Collections › Veterans Memorial Wall Songs
Veterans Memorial Wall Songs
126 songs · chronological · A–Z by artist
Annotations and notes by Justin A. Brummer
Exhibition The Long Black Wall: a gallery tour of this collection →Entries are numbered (#1, #2 …) for reference on this page; the numbers shift when entries are added or split.
A collection of songs about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, in Washington D.C.
This forms part of the larger Vietnam War Song Project, an interpretive examination of over 6,500 Vietnam War songs identified, revealing how the war's significance is represented through music. The project also collects spoken-word recordings about the conflict. This unique collection of voices advances scholarship by providing insights into people’s views about the war over time as represented in music, looking at diverse communities and vibrant music scenes. It is crucial in developing our knowledge of the war and the humanities, through the use of a digital research platform.Note: The VWSP has identified, to date, 125+ songs about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ('The Wall').
Citation: Justin A. Brummer, Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP) — Veterans Memorial Wall Songs, vietnamwarsongproject.com/list/veterans-memorial-wall-songs, accessed 12 November 2026
Context
Beyond Vet and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the songs in this collection most often also deal with: Military, Patriotic, K.I.A., PTSD.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is a long black granite wall in Constitution Gardens, next to the National Mall, with the names of the servicemen and women who died during the Vietnam War etched into its panels. It was established on 13 November 1982, when it listed 57,939 names, which has now grown to 58,220. 8 of the names on the Wall are women. Those who are "declared dead" are denoted by a diamond, and those who are "status unknown" are denoted with a cross. The eligibility dates are 1 November 1955 - when Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARV), up to 15 May 15 1975, the end of the Mayaguez Incident. The plan for the memorial began with the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in April 197912 The design was chosen through a "blind" competition, with the winner revealed to be designed by Maya Lin.
An additional memorial, "The Three Soldiers" (also known as the "Three Service Men"), a bronze statue, designed by Frederick Hart, was unveiled on Veterans Day, 11 November 1984. It is also located on the National Mall, part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It was commissioned to appease those who opposed Maya Lin's design, the Wall, with a more traditional, heroic sculpture. The three men are identifiable as European American (center), African American (right), and Latino American (left) - this is said to be the first African-American representation on the National Mall. The "Vietnam Women's Memorial" was added on 11 November 1993, a bronze statue, showing three women helping a wounded soldier.
An additional memorial, "The Three Soldiers" (also known as the "Three Service Men"), a bronze statue, designed by Frederick Hart, was unveiled on Veterans Day, 11 November 1984. It is also located on the National Mall, part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It was commissioned to appease those who opposed Maya Lin's design, the Wall, with a more traditional, heroic sculpture. The three men are identifiable as European American (center), African American (right), and Latino American (left) - this is said to be the first African-American representation on the National Mall. The "Vietnam Women's Memorial" was added on 11 November 1993, a bronze statue, showing three women helping a wounded soldier.
Song Themes
All the songs on the list were released from the post-war 1980s era, a time which saw a major revival of interest in the Vietnam War, having dipped in the mid-late 70s period. The song of the era revealed how the war was remembered in the subsequent decades, from patriotic tributes, personal memories from veterans and the families of soldiers, to recriminations and trying to understand the history of the war. Other frequently referenced themes are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - often connected (in songs) to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, feeling, and dreams related to an event; songs referenced the treatment of veterans back in the US – such as lack of govt support, unemployment, unwelcome (no parades etc.), and blamed for the war and its controversies etc. Moreover, songs referencing a disabled Vietnam War veteran appeared frequently; Agent Orange: a herbicide / defoliant used by the US, which had long-term negative health effects, especially found in 80s songs.
One particular theme is the 1980s Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome" - the perception that domestic controversies over the war led to the US taking a less interventionist position in US foreign affairs. This term also applied to veterans, who may have felt guilt or shame about the war, influenced by the domestic climate they returned to in the US.1Ronald Reagan spoke about this on 18 August 1980: "for too long, we have lived with the Vietnam Syndrome..We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died..They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern".2 Many war films of the period fitted into this climate of trying to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome, such First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984).
