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From: knife4u08
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  • HE could have lived a few years longer..but the stubborn man just had to stay.. just foolish.

  • We as a people lost a lot when St. Helens blew. Soon a book will be released that will pull back the veil. Those with love in their heart will love this story.

  • who else watched this in a geography lesson

  • I SAW THIS TODAY IN GEOGRAPHY!

    MR BARNETT RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • RIP harry truman

    YOUR SPIRIT WILL LIVE ON AND ON!

  • Awww, I think it's sweet. His wife was buried there. I'm sure he felt that even if the volcano was going to erupt his way, he wasn't going to leave her. Now they're both buried there. 

  • 1896?!?! DAMN! I wonder what he was thinking while the volcano was erupting?

  • This song rocks!!!!!

  • BEST FUCKIN SONGGGGGGGGGGGGG

  • spirit lake is not gone there is still fish in it there its just not the same as before

  • @hottsttudd1911 the original Spirit Lake is under 150 ft of rock

  • Seems like only yesterday. I lived in Yakima at the time, where it snowed ash in the total darkness of the morning, afternoon, and evening, so dark that the street lights came on, and we didn't see light until the next day. I was a sophomore in High School, and this extended spring break for another week. What a ride!

  • It 30year latter he my not care what any one sa.the man was in love with the mtn.god bless him.that the way he wonted to leave us.he didnt get permision from us that the way it is.

  • @america8359 Five min after it happen he did not care what any thought. Good reply

  • Heard this song ONCE on radio, Friday, 6-27-1980, on a West Coast road trip. Wrote about it in my travel journal: "I don't know who the singers were, but I know it was … in the key of C [verse 1]."

    Finally heard it again on your page 9-9-2011. I'd remembered the whole chorus, "Oh, Harry Truman …," and "ol' St. Helens, she blew" from verse 2 all these years. A lot of 1980 hits came and went, but these songwriters really made a lasting first impression on me.

    Thanks a lot for posting.

  • Thanks for posting this song. I remember this when living in Oregon City @ the time of the eruption. I'll have to find my 45rpm of this.

  • Harry, Spirit Lake and all those that died that day are in Heaven. I hope some of the cats got there too.

  • I too feel bad for the cats.

  • i bet his body and the other victims will be preserve like the bodies at pompeii

  • the poor man was 84. thats a good life no??

  • R.I.P Harry Randall Truman (October 30, 1896 – May 18, 1980)

  • I got good reviews and hope to publish the book by new years there is much more to harry then many know I loved that old man and will be watching this site.

  • he should have hid out in the White House basement during the explosion of Mt. St. Helens

  • Be carefull Fascist you are a person of little wisdom and a your words prove it.

  • He didn't die in 1980, it was in 1972 from Pneumonia.

  • The cats got away and made it to V.C. now there a population problem and they have to kill 10 X as many everyday. When was the last time you adopted a furry little kitten.

  • @notfortheblind Harry R. Truman's cats outran the near supersonic speed pyroclastic flows and lahars?

  • In the summer of 1969 when I was 10 year old. I spent two weeks at Spirit Lake and have a book being review for publishing. Soon you will know why Harry would not leave the mountain. if you want to part of ground zero contact robertjameswoods69@yahoo.com

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  • ohh i watched this in geography today we r learnin bout volcanos n stuff we all loled not offensivly ovcourse

  • @mrkizman011 lol i watched it in geog too lol

  • Ooooh Mr Adams!! :D xxxx

  • Tha cats were his kids!!! He didn't have kids!! He told reporters that said he should give them away but he said why they are my family. so quit making him sound bad!!!!!!

  • I feel bad for the cats!

  • It's so hard to believe mount st helens it was 31 years ago when she blew

  • @GooglFascists Yes the truth hurts.. Luke 6:37 as reference

  • @GooglFascists i wouldnt be talking about being anti social with a name like googlfacist

  • He at least should have given his cats away to good homes... an selfish S.O.B

  • I'm fine with Harry going down on his own terms but...did the sixteen cats have to go with him? I feel bad for them :(

  • One more correction....the number was 1600 not 16000

  • Yeah,that was a mis print,meant to put a K after the 13.....Wikipedia claims it was 16000 Hiroshima bombs....I guess all it takes is one to ruin your day,I wouldn't have mentioned numbers,but the narrator said the power of an atomic bomb,and I knew it was a lot more than that.Nature has to remind us of just how insignificant we are at times....what an incredible show of force,that volcano has been changing the landscape around there for milions of years,and undoubtedly will again.

