your plastic soldiers away

At an army base in Kabul
I was nineteen, kicking up gravel
In a Humvee,
When a flash
came through the floor
An RPG and metal scraped,
the shrapnel tore through my legs
Now living in this body
I will not be a prisoner of war

(Chorus)

A box of soldiers in the attic
GI-Joes with automatics
Toys I saved,
To pass down to my own
My little boy
Runs through the backyard
He's got grass stains
for old scars
My legs are made
of steel and silicone

(Chorus)

Credits:

Vocals and Acoustic Guitar: Ellis Paul
Keyboards: Brandon Bush
Additional Vocals: Red Molly (Molly Vetner, Abbie Gardner, Laurie MacAllister)

Ellis Paul | Ellis Paul Publishing - SESAC
Seth Glier | Dancing Man Publishing - ASCAP