The early 1990s, and then early 2000s saw another revival of interest in the Vietnam War, in song, films, and literature, often compared to contemporary events and wars, such as the First Gulf War in 1990, and the US War in Afghanistan (2001–present), and the Iraq War (2003–2011), and in turn, more attention was paid to the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall.
One particular theme is the 1980s Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome" - the perception that domestic controversies over the war led to the US taking a less interventionist position in US foreign affairs. This term also applied to veterans, who may have felt guilt or shame about the war, influenced by the domestic climate they returned to in the US.1Ronald Reagan spoke about this on 18 August 1980: "for too long, we have lived with the Vietnam Syndrome..We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died..They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern".2 Many war films of the period fitted into this climate of trying to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome, such First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984).
The early 1990s, and then early 2000s saw another revival of interest in the Vietnam War, in song, films, and literature, often compared to contemporary events and wars, such as the First Gulf War in 1990, and the US War in Afghanistan (2001–present), and the Iraq War (2003–2011), and in turn, more attention was paid to the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall.
1982
#1 Festival feat. Britt Small The Wall 1982 · Single · The Wall / Still in Saigon · Max Stout # 42164 · USA
Credited on the record as Festival featuring Britt Small on vocal.
Annotation
This is a double-sided Vietnam War pop rock single released in the post-war period, performed by Vietnam veterans. Both songs dealt with the legacy, memory, and impact of the Vietnam War. The a-side song "The Wall" (Max Stout Records # 42164) referred to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The lead vocalist, Britt Small, served as a paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in South Vietnam in 1970 according to the back of the picture sleeve. He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal. The sleeve also said that: "Festival appeared at the National Salute to the Vietnam Veterans in Washington, D.C., in November 1982, where they sang at the Vietnam Memorial and performed a concert at the base of the Washington Monument". The narrator started by describing a "crying mother" visiting the Wall because her son "was ten years gone" , killed in a "place called Vietnam" . She then wanted to walk along the Wall paying her respects to all those that died. The narrator concluded by saying that the monument displayed that the nation "really care about the ones who fought and died" . The b-side was a cover of The Charlie Daniels Band song "Still in Saigon" which looked at the impact of the war on veterans, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Released in Skidmore, Missouri, USA. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Max Stout (42164), white labels; A: "The Wall" (Zoerb, Roth, Small), Max Stout Music, BMI, 3:25; B: "Still in Saigon" (Daley), Dreena Music and Dan Daley Music, BMI, 3:40; Festival featuring Britt Small on vocal.The picture sleeve front is a drawing of an American flag and a rose before a wall repeating "The Wall", captioned "A Salute to the Vietnam Veterans — by Festival".
The back gives the writers in full (Lyle Zoerb, Ray Roth, Britt Small; Dan Daley), the full lyric of "The Wall", and notes that Britt Small served as a paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in South Vietnam in 1970, where he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal, and that Festival appeared at the National Salute to the Vietnam Veterans in Washington, D.C., in November 1982, singing at the Vietnam Memorial and giving a concert at the base of the Washington Monument.
Band line-up: Britt Small (lead vocal, bandleader), Mark Reinig (drums), Becky Reinig (keyboards), Ray Roth, Jr. (bass), Stan Funston and Dann Hohn (guitar), Don Struve and Les Wetzel (trumpet), Russ Wetzel (trombone), Curt Pottratz (tenor sax), John Hafner (bari sax), with "Taps" by Don Struve; produced by Britt Small; front cover design by Phillip Van Voorst; "Max Stout Records, A Division of Festival Family Enterprises, Ltd."