  • @snillocl in my washington book it was more than 13 A bombs

    it was 21,000 A bombs dude imagine lol KA POOOWW lol thats not even close too 13 A bombs

  • Hasta La Vista Harry!

  • Cool song,heard that when it did go it was like 13 A bombs,...I think Harry's options were limited at best,his choice to stay is always going to be subject to controversy,but what was he going to do with the rest of his life,employers aren't/weren't exactly in the market for someone his age,didn't see any family coming to his rescue,he had had a good life and wanted to check out on his feet according to his terms.When the eruption occured,he and his cats did no suffering.

  • I tell the truth.... even when I lie

  • THANKS -- I remember my mom buying the 45 record after St. Helens blew, and she still has it! Would love to get a digital recording. It's nice to be able to listen to it again, after all these years, I still know all the words! :o)

  • @54321mitchell Your the moron! Ogopogo wasn't talking about Harry Truman, Ogopogo was talking about their dad! That's just mean, what you said. You will should read previous posts before you post.

  • He should of never gave the order to drop the bomb in ww2. The volcano was payback. Having 16 cats didn't help either

  • @Childrenofthecornsno

    Different Harry Truman

  • @happyfish987 I believe that was the joke he was making.

  • @Childrenofthecornsno You are either an incredibly funny comedian or you are very stupid,could you please be so kind as to tell me which? Thank-you.

  • that crazy old bastard. i wonder how he likes it down there in hell...

  • @kmz365

    Hell doesnt exsist, kid. 

  • Harry was born on the mountain, lived his entire life on the mountain and chose to die with the mountain he loved...

  • I don't know why people are idolizing this stubborn old man who was repeately warned to get the hell out.

  • Strong emotions can not make up for stupidity when a volcano will blow up in your face. It does not matter if it blows up or to the side, when she blows, then you are the fool if you stay. There is nothing to congradulate on a human life being snuffed out, regardless if he decided to stay or not. To do otherwise is like cheering on hurricane victims for staying when they have the means to get out of the storm's way. When nature is rumbling, then get out of the way. Do not play the "hero".

  • Harry died in the place he loved dearly. I hope I am so lucky as to de able do the same

  • Yep, his spirit will live on and on for eternity, but not with God,

    whom he cursed all the time.

  • @4freespeech You people really have to bring God into everything don't you..

  • cant believe it blew again in 2006..?i wished i coulda camped there just once :)

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  • my dad lived near the mountain when it erupted and got some good shots of it. i wasnt born yet though, but ive seen and felt actual ash from the eruption. that was true dedication. if i was in that situation, i would pak up and get the heck out of there. he was really brave. his spirit lives on.

  • @Ogopogo57 sad god rest ur dads soul rip ur dad well atleast he died a hero

  • @54321mitchell

    he didnt die he was well away from the blast-zone -_-

    he's alive and well

  • @Ogopogo57 o right my mistake i thought the way u said it well thats good hes alive i wish u well

  • @54321mitchell he's not alive you moron, if he was he'd be 114 years old. He died in the blast, this ogopogo person is just being a complete moron.

  • @mr1derful112 wow

    whatever

    atheism is a relegion right?

    so keep that crap to yourself

    and besides

    be careful what you wish for because you just might get it 

  • It's better dieing in a week instead of in 5 minutes.

  • nice music  cheers mate : ]

  • Cretino

  • Oh Harry Truman... If he had only retreated in time he'd be a happy and healthy 125 year old man. Rest in Pieces.

  • @TeslaTrack Haha "Rest in Pieces." :D

  • Interesting fact: Did you know that Harry Truman middle name was Richard

  • I've loved the song since 1980. But this video starts with an incorrect statement. Mt St Helens had been rumbling and having minor eruptions back in March that year and the big eruption was predicted, with the surrounding area evacuated except for a few scientists, reporters, etc. - and Harry Truman, who refused to leave.

    We just didn't know exactly when the "big one" would come or how big it would be.

