In early 2017, Aaron Lewis was hanging out with a few soldiers before a show in North Carolina. They were telling him stories of their service, describing some of the things they experienced overseas.
Lewis’ guitar player, Luc Nyhus, asked if he could play the soldiers a song he wrote, to which they, of course, said yes. Lewis was so moved by the song that he knew he had to start playing it at his live shows.
After a couple months of playing it on the road, he finally released it to the world. He made the announcement on Facebook on Flag Day.
In today’s world, the ultimate sacrifice that our servicemen and women give selflessly in protection of the American Dream is often overlooked. The first time I heard this song, I watched three battle-hardened special forces soldiers cry after hearing it. I knew it hit home and I know it deserved to be heard. http://smarturl.it/FoldedFlag
Posted by Aaron Lewis on Wednesday, June 14, 2017
“In today’s world, the ultimate sacrifice that our servicemen and women give selflessly in protection of the American Dream is often overlooked,” he wrote. “The first time I heard this song, I watched three battle-hardened special forces soldiers cry after hearing it. I knew it hit home and I know it deserved to be heard.”
The song is told from the perspective of the soldier after he has passed away. He watches two men fold up the flag that draped his casket so they can give it to his wife. As Lewis sings in the chorus:
“It’s probably more than I deserve. But I’m proud to get this much. Sending all the love I ever had, inside this folded flag.”
Tears formed in our eyes when he sang the chilling chorus’ lyrics, “As two men with starch white gloves/Fold the colors as they touch/It’s probably more than I deserve/But I’m proud to get this much/I’m sending all the love I ever have/Inside this folded flag.”
You can listen to Lewis perform “Folded Flag” in the clip below.