The Story Behind The Song: Angel Doolas Says Demarco Only Wrote Nine Words For ‘Fallen Soldiers’

Singer-songwriter Angel Doolas revealed that he was left holding the lyrical fort for composing the entire Fallen Soldiers song when Demarco hit a creative wall after coming up with his nine-word contribution: “This is for my fallen soldiers/We miss you.”

Doolas, who has written extensively for Bounty Killer and for other artists such as Ken Boothe, Lady Saw, Lady G, and Junior Gong, had told YouTuber Teach Dem in a November 2020 interview that despite Demarco’s contribution to Fallen Soldiers amounting to less than ten words and the fact that he (Doolas) penned the entire tune, the singjay has not acknowledged his input in media interviews.

“This is for my falling soldiers, we miss you,” Doolas sang, then stated: “My song.  I wrote that.  A my story.  Di only two lines Demarco find inna da song deh, is ‘This is for my fallen soldiers, we miss you’.  Full stop.  Everyting else, a dah factory yah,” he added referring to himself.

“An him nuh meck mention a mi inna none a him interview dem.  But big up yuhself still Demarco; everything all right,” he added.

Doolas, whose given name is Devon Douglas, also went on to describe what transpired on the day, when at a studio session, Demarco got stuck after belting out the two lines.

“Yeh man, a it buss Demarco man.  A it buss him, Fallen Soldier.  A my story bredda.  Is a song weh build from when mi bredda just pass off inna ’93, mi did build a song – Not di ‘Fallen Soldier’ part, but a suppm fi do with pass away, and mi just scrap di song, because when mi hear Demarco inna di session a seh ‘this is for my fallen soldiers, we miss you’ an him just stop right deh suh, me did think seh is a full song him have,” Doolas recounted.

“Suh mi a seh ‘Demarco, wha dat?  Sing out di song nuh man!’ and him a seh ‘Doolie, a ongle dat alone mi have enuh. Further mi naw sing bout no dead, an mi nuh buss yet’.  And mi seh ‘bredrin, as so life is real, so too is death.  Yuh can’t run from it bredrin’.  Das why yuh hear dah part deh inna di song deh too enuh: ‘life is so real’.  Caw a him mi a talk to when mi seh dah part deh,” he explained.

When asked by Teach Dem if he had received payment for his contributions, Doolas affirmed that he had, but that it was after some ‘back-and-forthing’ with his musical compatriot.

“Yea, but after a while.  Caw him did call mi one a di time and seh him a release di song an him a gi mi X-Y-Z percentage, but mi neva agree wid it, cause it wasn’t sufficient… but it guh up to 17 and mi satisfy,” he said.

Fallen Soldiers’ songwriting credits are listed as Collin Edwards (Demarco) and Devon Douglas (Angel Doolas).

Doolas also said he was not afraid to name any other artist for whom he has written songs.

“Why should I be?  If you as the performer or the recording artist don’t make mention of my work, mi a guh say it myself when my chance arrive,” he stated.

When asked if contracts were usually in place during the songwriting process, Douglas said that in his case, oftentimes there were no written contracts but more of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between friends.

“Most a di time is a bredrin, so most a di time mi get a beating where that is concerned.  But there were times when you have a ting name split sheets, a credit sheet where everybody come to an agreement as to a percentage; everybody weh involved inna di whole product,” he said.