The sleeve is signed in ink by Britt Small. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
In this place of honor, to what is best of man
I found a crying mother with flowers in her hand
She said that she was there because her son was ten years gone
Another life that was not spared, a place called Vietnam
She turned to me and said young man, please take me in your arms and walk with me on past the Wall
I want to see them all, a special place this is to me
But its taken them so long, to say his life was not in vein
A place called Vietnam
The monument here shows me that the nation has some pride
To say they really care about the ones who fought and died
So you can stand here with me and hold me while I cry
The price we pay for freedom son hurts me deep inside
The price we pay for freedom son is the highest price of all
The price we pay for freedom son, is written on the Wall
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#2 Festival feat. Britt Small Still in Saigon 1982 · Single · The Wall / Still in Saigon · Max Stout # 42164 · USA
Credited on the record as Festival featuring Britt Small on vocal.
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
#3 Michael J. Martin & Tim Holiday Who Are the Names on the Wall? 1982 · Single · Who Are the Names on the Wall? / I Ain't Here Alone! · Windmill # UR-4324 · USA
Annotation
Double-side Vietnam War single by singer/songwriters Michael J. Martin and Tim Holiday - both were Vietnam War veterans. Martin, born 27 January 27 1949, in Lubbock, Texas, USA. He died on 2 December 2014 in Joelton, Tennessee. He spent 12 months in Vietnam, with the 11th Infantry / American Division, class of '68-'69. He received several medals: Silver and Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman's Badge. Holiday did three tours in Vietnam, with the Navy Corpsman. He lived in Texas, and died in 2000.123 The back of the picture sleeve said: "these songs are dedicated to the memory of those that died and to the recognition of those that served". The b-side "I Ain't Here Alone" dealt with the mistreatment of a veteran, who lost his job. The protagonist didn't need parades etc., just needed to know that he was not alone. It referenced combat conditions, girls on R&R, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The song "Who are the names on the Wall?" (Windmill Productions # UR-4324) referred to the memorial wall in Washington D.C. The narrated recalled several of the people he knew, and how they were K.I.A.: "I've seen so many...Don Michael was on that Wall" . The narrated noted that "one guy got blown away on his first day" . This track also contained PTSD references, such as the veteran "who go back to 'Nam every night, when they're supposed to be asleep" . At the end of the song, the narrator concluded with the question: "did it ever really matter at all? Hell yes it mattered" .
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Windmill Productions UR-4324, pale blue label with windmill logo; A-side "Who Are the Names on the Wall?", © 1982 Michael J. Martin and Tim Holiday, 4:59; B-side "I Ain't Here Alone!", © 1982 Michael J. Martin, 4:14; both Yorkshire Music Co. BMI, produced by Paul Christensen, Michael J. Martin and Tim Holiday, and recorded and mixed at Omega Audio, (214) 350-9066. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Who are the names on the Wall? Who are the names on the Wall?
Did it ever really matter at all, Who are the names on the Wall?...
Lord I've seen so many I can find, Don Michael was on that Wall...
There are a lot of names I can't recall, never knew
Everybody had nicknames, Okie, Don...
One guy got blown away on his first day
I never got a chance to meet him...
Who are the names on the Wall?
They were just like me the names on the Wall
Young and foolish, brash and full of bravado, hell a lot of them still virgin...
Could have been my name on the at Wall
It probably is, out of 57,939 names it likely there's a Michael Martin there somewhere...
Don't forget the Holiday...it could have been me, if it weren't for lady luck or sister fate or whatever...
I can see my reflection on the polished granate, the image of myself dead
Who are the names on the Wall? Who are the names on the Wall?
What about the one who came home who goes back to 'Nam every night when they're supposed to be asleep
We ought to have our names on the Wall...
So I'd like to know who among us survivors still survives, cause a lot of them didn't
Thousands, thousands died after they got back
Who are the names on the Wall?...
Did it ever really matter at all?
Hell yes it mattered, it's mattered to me, its effected everything I've ever done since
It mattered to the friends and families...
It mattered to the ones who didn't come back, but left pieces of themselves behind
It mattered to them, the names on the Wall
The ones who paid the price, who are the names on the Wall?
