Soldier (Neil Young song)
Encyclopedia
"Soldier" is a song by Neil Young
from the 1972 soundtrack album
, Journey Through the Past
. It was the only new track included on the album, and was later released on the 1977 compilation Decade
, although it was slightly edited.
The song observes how a soldier's eyes "shine like the sun." This is most likely referencing young men returning from war traumatized by the things they have seen in battle. In the second verse, Young sings he does not believe Jesus
because he "can't deliver right away". This could be seen as an atheist comment referencing the soldier's feelings that Jesus cannot deliver right away to prayers or wishes, therefore he does not exist.
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
from the 1972 soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
, Journey Through the Past
Journey Through the Past
Journey Through the Past is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name by Neil Young, released in November of 1972 on Reprise Records, catalogue 6480. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200, and since its initial release on vinyl, cassette tape and 8-track tape cartridge it has remained out...
. It was the only new track included on the album, and was later released on the 1977 compilation Decade
Decade (Neil Young album)
Decade is a triple album compilation by Neil Young, released in 1977, now available on two compact discs. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point...
, although it was slightly edited.
The song observes how a soldier's eyes "shine like the sun." This is most likely referencing young men returning from war traumatized by the things they have seen in battle. In the second verse, Young sings he does not believe Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
because he "can't deliver right away". This could be seen as an atheist comment referencing the soldier's feelings that Jesus cannot deliver right away to prayers or wishes, therefore he does not exist.