There's a stranger on the road tonight On the way to soldiers town The stranger with his coat pulled tight His collar buttoned down A stranger every sinner knows A seasoned man of war Marching thru the fires of hell Scarred by the cannons roar You know he's bound for soldiertown It's written on the moon They're pulling all the shutters down Seem fearful of his tune He'll sing a song of sixpence Breaks his fist upon a door They know the score in soldiertown He's done it here before
There is no truth, no choice, no compromise Give up one of your kin To save the other children To save your bone and skin Tonight's the night you must decide Which son will stay or go The devil rides in soldiertown His boots cut through the snow Shadows fall on windows Praying that he'll pass Listening for the death knell Of his breath upon the glass You all must lose a finger If you wish to save the hand A stranger chants imagine that The townsfolk understand Now every son and daughter Have been taken in the night Condemned them said a slaughter If they dedicate to fight It's midnight out in Soldierstown There's a knock upon the door The youngest pushed out in the snow To save the other four
You can hear the screams in Belfast town Or so the story goes He leaves his demon footprints In the deepest of the snow There's nothing here in Soldierstown Except misery and pain Cross of more in Soldierstown accrued again
(Guitar solo) The stranger all misunderstood He's come to save the young To steal them from their parties And turned their faces to the sun To a place where love is taught And peace had overflowed
The stranger on the road You fight till one of us dies He screams into his face And now you know the notions Said the stranger touched by grace First please let me show you Where the youngest can be played
And wiser by the day
They send you off to the wars of Soldierstown Taken back, the stranger cried His patience wearing down A stranger came to Soldierstown When 20 years had passed Looking for his father Breathing slowly on the glass
There is no truth, no choice, no compromise Give up one of your kin To save the other children To save your bone and skin Tonight's the night you must decide Which son will stay or go The devil rides in soldiertown His boots cut through the snow
You can hear the screams in Belfast town Or so the story goes He leaves his demon footprints In the deepest of the snow There's nothing here in Soldierstown Except misery and pain The Devil rides in soldiertown He's smiling once again