Darden Smith – Angel Flight

It’s Veteran’s Day. 


15 years ago, Darden Smith played a concert at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Ramstein Air Base in Germany. 


He assumed he’d have nothing in common with his audience. He’d never spoken to a man in uniform. 

But backstage, he struck up a conversation with a Marine. And they discovered they had friends in common. 


They talked for two hours, and that conversation inspired Smith to co-write a song called “Angel Flight.” 


The title refers to the flight that carries a deceased soldier’s body home. 


A few years after co-writing that song with Radney Foster, Smith founded SongwritingWith:Soldiers in 2012. 

From the SWS website: “SongwritingWith:Soldiers holds weekend retreats across the U.S. for veterans from all conflicts. Since 2012, we have connected with hundreds of veterans and military families, creating a safe and inspiring environment to share their experiences and write songs with professional songwriters. These songs have been recorded and streamed across the internet, reaching and connecting more veterans and raising civilian awareness of the challenges the military community faces.” 


Mary Gauthier is one of the songwriting pros who regularly attends the SWS retreats. Her album “Rifles and Rosary Beads” (2018) is a collection of songs she cowrote with soldiers (and, in some cases, their spouses). The soldiers get songwriting credits and royalties. It’s a spectacular album. 

Darden Smith’s song that started it all is…


Today’s Song 

Title: Angel Flight
 

Artist: Darden Smith
 

Album: Love Calling (2013)
 

YouTube Link: youtu.be/yQWWNhGF88k

Lyrics

All I ever wanted to do was fly 

Leave this world and live in the sky 

I left the C-130 out of Fort Worth town 

I go up some days, I don’t wanna come down 

I fly that plane, called the Angel Flight 

Come on brother you’re with me tonight 

Between heaven and earth, you’re never alone 

On the Angel Flight, come on brother, I’m taking you home 

I love my family and I love this land 

But tonight this flight’s for another man 

We do what we do because we hear the call 

Some give a little, but he gave all 

I fly that plane, called the Angel Flight 

Come on brother you’re with me tonight 

Between Heaven and earth you’re never alone 

On the Angel Flight, come on brother, I’m taking you home 

Come on brother, I’m taking you home 

The cockpit’s quiet, the stars are bright 

Feels kind o’ like church in here tonight 

And it don’t matter where we touch down 

On the Angel Flight it’s sacred ground 

Fly that plane, called the Angel Flight 

Got a hero riding with us tonight 

Between heaven and earth, you’re never alone 

On the Angel Flight 

Come on brother I’m taking you home 

Come on brother I’m taking you home 

Come on brother I’m taking you home 

Come on brother I’m taking you home  

Here are the Playlists:  

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204 

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

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