About The Song
Toby Keith’s “American Soldier,” tells the story of what it’s like to be committed to fighting for freedom. It’s one of the best patriotic songs of all time and it shows how the selfless sacrifice a soldier makes extends to their family too.
Toby Keith wrote “American Soldier” shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He said he wrote the song based on what he thought his father’s thoughts on the terrorist attacks would have been. Keith’s father was a veteran and a patriot.
Keith penned this song with Nashville songwriter Chuck Cannon. Their other collaborations include “How Do You Like Me Now!?”, which spent five weeks at #1 on the Country chart and was the biggest-selling Country song of 2000.
He wrote this song in just 20 minutes, a week after 9/11. His intention was to play it for troops on USO tours but not to be part of a commercial release. However, after playing it for Pentagon brass in Washington, the Marine Corps commandant said, according to Keith: “You have to release it. You can serve your country in other ways besides suiting up in combat.”
And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price.
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice.
Oh, and I don’t want to die for you,
But if dying’s asked of me,
I’ll bear that cross with honor,
‘Cause freedom don’t come free.
The song aimed to support back those who have supported him
The song is about a soldier who is headed off to war. “It’s written for all the times that I get to meet the troops on these USO tours,” Keith explained to CNN’s Larry King. “Since ‘Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),’ the P.O.W.s and the families and stuff that have come and brought me back my old CD covers and stuff that they had and shown how much support they had, and this is my support for the American fighting men and women.”
The song topped the country charts for four weeks. It was Keith’s second #1 hit with “America” in its title, following “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)” in 2002. The patriotic Oklahoma singer has since achieved two more, in 2009 with “American Ride” and “Made in America” in 2011.
Video
Lyrics
I’m just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at ’em bright and early
I’m all business in my suit
Yeah, I’m dressed up for success
From my head down to my boots
I don’t do it for the money
There’s bills that I can’t pay
I don’t do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future’s my responsibility
Yeah, I’m real good under pressure
Being all that I can be
And I can’t call in sick on Mondays
When the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long
You can bet that I stand ready
When the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I’m solid, hey I’m steady
Hey I’m true down to the core
And I will always do my duty
No matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost
I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don’t want to die for you
But if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor
‘Cause freedom don’t come free
I’m an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters
I will proudly take a stand
When liberty’s in jeopardy
I will always do what’s right
I’m out here on the front lines
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I’m an American soldier
yeah, an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters
I will proudly take a stand
When liberty’s in jeopardy
I will always do what’s right
I’m out here on the front lines
So sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I’m an American
an American
an American soldier
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