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#4 Michael J. Martin & Tim Holiday I Ain't Here Alone! 1982 · Single · Who Are the Names on the Wall? / I Ain't Here Alone! · Windmill # UR-4324 · USA
Annotation: see “Who Are the Names on the Wall?” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#5 Vettz The Wall 1982 · Single · The Wall / Is This Pretend · Echo [Cincinnati] # E-104 · USA
Annotation
The group formed in Ohio, US, in 1981, led by Wayne Barker Jr., a Vietnam veteran. The group often performed at veteran gatherings. The back of this single said that "the group was formed to help the Vietnam veterans, through the support of the Vietnam Veteran of America, Ohio State Council. Funds raised through the sale of records, show, concerts, etc. will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America for veteran-related projects".1234 The group released several Vietnam-related singles: "God Bless America Tonight" (discussed below), "American Heroes", and "Orange Ribbons", the last two of which are also related to the 1990 First Gulf War. The song "The Wall" , which started with helicopter sound-effects, of course focused on the memorial, the place to "shed a tear" , as "they died by the thousands in the Vietnam War" . At the end of the song, the narrator said that he loved his country but hated the Vietnam War, so it contained some anti-war sentiment from a Vietnam veteran. Sources
- 1 Wall, The (The Vettz) ↩
- 2 engineersvietnam.com (archived copy) ↩
- 3 ReverbNation (link no longer available) ↩
- 4 efolkmusic.org: Wayne barker (link no longer available) ↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Echo Records E-104 (U-20899M), Side A; "The Wall" (Wayne Barker, Jr.), 4:00, Ashley Erin Music, BMI; producer Kerry Tolley; R.C. Enterprises, 440 Fairway Drive, Springboro, OH 45066. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Did you see all my brothers going hand to hand
To fight for this freedom in a foreign land...
They died by the thousands in the Vietnam War
Shed a tear for my brothers
Shed a tear for their mamas
Shed a tear for each other
Shed a tear at the Wall
Shed a tear for our nation
Shed a tear for us all
Shed a tear for the new generations
Shed a tear at the Wall
The Wall
Did you see all the old men with the...the lines are all but broken
Their sons will never come back...
We still love our country but we hate and we curse Vietnam
Shed a tear for my brothers...
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
1983
#6 Michael Jerling Long Black Wall 1983 · Compilation · CooP Fast Folk Musical Magazine (Vol. 2, No. 4) - Political Song · Fast Folk # SE 204 · USA
Annotation
A contemporary folk song, "Long Black Wall" (Fast Folk # SE 204), one of the first songs written and released about the memorial. It looked back at the idealistic early days of the war, wanting to fight communism and become a soldier: "a Green Beret came" and "told about the Communists" . The narrator "thought I'd like to be like him" . Then he recalled the growth of the protest movement, referencing demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968 (where 8 people were arrested for inciting riots, known as the Chicago Eight, later becoming the Chicago Seven): "Chicago summer, 1968...kids out on a lark...on the evening news and got teargassed in Lincoln Park" . It then looked at the college days, where everyone: "was against the war...had long hair and Nixon stunk" - a reference to President Richard Nixon of course, and hippie culture. The song then turned to the impact of the war on the returning veterans: "vets came back... drank black coffee and smoked...never spoke of what they'd seen" . Finally "a man on TV" said that ten years had passed and "a monument was raised" . The narrator noted that the "roll of dead took four whole days" . Composed in 1982 by Michael Jerling, born 17 April 1952, in Joliet, Illinois, USA, and currently based in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA12 The record was released on this Fast Folk Musical Magazine various artist compilation in 1983 - this was a New York-based magazine and record album publisher, from February 1982 to 1997, a songwriter / performer cooperative. It also published many political and social contemporary songs, playing a similar role to Broadside Magazine in the 1960s. This song also featured on his 1998 compilation Early Jerling (Waterbug Records # WBG 0043), and on the 2002 compilation Fast Folk: A Community of Singers and Songwriters (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings # SFW40135). The song was covered in 1989 by Richard Meyer on Fast Folk Musical Magazine (Vol. 5, No. 3) - Live at the Bottom Line 1989 (Fast Folk # FF 503), discussed below.