    Old Harry just didn't want to leave his beloved St Helens and Spirit Lake.

  • @WildeNotesMusic  I gotta "big one"

  • A marvellous tribute to a very determined man. May he and all the other people who perished in the eruption rest in peace.

  • Nice vid guys, I was pretty young when St. Helens erupted but we went camping in Bend, OR not long after and the Ash was everywhere! Check out the artists blog that wrote and sang this song here: 2guyzmusic dotcom

  • Number one hit? REALLY?

  • @homeostasis4me yep.......

  • I live in West Linn, This is the 30th anniversary of it. I really feel sorry for Mr. Truman. May he live on in our memories and Northwest History. Great song. Thank you!

    Great video. I remember watching his declaration on an old video in the 5th Grade

  • rip good ole harry truman

  • this video took an unexpected sharp turn with the song tribute

  • 'twas 30 years ago today. I remember it well, living less than 100 miles from the mountain.

  • haha he is a idiot hahahahahahahahahahaha

  • I was a small child who had the chance to meet Harry Truman and sit by his lake while he told stories to my Family. His wife died up there he was an old man and he wasn'e leaving. I would probably have stayed also, If I knew I was going to die in the place I called home in my heart, and invested my whole life into. R.I.P. Harry. It was nice knowing such a cantankerous old guy such as yourself. 30 years today. CHEERS!!

  • He was 84. Would he have been better off "living" a few more years in some geezer warehouse?

  • I agree 100%. At the time I thought he was stupid and nuts (I was only 7 then). Now I totally identify with how Harry felt, if the mountain & lake is going well he was going to go with it. He left this world on his own terms and not many people get to do that. If you stop and think, there aren't too many things left in this life that you can truly do on your own terms.

  • @bowler811

    the fuck are you talking about? i can kill myself any time i want! besides, this is america. like there aren't any other mountains and lakes here.

  • @bowler811 - There comes a time in everyone's life that the important things are what is around you. For some it is family for some it is where your family once lived or is buried etc. I am sure he figured that if the mountain goes I will be with the important things to me.

    Like Boweler811 I would have thought he was nuts when I was in my twenties but now that I am in my late 40's, I can see his point.

  • @bowler811 Great post....Gave you a thumbs up for that one...I felt the same way...Thought what a nut!!....but now that im older...I get it...And at the time we didnt know if it was going to really blow up or not.....Neither did he...Or if it was going to be lava or what...ill never forget that day...i was outside when it blew riding my bike...Felt it and see it...By the time 12 afternoon it was pitch black in my town...Not far from yakima.

  • I still think Harry was a moron to this day for not leaving.

  • @nighthawk584 no his wife die here so he wanted to die he too

  • I would of stayed too I understand the heart he has I wouldnt leave my land either Its just a common bond sounds stupid but its true, Harry had quite a better hook up then myself but your land is your land!

  • @voyager7731 True but 98% of the time they are and your govt do gooders and BP and there agencys have all droped the ball on the gulf coast oil platform spill Its only a matter of time before the south will have had a fucking enough and tell the federal govt to fucking stick it

  • @nthrasher04 -- Corporations are the ones sticking it to us. BP destroyed the Gulf, tourism, fishing, etc. They fight regulation tooth and nail. We live in an oligarchy. Corporations are the enemy, and government needs to rein those fuckers in.

  • @zamaz99 Yeah, Corporations are the enemy. Lets get rid of them all and suck on the tit of the Government... I'm with you. Who needs to work. Lets all party.

  • @cjacustomwoodworking -- So you hate the government? Okay, genius, stop driving on roads, pull your kids out of public schools, eat only uninspected food, don't take any medications that have been FDA approved, and if your house catches on fire don't call the fire department, m'kay? Got that? Because that way you won't be sucking on the government teat, right?

  • @zamaz99 Wrong- see dumb ass, I pay for those things. Sucking on the teat would be like the market crashing, but your union pension is made whole by the taxpayers. That is sucking on the government teat. As for roads and schools- privatize it. You and that loser Obama just keep invoking the Jones Act to protect your sorry union slug brothers.

  • @cjacustomwoodworking -- Hey redneck dumbass -- I don't get a union pension. Wish I did! I guess you just love all the subsidizing of corporations -- talk about welfare!

