Billy Joel's Redemption....
Also known as:
Goodnight Saigon(Fade in the gentle chirping of crickets. In the far distance, heading toward us, is a chopper. The sound begins to drown out the crickets and then it fills your mind. As it fades away, the piano begins....*Chorus is sung by Viet Nam Vets)
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 And we would all go down together
We said we’d all go down together
Yes we would all go down together (Fade in the sound of the chopper. It swells as it passes over head and as it fades, it again gives way to the gentle chirping of crickets....)
Comments
1
I'm not that big a fan of that song either, but other than that, I'm pretty much with you about Billy Joel. He did a few I liked, like "It's Just A Fantasy" and "Big Shot"--can't think of much else. "Big Shot" still holds up pretty well for what it is, I think. But he's no Jim Morrison, fer sure.
Posted by: Mr. Useless at January 07, 2004 03:40 AM (871As)
2
Great song. I remember the video too. It was one of those songs where if you listen to it you just have this inner "Oh Shit" kinda thing happening, you know?
For me, the song strips the John Wayne veneer off the Vietnam War. Remember that it was released right at about the time that Rambo-mania was hitting big? It kind of reminded me that the guys there were not pumped up superheroes, but women and girls, men and boys thrown into a heap of mess and who just wanted to go home.
And, of course the chorus tells us what haunts their dreams once they do get home.
But then Billy writes "Uptown Girl" too...
For me, the song strips the John Wayne veneer off the Vietnam War. Remember that it was released right at about the time that Rambo-mania was hitting big? It kind of reminded me that the guys there were not pumped up superheroes, but women and girls, men and boys thrown into a heap of mess and who just wanted to go home.
And, of course the chorus tells us what haunts their dreams once they do get home.
But then Billy writes "Uptown Girl" too...
Posted by: Larry at January 07, 2004 08:39 AM (PbT+r)
3
See I've always been a "New York State of Mind" guy. But then I'm a city boy. "Keepin' the Faith" is a great anthem for the passage into adulthood of a misspent youth.
Posted by: Mad William Flint at January 07, 2004 12:47 PM (jRssG)
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