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
The Coop – The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, May '83, SE 204 B, stereo, side two; "All rights reserved by the artists. ℗ © 1983 Jack Hardy as trustee for the Coop." "Long Black Wall" (Michael Jerling), 4:21, side two track 4; credits: Michael Jerling, vocal & guitar; Bob Warren, guitar; Teresina Huxtable, Casio keyboard. The accompanying magazine, Vol. 2 #4, is titled "The Political Song", with a cover drawing signed Jeff Tiedrich 1983 setting newspaper headlines to musical staves; page 14 prints the lyrics, "c 1982 by Michael Jerling", which trace a Green Beret's slide show in a school gym, Chicago in summer 1968, the draft, returning veterans and the dedication of a monument whose "roll of dead took four whole days". [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
A Green Beret came to talk to us, gave a slide show in the gym
Told about the communists and the punji sticks
Thought I'd like to be like him
Long black wall and nothing is undone
Long black wall, sleeping in the sun
Chicago summer, 1968, some high school kids out on a lark
Waved to the cameras on the evening news
And got teargassed in Lincoln Park
Long black wall and nothing is the same
Long black wall, shining in the rain
Everyone in college was against the war
We had long hair and Nixon stunk
Draft number high, draft number low
Stayed out all night and got real drunk
The vets came back on the G.I. Bill, in their field jackets and jeans
Drank black coffee and smoked cigarettes
And never spoke of what they'd seen
Long black wall and nothing left to say
Long black wall, so many miles away
The man on TV said ten years had gone
Today a monument was raised
And when they spoke each name one at a time, the roll of dead took four whole days
Long black wall, and nothing is the same
Long black wall, shining in the rain...
Nothing is undone...
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
#7 Tom Stiles & the Country Revue Vietnam's (Wall of Reflection) 1983 · Single · Vietnam's (Wall of Reflection) / Did You Ever · Starr # SF11183 · USA
Annotation
Released in Columbus, Ohio, the track "Vietnam's (Wall of Reflection)" (Starr Records # SF11183) by Tom Stiles & the Country Revue, contained some patriotic sentiment: "soldier's died for all" , and the narrator wondered "how many Walls will there have to be" to protect the US. The picture sleeve which came with the record showed a photograph of a man by the Wall looking at the names, as the Wall reflected the people around him also visiting the memorial. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Starr Records (A Division of Rome Records) SF11183, Side One, cream and gold label; "Vietnam's (Wall of Reflection)" (Betty Stiles), 3:09, published by New Rome Music/BMI; Tom Stiles & The Country Revue; rim text "1414 E. Broad St. Columbus, Ohio 43205 Phone: 1-614-253-4418".The picture sleeve front is a black-and-white photograph of a man in a white shirt standing at the polished black wall, other visitors reflected in its surface, captioned "Vietnam's Wall of Reflection / Did You Ever".
The back shows a photograph of the four-piece band in western shirts with guitars, steel guitar and drumsticks, captioned "Tom Stiles and Country Revue". An enclosed reply postcard (13¢ Robert Morris "Patriot" postage, © USPS 1981) is addressed to Rome Recording Co., 1414 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43205, and on the reverse lists both titles, "Recorded by ..Tom Stiles and Country Revue", with lines for "Your Comments Please" and "Thank You". [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
As you gaze upon the wall, soldier's died for all
Hundreds gather from afar to see the Wall...
Others search for names...
A tear trickles down my face
I see the Wall that took their place...
