For my twenty-fifth Tune Tuesday, I am going to choose a song that commemorates a huge moment in the history of the United States. I am going to choose another song from Billy Joel. I am going to choose "Goodnight Saigon", to commemorate the 41st Anniversary of the sad Fall of Saigon, which ended the Vietnam War, on April 30th, 1975.
The lyrics of the song tell the story of soldiers of the Vietnam War, but before the lyrics come in, the backing music is so cool. It starts off with crickets, which symbolizes the jungle of Vietnam, and then the maracas shake for a while, until you hear the rotors of a helicopter, and then the song begins.
The first verse goes, "We met as soul mates, on Parris Island. We left as inmates, from an asylum. And we were sharp, as sharp as knifes, and we were so gung-ho to lay down our lives." The second verse goes, "We came in spastic, like tameless horses. We left in plastic, as numbered corpses. And we learned fast, to travel light, our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight."
The third verse goes, "We had no homefront, we had no soft soap. They sent us Playboy, they gave us Bob Hope. We dug in deep, and shot on sight, and prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might." The fourth verse goes, "We had no camera's to shoot the landscape. We passed the hash pipe, and played our Doors tapes. And it was dark! So dark at night! And we held onto each other, like brother to brother, we promised our mothers we'd write!" Then the chorus goes, "And we would all go down together! We'd say we'd all go down together! Yes we would all go down together!"
Then the fifth verse goes, "Remember Charlie, remember Baker. They left their childhood on every acre. And who was wrong! And who was right! It didn't matter in the thick of the fight!" Then the bridge goes, "We, held the day, in the palm, of our hand. They ruled the night, and the night, seems to last, as, long, as..."
Then the sixth verse comes in immediately with, "Six weeks, on Parris Island. We held the coastline, they held the highland. And they were sharp! As sharp as knifes! They heard the hum of the motors, they counted the rotors, and waited for us, to arrive!" Then the chorus comes in again, and then the song ends, in reverse of how it started, with the helicopter leaving, then the maracas ending, and then just the sound of crickets.
This song is such a masterpiece, because it talks about both sides of the war, from the American side and the Viet Cong side too a bit. It also talks about the soldiers lives, and how their outlooks changed throughout the war.
I hope that you all enjoy this song, and remember the brave lives lost not just in Vietnam, but in all of our wars.
Have you ever heard this song before? What do you think of it? Do you think it is a good song, or a bad song?
The lyrics of the song tell the story of soldiers of the Vietnam War, but before the lyrics come in, the backing music is so cool. It starts off with crickets, which symbolizes the jungle of Vietnam, and then the maracas shake for a while, until you hear the rotors of a helicopter, and then the song begins.
The first verse goes, "We met as soul mates, on Parris Island. We left as inmates, from an asylum. And we were sharp, as sharp as knifes, and we were so gung-ho to lay down our lives." The second verse goes, "We came in spastic, like tameless horses. We left in plastic, as numbered corpses. And we learned fast, to travel light, our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight."
The third verse goes, "We had no homefront, we had no soft soap. They sent us Playboy, they gave us Bob Hope. We dug in deep, and shot on sight, and prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might." The fourth verse goes, "We had no camera's to shoot the landscape. We passed the hash pipe, and played our Doors tapes. And it was dark! So dark at night! And we held onto each other, like brother to brother, we promised our mothers we'd write!" Then the chorus goes, "And we would all go down together! We'd say we'd all go down together! Yes we would all go down together!"
Then the fifth verse goes, "Remember Charlie, remember Baker. They left their childhood on every acre. And who was wrong! And who was right! It didn't matter in the thick of the fight!" Then the bridge goes, "We, held the day, in the palm, of our hand. They ruled the night, and the night, seems to last, as, long, as..."
Then the sixth verse comes in immediately with, "Six weeks, on Parris Island. We held the coastline, they held the highland. And they were sharp! As sharp as knifes! They heard the hum of the motors, they counted the rotors, and waited for us, to arrive!" Then the chorus comes in again, and then the song ends, in reverse of how it started, with the helicopter leaving, then the maracas ending, and then just the sound of crickets.
This song is such a masterpiece, because it talks about both sides of the war, from the American side and the Viet Cong side too a bit. It also talks about the soldiers lives, and how their outlooks changed throughout the war.
I hope that you all enjoy this song, and remember the brave lives lost not just in Vietnam, but in all of our wars.
Have you ever heard this song before? What do you think of it? Do you think it is a good song, or a bad song?
Peace and Love,
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." - William Blake
"The years teach much, which the days never know." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Love is the energy of life." - Robert Browning
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." - William Blake
"The years teach much, which the days never know." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Love is the energy of life." - Robert Browning