Operation Encore: Soldiers, Stories, and Songs
Operation Encore: Soldiers, Stories, and Songs
Episode #5: Combat Medic Stephen Covell -- Monumental Impacts...Songs that Stay with You
A former combat medic who served two tours in Iraq during the "surge", Stephen Covell is a gifted, authentic storyteller with an incredible voice that carries lyrics with vivid imagery that stays with you long after the song ends, begging you to hit "repeat". During episode #5 of the OE podcast, Adam Rossi and Guy Jaquier introduce the audience to Stephen, a hyperactive kid who picked up a guitar at 18 and frustrated his music teachers by learning everything quickly by ear.
Stephen tells the story of joining the Army at 23 and "wanting to go to combat because I was an idiot", of his assignment to the "Old American Chorus" that lasted less than 7 days, and of his first deployment to Iraq and how some of the hardest moments were treating Iraqi civilians.
Along the way, he performs three of his most impactful songs while describing the experience of returning home from war, and how suicide can seem like a relationship, but in reality is "just a story we tell ourselves".
Don't miss this episode.
The songs referenced in the podcast can be found at the links below, complete with lyrics:
"Monuments"
"On That River"
"Sandhills to Sandals"
"Her Cold Hands" - Available soon
Support Stephen's New Book "Bring Your Gun to Work Day":
Learn more about Stephen on his website: http://stephencovell.com/
Purchase Stephen's newest album: Longing For the Hills
Support Stephen on Patreon
"Her Cold Hands" Lyrics:
I flirt with death
i send her flowers and chocolates
in the hopes that she’ll notice
and send her attention my way
death she flirts back
gives me that smile that I wanted
she takes my hands and holds them
because hers are always so cold
maybe i’m
oh yes i am a fool
i go steady with death
go driving around after my shift
down to the shore where it’s quite
we’re trying to just be alone
death snuggles up
wraps herself around my neck
she lets go, I catch my breath
and we stare up at the sky
underneath the stars
we both feel small
she says let’s go home
I say, that’s a good call
i fight with death
she breaks a glass on the counter
she storms out through the shower
slamming the door as so goes
stops returning my calls
i got a note pinned to my door
said baby I’m gone and I’m sorry
maybe the timing was wrong
i can’t lie and still dream about her I do
one day she’ll come back
girls like that always do
when smell the shirt
that she left in my bedroom
the sweet sour smoke of her perfume
i know that I should
but I can’t throw it out
i won’t lie, I still dream about her I do
one day she’ll be back
girls like that always choose
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Operation Encore is a non-profit veteran service organization that helps veteran artists get noticed in the music industry while advocating for veterans through the powerful medium of original music