I walk away, and then I look back to see the Wall
Reflect back, don't be sad, stand proud and tall
For the Walls reflection tells it all
How many
Walls will there have to be to see Old Glory to eternity
Genre: ♪ Country
1984
#8 Larry Green Long Time Coming Home 1984 · Single · Long Time Coming Home / Hearts Working Overtime · Hillbilly Heaven # AGFA 468 · USA
Annotation
Released in Lorton, Virginia, USA, the song "Long Time Coming Home" (Hillbilly Heaven Records # AGFA 468) by Larry Green, is a post-war 80s country pop song about the Vietnam Vet memorial wall in Washington D.C. The song started with the spoken-word introduction: "as they unveiled the statue at the Vietnam Memorial I would like to dedicated this song to all the men and women who fought and died in South East Asia" . The body of the song praised those who fought in Vietnam for the country, taking a patriotic, and pro-soldier position. It referenced the Wall in D.C., and people and veterans marching to remember those that died. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Hillbilly Heaven Records AGFA 468 (U-12511M), ©℗ 1984, black label with silver cowboy drawings; "Long Time Coming Home" (L. Green), 4:57, Earl Dixon Music BMI; produced by Earl & Mary Ruth Dixon, engineer Jim Robeson; distributed by Earl Dixon Music, 10001 Richmond Hwy., Lorton, VA. 22079.The picture sleeve (©1984) shows a black-and-white photograph of Larry Green singing at a microphone with a guitar, wearing a badge-covered hat and a shirt embroidered "Larry Rhythm/Vocals", with his autograph and the caption "Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist"; management, booking and fan club Earl Dixon Entertainment, Inc. The back lists: songs written by Larry Green; arrangements by Larry Green, Jeff Wise and Jim Roberson; band Heavy Country (Wally Burnette, bass guitar; Jeff Wise, steel guitar; Tom Rogers, harmonica; Danny Menzies, drums; Mike Parker, lead guitar; Joey Martin, rhythm guitar; Myron Prosser, fiddle); engineer Jim Robeson, Bias Recording Company, Inc., Alexandria, Va. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
When I was a young man I didn't understand the war in Vietnam
So I went and got an education, about the war in Vietnam
A lot of men died for what they believed in
They fought to keep their country free
They placed a marble wall in Washington D.C., for all the men who took the fall
Long time coming, long time....
Long time coming home...long time coming...
Veterans marching in Washington D.C.
They march, old mother's sons, and all the men who never came home from the war in Vietnam
I went to pray just the other day
For the soldier of the unknown....
For all the men who never came home from the war in Vietnam
Long time coming, long time coming
Long time coming home, long time coming
Genre: ♪ Country
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#9 Vietnam Veteran Artists 58000+ 1984 · Single · Saigon Children / 58000 · Orange · USA
Annotation
A double-sided Vietnam War single released in 1984 in the classic rock style, took a strong anti-war position. The record was released by Vietnam War veterans from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Words and music by W.B. Scherer. The song "58000+" is certainly one of the most interesting on this list lyrically, which suggested breaking-up the Memorial Wall in D.C., to build a road of peace: "there's a black wall...we'll break it up and turn it all to gravel" . The song called for people to stop politicians from leading people to war: "we are to blame if we haven't learnt...fight politicians of war to pave the future" . The beginning of the song focused on the impact of the memorial on veterans, who may have felt guilt, having lost many friends in the war, as well as dealing with war memories (which may be a reference to PTSD). The picture sleeve featured a drawing of the memorial wall and a photo of the band.1 The A-side "Saigon Children" is interesting in that it looked at the perspective of South Vietnamese children who lost their parents in the war. It also referenced Agent Orange, and had war sound-effects, such as helicopters. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Orange Records, Side B, 45 RPM, ©℗ BMI 1984; "58000+ (Reconstruction)", words and music by W. B. Scherer, time 4:42; label address Vietnam Veteran Artists, P.O. Box 1248, Boston, MA 02205.The picture sleeve carries a pen-and-ink drawing of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall with the Washington Monument reflected in it and a lone figure standing before it, signed "Laila Tarbah '84", with the hand-lettered title "58,000 +" and a photograph of the six-man group in suits, ties, sunglasses and bush hats. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
58,000+ and that's the count
58,000+ and that's the count
Black stone etched in silence, the memories..
Red, in coming loud
For years we've been trying to forget the horror
For years we've been dealing with the guilt
The friends we lost and what we did still haunt us
There will never be a war to end all wars
There can only be a peace to begin all peace...
Continues in their memory...
