Billy Joel - Goodnight Saigon

I only used 1 picture, because I think it's about the song, not about the pictures. This is an old song about the Vietnam War. While in English class we got to do something with this song and I remembered I liked it. Just bij listening to the lyrics you can understand the meaning of war: it's no fun.


Lyrics:

We met as soul mates
On Parris Island
We left as inmates
From an asylum
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho
To lay down our lives

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

We had no home front
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

We had no cameras
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 on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

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

We held the day
In the palm
Of our hand
They ruled the night
And the night
Seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island

We held the coastline
They held the highlands
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of our motors
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Billy
• Joel
• Goodnight
• Saigon
• Vietnam
• War

[RanphaFramboires]

Indeed

[THEDUDE163]

makes you think of the hell of war

this touched me but cant really imagine what it is really like to be fighting and trying to save your brother in arms

[chrizzle624]

i have always loved this song. the meaning behind it is so powerful!!

[reaverwes]

Poor fools..

[NewKindOfSoldier]

@mrgman

nobody asked them to be 'globocop'.

Anyway, great song. And we shouldnt hate (most) american soldiers, they get lured in with nice promises (like doing something right and having an adventurous job), an education and decent pay. I used to wanna be in the military too, fight for freedom you know, thankfully i find out in time thats not what you'll be fighting for.

[MrGman543]

@squigleeds there are always going to be wars, weather we like it or not, plus it seems as the days go on people hate american soldiers more and more, even though american soldiers are only helping nations in the middle east, but when a country is Globo cop everyone hates them. that's one thing i have learned from being a British teacher all these years, no matter how much good a country does, everyone hates them. america doesn't treat anybody with respect but they sure as hell do a lot for us.

[MrGman543]

@squigleeds there are always going to be wars, weather we like it or not, plus it seems as the days go on people hate american soldiers more and more, even though american soldiers are only helping nations in the middle east, but when a country is Globo cop everyone hates them. that's one thing i have learned from being a British teacher all these years, no matter how much good a country does, everyone hates them. america doesn't treat anybody with respect but they sure as hell do a lot for us.

[ramiahred12]

I really like this song.

I am a big supporter of Soldiers and Vietnam memorial stuff and I may one day be at Parris Island :)

[squigleeds]

EVRYTHING, not people, vietnam and america lost so many people, im not sayin it was a war that was justified as i was too young to understand it, but you said THING, not ONE thats why war continues, its seen as ruining a country, not a race of people, so sad, powers that be decide to crush another nation, they dont just crush buildings, and how many powers that be actually go out themselves and fight the war they declaire, they send there minions to do it for them dont they,

[squigleeds]

 really strange to say i love this record, it always move me to tears and anger, i hate to think that so many men fought and lost there lives, and the ones did come home got ignored, we in ,

england tried to learn from mistakes made towards these soldiers, out lads fight wars we dont agree with, but they are following orders, and we try to let them know that we are behind them ,disreguarding our polotics, our lads get sent into war zones without defence armour, and the rest,HEROS SOLDIERS ALL

[Jamaal1995]

its not a song... but a whole story

[1TacticalMedic]

Get some Getsome get some! Well disciplined VC stand still while being shot at!