Babyface

Released: September 18, 2007

Songwriter: Babyface

Producer: Babyface

[Verse 1]
In another day or so
He'll be one year older
God bless his soul
Barely 18 years old
When he became a soldier
God bless his soul

[Pre-Chorus]
It's not like he didn't know
The way that things could go
Hope was all he had to cope
But he never made it home

[Chorus]
Well, I hope and pray
That when God called his name
He did not die in vain
I like to think he died for you and me
And I hope one day
When we look back again
And he's just a memory
That we'll appreciate and respect the life he gave

[Verse 2]
In another year or so
She might have been a mother
God bless her soul
But she'll never get to hold
Her baby girl or know her
God bless their souls

[Pre-Chorus]
It's not like she didn't know
The way that things could go
Hope was all she had to cope
But she never made it home

[Chorus]
Well, I hope and pray
That when God called her name
She did not die in vain
I like to think she died for you and me
And I hope one day
When we look back again
And she's just a memory
That we'll appreciate and respect the life she gave

[Break]

[Chorus]
Well, I hope and pray
That when God called their name
They did not die in vain
I like to think they died for you and me
And I hope one day
When we look back again
And they're just a memory
That we'll appreciate and respect the life they gave

Respect the life they gave
Respect the life they gave
Respect the life they gave

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (born April 10, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a Grammy Award-winning producer, singer, and songwriter responsible for a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s. He has written and produced more than 20 number-one hits and won 11 Grammys—including three for Producer of the Year—for his work with Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton, Alicia Keys, and Toni Braxton, as well as his own work as an artist.

Babyface got his nickname from funk legend Bootsy Collins after joining his backing band in the 1970s. He joined the group Manchild in the late ‘70s—a group that also included his frequent collaborator Daryl Simmons—before moving out West and working with the group The Deele in the early 1980s, forming a bond with his bandmate and future production partner L.A. Reid. After producing the hit “Two Occasions” for The Deele, L.A. & Babyface broke off and became one of the biggest superproducer duos in R&B, rivaling the hits of fellow superproducer duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

L.A. & ‘Face had their hands in a string of #1 R&B hits in the late '80s and early '90s from artists such as Pebbles (“Girlfriend”), Karyn White (“Superwoman”), The Whispers (“Rock Steady”), Johnny Gill (“My, My, My”) and many more. They were also instrumental in the success of post-New Edition era Bobby Brown as they produced his #1 hits “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Every Little Step,” “On Our Own,” and “Humpin' Around.” They made history with Boyz II Men in 1992 as they wrote and produced “End of the Road,” which spent a record-breaking 14 consecutive weeks atop the pop chart.

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Playlist (2007)

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The Soldier SongBabyface

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