In Vietnam

orginally a song for The John Lennon Songwriting Contest inspired by a friends haunting stories of his experience in the Vietnam War its anti-war

Mikey went to war, In Vietnam

and fought for his country, me and mom

when he came home we all spit in his face

 

apple pie, it was in the oven

apple pie, there was nothing

nothing left but for Mikey to forget

 

shoot and kill, wound and maim

if you wanted to come home again

you had to do what they told you to

In Vietnam

 

mama-san, papa-san

boys and girls, their children too

you had to do what you had to do

In Vietnam

 

In Vietnam, I grew up there

In Vietnam, I died there

In Vietnam, I can't leave it there

I wish that I had never been, In Vietnam

 

you had to do what they told you to

you had to do what you had to do

In Vietnam

 

Uncle Sam, he was the man

who didn't have a game plan

just took a gun and shoved it in my hand

 

in the name of democracy

he made a solider out of me

well, Im sorry...but I still don't like it

 

little boy, baby blue

how can daddy ever tell you

what it was I had to do, In Vietnam

 

sleepless nights here at home

oh God I dream and dream

I dream that I shot you, In Vietnam

 

In Vietnam, I grew up there

In Vietnam, I died there

In Vietnam, I can't leave it there

I wish that I had never been, In Vietnam

 

you had to do what they told you to

you had to do what you had to do

In Vietnam

Reviews

[Gypsy_Laughing]

It totally sounds like a protest song--shades of Woody Guthrie. We close our eyes, but our responsibility plays on the dark screen of our lids; we should never forget. Really nice use of rhythm and pace, and I liked the way...

mama-san, papa-san
boys and girls, their children too
you had to do what you had to do
In Vietnam

...invoked the images of the era for me--so many photos flooded our consciousness then. I, for one, will always remember.
Nice write.

[RainQueen]

Haunting. This is the evil echo of war - making men into killers, leaving them adrift. your use of repetition, rhythm forces the reader to see what you are seeing. They can't look away.

Beautiful~

[_Hanabi_]

this piece is flawless ....amazing