Carry The Load Revised

This is a revised version of the original song. I wasn't completely happy with the first version. I didn't think the second verse was quite right, and thought the third verse and bridge were too close. I revised the second verse, removed the third verse, and added a couple of lines from the third verse to the bridge, which is more like an abbreviated 3rd verse. Somehow it's is still almost as long as the original. I also edited some of the video for this version. When I first began writing this song, I wanted it to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice — including not only those lost in combat, but also those who survived the battlefield and later lost their lives to the wounds of war after coming home. I had most of the first verse and parts of the second written before I realized what the title needed to be: “Carry the Load.” Carry The Load is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to restoring the true meaning of Memorial Day. Once that title came to me, the song took on even deeper meaning. I wanted it to begin in a slow, somber, reflective place, then gradually rise into something bigger — an anthem of remembrance, honor, and resolve. That is why there is repetition throughout the chorus and bridge; I wanted those lines to feel like something people could hold onto and carry with them. At the same time, I knew the second verse needed to stay grounded in grief and reflection also. The result is a song that lives between sorrow and strength — a heavy-hearted remembrance of sacrifice, and a call to never forget those who gave everything.