Brother of
Mine
It
was a cold Fall day to visit you
I didn’t call ahead, no need to
I come with pictures, flowers
my mission and quest
The book says your home is 15 West
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
Reflections of myself in your name
I’m all grown-up now, you look the same
It’s been years without you
Do cuts always heal?
If I could only tell you how I feel
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
I feel your touch, is
that you on the other side?
I touch your name, is that you calling mine?
Sometimes it seems like you’re just standing there
looking at me, looking at you
It was a cold fall day
to visit you
Darkness takes the sky way too soon
I’ll be back one day, some day, I’ll never forget
how your hand touched mine and Spirits met
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
I feel your touch, is that you on the other side?
I touch your name, is that you calling mine?
Will I ever know, why you had to go?
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
Brother of Mine, I miss you so
©1992 Hawk and Owl
Music
In
Memory of
Bruce H. Eaton
I submitted my version on cassette tape which was recorded with just piano and voice tracks to the "Friends" organization. Ten artists were chosen for "Songs of The Wall" which was to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. "Brother of Mine" was selected and recorded for that project.
All Rights Reserved
Brother of
Mine
This
song wanted to be written. The story was born of love, out of
sadness, and with an intention to heal with music.
"Brother of
Mine" was composed in 10 days
following a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in
Washington, D.C. in November 1991.
The brother in this song is not mine. This is about the brother of my friend, Laura. Bruce Horace Eaton was Laura's older brother, president of his high school, a husband and a Marine. In 1967, at 23, Bruce Eaton died while piloting a helicopter in Vietnam. I wondered if maybe the fateful timing of the calendar was trying to send a message in advance... Bruce Eaton was born on November 10, the day before Veterans Day and died on July 3, the day before the Fourth of July.
I spent an autumn day at The Wall with Laura which was the first time she would see her brother's name etched into The Wall. I chronicled this day like a documentary. I took dozens of photos of Laura's pilgrimage from start to finish in the several hours we spent there on that cold, fall day. It was a very emotional and important day for Laura and an incredible experience for me to be part of her journey.
I felt something of what it might be like to have a brother who never came home. I wanted to translate into music what that experience meant to me, for her, and for all the brothers and sisters related to the names on The Wall. As well, this song is for all of the surviving friends and veterans who feel the loss of a comrade and brother.
While there we met up with an organization called "Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial", which no longer exists. They were there to help everyone who was visiting The Wall for the first time and also provided support to all family members. On the plane ride back I saw, in their literature, they had a call for original songs to create a recording. It was to be called "Songs of The Wall".
It was the first time I ever considered songwriting because I was very moved by that day with Laura. I had brought so much of the experience back with me emotionally and through photography so I decided to give it a try. When I returned home, I created a space in my voice studio to work on it and spread out all the photos I had taken of that day. I started to write about what happened in sequence as well as the emotional story of Laura and her brother.
Denny Martin did masterful work as the musician and arranger in capturing the mood and feeling of the song. After the entire "Songs of The Wall" recording was finished I was honored to perform my song, along with the other artists, near the Lincoln Memorial and Veterans Wall on Veterans Day weekend in November 1992.
The "Songs of The Wall" cassette recording was sold at the Wall for many years. It came with a booklet that provided all the lyrics, song stories and artist information. For years I received many letters from sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, children, Veterans and friends of Vietnam Veterans who bought that recording. They wanted to let me know that "Brother of Mine" helped them in their grief.
This song has gone so beyond the story of Laura and her brother, Bruce. It has been part of the healing process for more people than I will ever know. I am so proud of this song and how it has brought healing to wounds which many thought could never heal.
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