Blood flows through veins of granite
Chiseled are the names of the dead
The struggle goes on in the shadow of other men free
A vision we've seen in the light of the long dark wall
58,000+ and that's the count
58,000+ died in the 'Nam
There's a black wall in Washington, and we'll break it up and turn it all to gravel
To build a road where others have fell
58,000+ on the stone
We are to blame if we haven't learnt by now
We will unite and fight politicians of war to pave the future for our children
For the road gone by, for the road denied... not built for peace
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#10 Vietnam Veteran Artists Saigon Children 1984 · Single · Saigon Children / 58000 · Orange · USA
Annotation: see “58000+” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
1985
#11 Bertie Higgins The Wall 1985 · Single · CBS Associated # ZS4 05465 · USA
Annotation
Bertie Higgins, a country pop artist, born 8 December 1944, in Tarpon Springs, Florida, USA, released the song "The Wall" (Artist Records # ZS4 05465), a reference to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C, about memorials and war. Composed by Jerry Buckner. This label was a subsidiary of CBS Associated Records. The song contained three major segments of spoken-word monologue, followed by the chorus of the song, in blue below. The songs was dedicated to "those who lost their lives in Vietnam, their names are carved in granite" ."In Washington D.C. a monument stands to honor those who lost their lives in Vietnam, their names are carved in granite on what the survivors have renamed the Wall, this song is dedicated to that memory. I saw him standing all alone that night, staring at the Wall, there were so many names to try and read, but he searched through them all. Then he spotted a wilted flower that someone had wedged in a tiny crack, it was by a name he seemed to know, he smiled as he stepped back, and I watched as he stepped out and touched the flower with his hand. With tears in his eyes, he whispered, help me understand.
I walked up and asked him his name, he softly said Billy Roe, he was dressed in uniform, said he fought in Vietnam several years ago. He said my life has been so confusing, but I'm trying to make the change, it's just that I miss my wife so very much. Then what he said seemed strange, he said, you know, all my old friends are here, I can see now the time is finally right, then he turned and said goodbye to me.
I felt a force pull me to the Wall, to tell me something I should know, and then I saw that wilted flower begin to grow. I could now plainly see the name of Private Billy Roe, who died fighting in combat in Vietnam sixteen years ago. I guess for some it's not as easy, but what they have lives on. But that night. Billy Roe finally found his home".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
CBS Associated Records / Artist Records ZS4 05465 (ZS4 05465-3), stereo, "Demonstration - Not for Sale"; "The Wall" (J. Buckner), 4:16, Artist Records Music Inc. (ASCAP); produced by Jerry Buckner; ℗ 1985 CBS Inc.; manufactured and distributed by CBS Records, CBS Inc., 51 W. 52 Street, New York. Radio-station call letters "WSGO" handwritten on the label. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
He was a lonely soldier, drifting from day to day
Caught in between two worlds
Trying hard to find his way
Somebodies restless hero, making his final call
He finally found the answer, by coming to the Wall
Genre: ♪ Pop
#12 Rich Rhuems I'm the Spirit of America 1985 · Single · I'm the Spirit of America / Shine on Lady Liberty · Antique # ANT-52 · USA
Annotation
The song "I'm the Spirit of America" (Antique Records # ANT-52) is very similar in theme to the dozens of Bicentennial records released back in 1976 - a patriotic, fanfare styled song, the narrator took on the role of the American flag, recalling the country's history, from the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, World War One & Two, the Korean War, the Space Race, John F. Kennedy, the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis, and of course the Vietnam War, with the line: "I know every name on the great black wall, that hovering tower...and although we didn't want to go to Vietnam we all knew that's how it had to be" . Interesting to note the post-war re-interpretation, claiming that "we" (the people? the flag? the government? the military?) did not want to fight in the Vietnam War. But it was "how it had to be" . The record came with a lyric sheet. Released in Pittsburg, Kansas, USA. Released on a country label founded by Gene Strasser, who himself released a few political records ("Prisoners of War" about Vietnam P.O.W.s, "The Ballad of John Kennedy", and "Dear Little Soldier" about the First Gulf War). Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Antique Records, Box 192, Pittsburg, KS 66762, 316-231-6443, ANT-52 (U-14607 M), "A" side, stereo, white label marked "D J Copy"; "I'm the Spirit of America" (Rich Rhuems), Country Party Music, BMI, 2:27; producers Geneo Strasser and John Poznich.The picture sleeve, "©Copyright 1985 Country Party Music", prints the title in red script over pale-blue drawings of the flag, the Statue of Liberty and figures from American history, with the full lyric signed "Rich Rhuems, Antique Records": the Spirit of America recalls Lexington, Lincoln, the world wars, Korea and Kennedy, and declares "I am every name on the great black wall" and "although we didn't want to go to Viet Nam, we all knew that's how it had to be". [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
I was born a combination of many great men's minds
In 1776, yes it has been a long time
It was I who stood ready at Lexington to heed this country's pride
And for a thing called freedom I had to watch while many young boys had to die
The night that Mr. Lincoln was shot I was right at his side
I was the strength of a mighty nation, and the tears that thousands cried
I've carried the burdens of the great World Wars
And yes, Korea too...
