Country music purist Cody Johnson hat-tipped a major influence with his acoustic-driven cover of "Travelin' Soldier," a song first recorded in 1996 by its songwriter, Bruce Robison, and made famous in 2002 by The Chicks.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Johnson flexes his storyteller brawn while strumming along with his band to a throwback country arrangement that shows reverence for the source material.
The full band performance got posted on March 3 to Johnson's YouTube account. Prior acoustic sessions filmed for social media include performances of Johnson's "On My Way to You" and Gary Stewart's "She's Acting Single (I'm Drinking Doubles)."
It wasn't Johnson's first rodeo with "Travelin' Soldier." It made the setlist of a June 2020 livestream which also featured covers of George Strait, Chris Stapleton and Merle Haggard.
The new "Travelin' Soldier" video left commenters clamoring for Johnson to record a covers album of classic country songs.
"Travelin' Soldier" Lyrics
Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she give him a smile
So he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talkin' to me, I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a traveling soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a traveling soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your head
For the list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was the piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read and nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a traveling soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter says
A soldier's coming home
