Hell of A Woman
Forged in War, Broken in Love: Hell of A Woman by Clark Kissick
Lyrics
19 years old walking through the door, wearing his new dress blues
Introduction of a 19-year-old entering wearing military dress blues, possibly returning from deployment.
Momma shrugs her shoulders to her Dad says what else can we do
Parents expressing helplessness or resignation about the situation.
They got married on a hot august day, under that Kentucky sun
Description of the couple's wedding day in August under the Kentucky sun.
Too young to understand true love, but old enough to hold a gun
Indicates the couple's youth and the contrast between their age and the responsibilities they face, including military service.
6 months later they got the news, and he was sent off overseas
Receiving news of deployment to Afghanistan after six months of marriage.
She stayed home working to the bone to earn her college degree
While he's away, she works hard to earn a college degree, emphasizing her strength and resilience.
His time in the sand nearly broke him down, the war took its toll
Describes the challenges and emotional toll of his time in Afghanistan.
He came back numb deep down inside his soul was hard and cold
His return marked by emotional numbness and a hardened soul due to the war's impact.
She's a hell of woman, with a shell of a man
She is a strong woman dealing with the emotional shell of a man.
He ain't been himself since he left for Afghanistan
Highlighting the profound change in his personality since returning from Afghanistan.
He just sits out on the back porch, soaking in the view
Depiction of him spending time alone, possibly struggling with inner demons.
He takes a long draw off a menthol, it's the only thing that gets him through
Using menthol as a coping mechanism, hinting at potential substance abuse.
When the thunder booms across the sky, there's lightning in his eyes
Connecting his emotional turmoil with the intensity of a storm and lightning in his eyes.
A fire starts to burn, it's the only time he seems alive
Only finding a semblance of life or purpose when there's a metaphorical fire within.
All the evil in this damned old world fills him full of hate
Expressing his deep resentment and hatred for the world due to the war's impact.
She can't stand the thought of the fact he'll never change
She struggles to accept the permanence of his changed self.
She's a hell of woman, with a shell of a man
Reiteration of her strength juxtaposed with his emotional emptiness.
He ain't been himself since the war in Afghanistan
Reinforcing the idea that he is not the same person since returning from Afghanistan.
He just sits out on the back porch, soaking in the view
Repetition of him sitting on the porch, contemplating, and dealing with his inner struggles.
He takes a long draw off a menthol, it's the only thing that gets him through
Repetition of using menthol as a coping mechanism for him.
On the 18th of November they'll lay his body down
Announcement of the date for his funeral, implying his tragic end.
On a hillside next to his momma on the outskirts of town
Describing the location of his burial next to his momma on the outskirts of town.
She sits there in a black veil trying to recall
Depicting the widow in mourning, struggling to remember the person he used to be.
The man that he used to be and where her love has gone
Reflecting on the loss of the man she loved and questioning where that love has gone.
She's a shell of a woman, missing a hell of a man
She is now an emotionally empty woman, missing the man she once had.
She just ain't be the same since he left for Afghanistan
Emphasizing her changed self since his deployment to Afghanistan.
She just sits out on the back porch soaking in the views
Repetition of her solitary contemplation on the porch, finding solace in the view.
Takes a long, sweet draw off a menthol it's the only thing that gets her through
Repetition of using menthol as her coping mechanism after his death.
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