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WEBMISTRESS speculates:
In many interviews as well as song introductions in concert, Stevie has spoken about the inspiration for this song: a visit to the Walter Reed Hospital in 2005. The wounded soldiers she saw there moved her greatly. As she puts it in this interview with Fox News: “There were 20 beds down one side and doctors and nurses everywhere, and tanks and family members. I realized that I had walked into a hospital a rock n’ roll star with not a care in the world, and I was driving away from this hospital a soldier’s mother.” The line "four years later" refers to the fact that the song took her four years to complete. It's interesting that she references the lyrics to Battle of the Dragon; I think she is aligning her emotional battles to the ones the soliders face long after their literal battles have ended. To this day, Stevie continues her work with the armed forces and wounded veterans, visiting them regularly (so much so that she has been honored by the USO), even starting the Stevie Nicks Soldier's Angel Foundation to raise money for their aid. I admire her commitment to this cause - she is a soldier's angel indeed. Side note: Lindsey Buckingham contributes guitar and vocals to this song on the album.