All This Fighting

Jessy Esterline, United States Air Force

All of this blood is spilling out on my streets,
Is this what I served for? Is this what my friends they died for?

I am in a state of shock and disbelief, that the media can choose
How they paint the colors of me to be
I know it’s hard to sell the truth, when you’ve never stood a day in our shoes,
When you’ve never had something so special to lose.
When you never had to take that chance or make that choice,
To call back home and tell ‘em you might not make it back this time around.
But, you’ll be fine…give it time, tell your family not to worry about you.

I watch this circus show; how did we get so far from what we know to what we know?
We’re killing each other over our colors, watching our flags burn, dumbing our kids down…
What will we learn from this now?
I don’t really want that life, I came back home from that fight, just to fight more.
Is this what I served for, is this what my friends they died for?
What will it take? How many lives will we perpetually waste?
How many times will we chase this broken dream?

It’s not what I served for, it’s not what I’ll stand for…
It’s not what these colors are supposed to mean.
It’s not what I served for, it’s not what I’ll stand for.
It’s not what my friends they died for.

USAF, veteran, singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Eastern NC, I have always had a love of country and a creative spirit. I was classically trained in piano from the age of 7 and started teaching myself to play guitar during a deployment in 2008. Music and writing have always been my safe place. I learned after returning home from that deployment that I could use it as a tool to cope and to heal. I started playing more seriously in 2013 at open mics and eventually started booking my own shows. I’ve been writing and sharing songs/music all over Eastern NC for the last six years. My time in the military gave me so many great experiences to pull from in life, and I hope to help other veterans and people find solace in/through music.