Truckstop Souvenir: Music

Memorial Day

(Truckstop Souvenir)

Lauryn Shapter

Sweet Annie is a beauty
Living in a dusty prairie town
Loves God, her family, and her country
She ain’t ever gonna let ‘em down

So Annie works as a waitress
At the truck stop up the road
She’s saving her tips for college
Gonna make that family proud

Now Annie’s standing by the side of the road
At the Memorial Day Parade
Waving her flag for freedom
And for the price those soldiers paid

That’s when Johnny falls in love with Annie
Most everybody did
With a gentle heart and an ancient soul
Even though he’s just a kid

And Annie, how she loves the boy
Knows she’ll never be the same
Their dreams grow like those prairie grasses
Amber waves of grain

Annie’s standing by Johnny’s side
In a cold and bleak courtroom
A hasty wedding in January
And a baby born in June

They try their best but times are hard
It’s a struggle to survive
And Johnny’s heart breaks a little more
Everytime he hears Annie cry

So when those men in uniform
Say be all that you can be
Johnny signs on the dotted line
A soldier at nineteen

Annie’s standing at the edge of town
With that little boy in her arms
Johnny’s leaving the prairie
She prays, dear God keep him from harm

While Johnny serves his country
Annie serves those passing through
And when the change lands in the jar
She says, Johnny this one’s for you

For thirteen months and twenty days
Annie raises that boy alone
Until the day she gets the news
That Johnny’s coming home

Now Annie’s standing on the tarmac
Watching as the spinning wheels hit ground
But the man who steps down off that plane
Looks hardly glory bound

Well Johnny tries for Annie’s sake
To leave the war behind
But even in that prairie town
Johnny’s peace is hard to find

So Annie tries for Johnny’s sake
To make things like before
But it don’t look like Johnny’s
Ever coming back from that war

And Annie’s standing by the window
Watching as Johnny pulls away
Seeking solace in a bottle
But that don’t keep them ghosts at bay

And Johnny watches in the rearview mirror
As Annie disappears
No, he don’t want to be the cause
Of all of Annie’s tears

So maybe today’s the day he’ll leave
Drive straight on out of town
And leave the one true beautiful thing
Johnny’s ever found

Now Annie’s standing with that little boy
At the Memorial Day Parade
They both know a little too well
The price a soldier pays