Posted on 12/24/2003 1:59:59 PM PST by SandRat
| Evelyn Dubois, who penned "I Guess It's Time For You to Go Again," received The Directors Award of Merit in Excellence in songwriting. A demo will be cut in hopes of an artist picking up the song for an album. (Ed Honda/Herald/Review) |
In the late 1990s, Evelyn Dubois saw her soldier spouse, Ralph, prepare to deploy during the holidays.
Being someone who likes to put her thoughts down on paper in poetry, she wrote "I Guess It's Time for You to go Again," the exact opposite of "I'll be Home for Christmas."
Evelyn put herself in the poem, but the narrator was their son Gabriel, then 5.
Gabriel's words stated: "I know something is happening, it's on all the TVs.
"Mama silently cries, she doesn't want me to see."
The first stanza continues about daddy being in the Army and having his duty to do, even though mama, he and little sister -- Elani, then 3 -- saw him deploy in the past and now he was preparing to leave them again during the holidays. Gabriel is now 10, Elani is 8 and there has been an addition since the poem was originally written -- Devin, 3.
The poem was a personal catharsis for her.
The daughter of a career soldier, her father,Guillermo, retired from the Army as a sergeant first class. He now lives in Las Cruces, N.M., where the Dubois family is visiting for Christmas.
"I went through his deployments as a child," she said.
Those deployments were difficult for her.
As the United States began to prepare its armed forces for deployment again, this time to Afghanistan, where combat was a reality, Evelyn's thoughts went to friends and neighbors on Fort Huachuca whose soldier spouses -- men and women -- were preparing to deploy to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Her thoughts came even though Ralph, a sergeant first class with Company A, 305th Military Intelligence Battalion of the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade, was not going to deploy. He is a tactical intelligence systems instructor at the post's Intelligence Center, training other soldiers.
"I knew I had to do something with the poem," Evelyn said.
A lady told her about a music contest, which led her to search the Internet finding a contest looking for lyrics for country and western patriotic songs.
Evelyn entered the contest, slightly modifying her poem, taking out one stanza and using another as a refrain, the latter to be repeated three times after three of the stanzas she left.
Ralph said the one stanza she cut was something he wishes could have stayed in because it described Gabriel telling him that if he got scared while deployed he could hold his son's hand for courage.
"I was trying to tell people how we (soldiers' families) all feel and what we go through," Evelyn said. "But I wanted it to be said through the eyes of a child, my son Gabriel."
A few months ago she was notified that although she did not take first place, her poem was one of 10 merit awards from Paramount Productions in Tennessee. It would become the lyrics of a song.
As part of the agreement, her poem, which she has copyrighted, was put to music by an unknown composer and a demo tape and CXD was done by a five-piece band. It cost her $299 for that. But if the song is picked up by a named artist, she will get the royalties.
Evelyn said that when she first wrote the poem, she cried whenever she read it. As the years have gone, the teary-eyed times have stopped.
But this month the tears once again flowed as the complete song, with her lyrics and music played by an unknown country and western group, was played at the fort's annual Holiday Ball.
As a surprise to her, the music included a slide show of soldiers with their families as they left and returned.
"When I saw it (the song with photos) it brought tears to my eyes again," she said.
Tears also flowed from the eyes of many at the ball.
She received a special award from Maj. Gen. James Marks, the commander of the Intelligence Center and the fort.
As for her lyrics, Marks said it "is a testament to the men and women who serve this great nation and their families who endure the hardships that are associated with every deployment."
Calling Evelyn's words inspirational, the general added they tug at the heartstrings "and instill all of us with pride."
There are some attempts being made with the production company to have the demo tape provided to a local radio station in Sierra Vista and have copies sent to soldiers in Iraq.
One copy of the demo is on its way to Iraq with the commander of the fort's 40th Signal Battalion of the 11th Signal Brigade, Evelyn said.
The message is important for all Americans to hear because it is about their family members who are serving the country by putting on the uniform, Evelyn said.
And what better way to express those views than through the eyes of Gabriel, whose three refrains state: "So don't worry daddy, we'll be all right.
"I just want you to win this fight.
"Or bring home the peace whichever you do.
"We'll be here waiting and counting on you."
Her words
The following is Evelyn Dubois copyrighted poem being used for a patriotic country and western song. The title of the poem is "I Guess It's Time for You to go Again."
STANZA
I know something is happening, it's on all the TVs.
Mama silently cries, she doesn't want me to see.
Daddy's in the Army, its motto, be all you can be,.
I know something is brewing in some far-away country.
The last time he had to go he was away for eight months
My sister and I missed him so very, very much.
The president's on the big wide screen,
And I recognize the name of my daddy's tactical team.
I see you walk by with your two green duffel bags,
Asking mommy if she has seen your ID tags.
REFRAIN
I guess it's time for you to go again
So don't worry daddy we'll be all right,
I just want you to win this fight.
Or bring home the peace whichever you do,
We'll be here waiting and counting on you.
STANZA
I'll be brave you just wait and see,
For the last time you left, I was only three.'
I know I cried a lot and hurt deep inside,
But, I'm a big boy now, I'm already five.
It's almost Christmas time you know,
You'll miss Santa, your presents and all the snow.
No time to think of the now, I have to be brave,
For once again you have our country to save.
REFRAIN REPEATED FOLLOWED BY LAST STANZA
I'll take care of my sister, she is smaller than me,
Just this November she barely turned three.
"I'll hold her hand when we cross the street,
"And I won't let her talk to strangers we meet.
REFRAIN
"I was trying to tell people how we (soldiers' families) all feel and what we go through," Evelyn said. "But I wanted it to be said through the eyes of a child, my son Gabriel."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bless our military families. (Warning, more lyrics like these:)
But, I'm a big boy now, I'm already five.
It's almost Christmas time you know,
You'll miss Santa, your presents and all the snow.
No time to think of the now, I have to be brave,
For once again you have our country to save.
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