Project 52/Week 2 "One Tin Soldier"

The theme for this week's photography challenge was "Illustrate a Song".  I chose "One Tin Solder".  I had a lot of fun playing with toy Army men and posing them around the backyard.  I imagine the neighbors officially think I'm bonkers, but it was worth it!

I love this picture for a number of reasons, but for me, the detail and focus in the figurine really stand out.  I think the photo captures the stark imagery and emotion that the song invokes.  The song has always been a favorite of mine.  I first learned it when I was singing with a Christian folk music band in high school.  We sometimes did contemporary music that was appropriate, which meant we sang several folk songs from the 60s and early 70s.  It was through that group that my passion for vocal performance was born.

I love the way a good song can let us feel a moment, a story or a universal truth in a new way.  "One Tin Soldier" is one of those songs.  It tells the story of two communities.  One in possession of a great treasure.  One covetous of that treasure.  As the song unfolds, we see the second community trying to forcibly take the treasure from the first, resulting in a terrible war that leaves one man alive.  One tin soldier.  And the treasure?  A message of hope for all men.

I think the theme of this song is as relevant today as it was the day it was penned.