We Thank You
by Alexandra R. Lajoux[Copyright 2005] Click on the link above to listen to this patriotic song. The reason for the song... "One night, in October 2005, I woke up in the middle of the night with a distinct image of a young man with newly cut hair, packing a duffle bag.The words, We know that you enlisted when you didn't have to go, went through my mind, along with a haunting tune. Who was this man? Why did he enlist? Who was singing? I didn't exactly know...but I remembered times I'd seen soldiers...in their jeeps on an interstate, or on the subway. ..And then more song words and melodies came to me. I typed up all the words, tears in my eyes, then went to the piano to write down the notes and chords. And so the song was born. Getting a recording star to sing it could take months or even years. The fastest way to get it to the troops was to record it myself. I am a singer and can play a little piano and guitar. But I knew that the days of the old folksinger have gone by. I knew that in this day and age I needed to devote the necessary time and money for a major studio production. So I borrowed against my retirement account to recruit the best musicians and most heartfelt volunteers to play and sing the song. I've invited a noted gospel singer to sing refrains. I've listened to mixes with a gifted recording engineer and experienced co-producers. I've played the song to many people from every walk of life, faith, and persuasion. Thanks to the love and appreciation we all have in our hearts for our soldiers . . . With your help of others, I would like to start a national movement to thank our soldiers continually. And it all started with one song scribbled in the middle of an October night." Lyrics to "We Thank You"
Verse 1
We don't know you from Adam.
We've never seen your face
‘Cept here and there at random,
When you rolled from place to place;
Or that time we went to Washington
And saw you on the train.
We didn't think to thank you then,
Where were our hearts that day?
So now we thank you.
Verse 2
We know that you enlisted,
When you didn't have to go.
We know the pleasures you resisted,
Treasures you may never know.
Oh and when you found true love at last,
We know you had to say goodbye,
Cut your hair and pack a duffel bag;
Your friends all wondered why.
We know, and thank you.
Chorus
Oh yes we thank you, brave soldiers.
For your great sacrifice
And we pray, dear defenders,
You'll soon be at our sides.
Bridge
Oh we'll light you candles
And we'll call the names
Of the angels to protect you
As you walk through storms and flames.
Verse 3
Soldier Mom you missed your oldest
On graduation day
And Soldier Dad you missed that moment
When Junior made that triple play
And proud dad you couldn't be there
The day your baby first stood and fell
Then got up and cried to Da!
Who wasn't there.
That's when we thank you.
Verse 4
We're boomers, we're babes in high chairs,
We're kids in second grade;
We're the wounded ones in wheelchairs
At the Veterans' Day parades;
We're the souls who wander without homes,
Or sob behind grim bars.
Oh talk is cheap but we would
Join you if we could!
Instead we thank you.
Chorus
Oh yes we thank you, brave soldiers,
For your great sacrifice.
And we pray, dear defenders,
You'll soon be at our sides.
Bridge
Oh it can be lonely
When you bear the arms
Of a people who forget you
Until we suffer harm.
So though we may not know your names,
And you may not know ours.
Please know we're with you every day,
As we keep you in our prayers.
Verse 5
Oh the armchair critics speak of peace
Like it's so eas'ly won.
They don't see in every tranquil truce
There lies a smoking gun.
They don't know that if it weren't for you,
More towers would be burned,
And the tides toward truth and
Freedom could be turned.
Last Chorus
Yes we thank you, brave soldiers
For your great sacrifice.
And we pray, dear defenders
You'll soon be at our sides...
So we can thank you.
We don't know you, soldiers.
But we owe you our lives...
(Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...)
Words and Music to We Thank You � Alexandra R. Lajoux 2005
Recording of We Thank You � Alexis Music Studio 2006
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Alexandra R. Lajoux's message to the troops 