  • @zamaz99 Bet you do wish you got a union pension.... union paycheck you'd take too.

  • @zamaz99 we gave the government its purpose it is to serve us, we pay for the roads ,and the schoolswhichj leave much to be desired,fda is a rubber stamp for the food industry and does not safe gaurd the food,same with medicines,you have a misguided idea of what government is for and who pays for it.

  • harry sucks balls

  • Good for him. RIP Harry Truman

  • OMG that man was an idiot.

    THere's nothing heroic in being an ass and standing there while a volcano is about to blow up in your face!

  • @mapdark What do you know honestly he was fighting for what was his he did It his way not someone elses yeah It cost him his life but he knew what he was risking theres alot to say about someone who isnt afaird to stand up for what he believes In you need a reality check apartenly you know nothing about standing up for something.

  • @nthrasher04

    What was there to "fight" for?

    A house?

    The math is easy , VOLCANO vs House+an old guy = Volcano more than likely wins . not heroics , more like being a stuborn idiot.

  • Harry was just mean and stubborn enough to keep the do-gooders at bay. They were out then too. Once you left your property (which you can defend with a gun remember) the officals would block the road and not let people back up. Harry never left his property. The reporters went ot him because he was such a colorfully character. But talk to the locals as I did and they say he was foul-mouthed and mean when talking about being forced off his property.

  • I wish he would have at least gotten someone to take his cats. He called them "family" but if you love your family, you don't put them in danger like that. He was warned that he was in danger of dying if he stayed and the volcano erupted I don't feel sorry for him, but I feel sorry for the innocent little creatures that he kept there to die with him.

  • silly fool lol

  • PS.. I didn't mean my great aunt told him to leave. She died before this happened. I was saying authorities told him to get out. Just in case the younger people didn't know the story.

  • My Mom told me her aunt live on Spirit lake in the 60-70s. They told Harry to leave. Someone should have knocked him out and put him in a old folks home. Just kidding. He got his wish.

  • Long live Mr. Truman

  • #1 hit song? #1 where? and by who's count? I've never heard this anywhere. Sounds like a re-lyric version of "the land of the lost".

  • Harry Truman is the Man...he did the right thing . He died living ...countless numbers of old people lingering in living hells wish they could have gone out that way...

  • To defend Harry, most peoples idea of an eruption is a volcano ejecting the matter straight up. He might had figured that if the volcano went, he could hop in his car and head out. Nobody predicted Mt St Helens was going to fire sideways, like a shotgun.

  • if he had evacuated, he could have come back, rebuilt his cabin and lived on his mountain longer.

  • @ogon7777 He was 84 and at that age rebuilding a new life is probably not what he wanted or probably even had the energy to do. I doubt he had volcano insurance so would likely have nothing to rebuild with. Besides it was his home on the mountain not just the mountain he loved.

  • @ogon7777 The lake was moved a 1/4 mile from where it sits now and lifted 200 ft. The roads were buried and blasted away. Trees 6-10 ft across and 150 ft tall fell like toothpicks. Animals that lived like some elk had all the hair burnt off one side of them. Now the whole area is a protected place by the government. NO building of roads,campgrounds,houses,cabin­s like there was before.

  • @SDSpike I saw a doc. about this and Ive heard the storys of the fish up there. Ive heard there so big Its starting to take a toll on other aquatic life from what I understand fishing these lakes and streams in the protected areas would be the right choice for the all around survial of the forest well atleast water life Govt needs to open these areas up could help everything private sector would explode

  • @ogon7777 Yeah the lake his house the mountain wasnt there plus the Govt has quite abit of It protected USGS EPA other privately funded Govt studys and tests are done here and have been since 1980 I just know alot about the history had a family member live up there heard the storys done some research

  • Thats crazy

  • @voyager7731 Meh, I think you are wrong. What if he wanted to die with his house? And who say he shouldn't do what he wants? I mean, why live on if you have nothing to live for. Lame.

  • i heard diz track in my geography lesson

    we had diz stupid teacher called mr white that got robbed and started crying

  • senile old git, typical stubborn old person

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  • i do have much respect for harry,

    i do understand him why he wouldn't leave.

    he lived there a long time, so if you would place him somewhere else, he would indeed get very ill.

    his decision to stay is heroic but dumb.

    i think he didn't guess the mountain blew up his way.

  • Well, he got his wish.....he stayed there for the rest of his life.

  • classic case of cooderism gone predictably wrong...i love how truman said "if i leave my home i'd die in a week" ...well, you didn't leave and you died a horrible burning inferno death, and, cooder, you killed your 16 cats too by being a stubborn ol'boy. do you think Truman was laughing as the ash buried his ass?

  • highlights of the great RW Stone's singing tribute:

    if i leave my home, i'd die in a week

    i've got plenty of booze and there is fish in the creek

    the rocks and the mud made a terrible thud...

    oo-woh, Harry Truman, your spirit lake is gone

    OO-woohh, Harry Truman, your spirit will live on and ON

  • wow, such an experience listening to that '#1 song'

    what chart did that one top?

  • i have been learning this in school

  • Truman was an idiot!

  • he probably got laid more often than you ever will.

  • I was reading an old national geographic magazine and Harry Truman was on the article on mt St Helen,almost 30 years later i wonder if lake spirit still exists...it was his choice,but poor cats...

  • @MrJorgito89 PooR Harry and Kitties! =( Catchyy song! =D

  • Spirit lake still exists, but it has moved and it is much smaller. The eruption caused the lake to be pushed half a mile and now Truman's cabin is buried underneath 150 feet of mud and the new spirit lake.

  • is that right? 1/2 a mile away?that tells you the power of the eruption...amazing..thanks for the info!

  • best song ever. R.I.P. harry truman 1896 - 1980

  • today in my science class my teacher sang this

  • @cphacker95 OMG!!!! SO DID MINE!!!!!!!

  • lol

  • I stumbled upon this in an effort to teach my daughter about Mt. St. Helens and I'm glad to learn now of this story. From afar, he doesn't seem particularly heroic, however i respect his choice and feel thankful that the authorities didn't forcefully evacuate him.

    Sadly, only a small percentage of people today will have the opportunity to feel a deep connection to their landbase, enough to even understand the man's choice. We're a nation enslaved to bankers now.

  • i wonder what he was doing that morning. and how long after the explosion did it come.

  • Would have reached him in seconds. It was moving over 600 mph. He likely didn't have time to even realize what was happening which I guess is a good thing in a way.

  • Who gives a shit about old Harry; I do not feel sorry for a man that did not care about his own life. What he did was suicide, nothing more nothing less.

  • uhh no, he stayed because his wife was buried in the mountains and if he left he would feel heartless, he stayed for love purposes, he grew up in the mountains, he would die in the mountains, and thats what he did

  • Ole Harry, typical web footed puddle jumper for sure, boy howdy !!!

  • never ever ever ever delet this

  • sad

  • just think... if this were happening today he would have a bunch of government do-gooders forcing him to evacuate.

  • you are exactly right! What happened to the "free country"? Not only would they force him to evacuate, they'd throw him in jail because he didn't want to leave.

  • @Garr1984

    It is sad to me that your comment is the most favorited on here. It is also puzzling as to why you decided to bring your poisonous antigovernment sentiment to this comment thread. Why not say something positive or constructive. I, for one, admire this man and feels he personifies the rugged independent spirit that is the lynchpin and cornerstone in one that makes this country great. This is an uplifting tribute to a strong man. Thank you for posting, knife4u08. Boo to you, Garr1984!

  • @CapitolWasteland I admire Harry Truman as well... and that comment was intended to be both Anti-Government and Pro-Independent Spirit at the same time. All I meant today, is that if this had happened in 2010 rather than 1980, someone would have forced him to leave his home when he did not want to.

  • @CapitolWasteland What is sad is that Garr1984 is 100% right. Nothing puzzling about it.

  • @Garr1984 I would. Why the hell did he stay?

  • @Capt777harris He stayed because that was his home, he thought that the mountain would never blow...because he knew the mountain....or so he thought

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  • I will never forget Harry Truman. I watched him on the 6 o'clock news many times before the eruption. He for ever will be associated to me with the eruption and I will never forget that day. Only a few day's of my life I remember the exact date and year of something - where I was when I heard of it - and this was one of them. Great tribute.

  • that there is a man who is risking his life for everything he lived for

  • hey, just wondering, where can i get this song?