And when we sent up our first rocket ship I was right there in my place /I was the beat of all America's heart, and the smile on Mr. John F. Kennedy's face
I know every name on the great black wall
That Hhovering tower...
And although we didn't want to go to Vietnam we all knew that's how it had to be
I'm the voice of every American ever held hostage by foreign lands
We hold to our strength and sanity because god holds our hand
And remember these words, you that burn our flag and step in our face
And never have we treated you with such disgrace
We've accepted your people, every colour, every creed, and given aid to all countries in their times of need
And we've shown by the way that we give out our hearts, truly, we are the world
And in America is where it starts, and to Americans near and far I get a feeling still the same
I'm a powerful super inner strength no belief or country could ever shame
I'm the spirit of america and proud to have that name
Genre: ♪ Fanfare
#13–22 Stev Manteiv Ambush 1985 · Album · SM # 1 · USA
All 10 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
Album of Vietnam War songs, many dealing with post-war issues, such as the mistreatment of vets, the Vietnam Syndrome, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the effects of Agent Orange, the use of napalm and combat conditions, including P.O.W.s / M.I.A., and of course, the memorial wall in D.C., dealt with in the song "Brian" (SM-001). The band name "Stev Mantiev" is actually "Vietnam Vets" reversed. Released in Detroit, Michigan, USA, the main vocalist was Bill House, who released a bunch of albums in the late 70s.1 The album also featured Detroit-born Rob Tyner (a formed member of MC5), Vietnam vet Johnny Maxwell, Drew Abbott (a guitarist with Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band), and Marcus Belgrave.234 This song was strongly critical of the US government, calling the war "a politician's lie" , with the narrator saying that "my country you can't apologies, so face up to the truth" . Dedicated to the narrator's friend Brian, who was in Vietnam, but is now on the Wall in D.C.. The back of the record sleeve said the following:Notes
Ambush is a reflection of our feelings of having faced the ultimate test, survival. Unlike a lot of music today, these songs speak for themselves with an intensity and urgency that compel you to listen, to think about what really happened, is still happening, and could just possible happen to you. We are all Vietnam Veterans. We all fought the war; in the jungles, in the streets, and on stage. Since that time, we have grown in knowledge and experience. So much so that we come together as peaceful warriors, as STEV, to bring you Ambush. The songs on this album are more than a collection of words and music. They are the real living emotions that were copyrighted with the blood that was shed to write them. We pull no punches, we leave no memory untouched. These songs are not about the War. They are how we, the Vets of Stev, feel. They are what has been inside us for years.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
#13 Brian #14 Home to Stay #15 Hot L.Z. (Thorazine Shuffle) #16 Lonesome Road #17 Ode to Roy Kenny #18 P.O.W. #19 Pretty Place #20 Prisoner Blues #21 Sunrise (Intro to Nam) #22 Survival
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#13 Stev Manteiv Brian 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation
Album of Vietnam War songs, many dealing with post-war issues, such as the mistreatment of vets, the Vietnam Syndrome, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the effects of Agent Orange, the use of napalm and combat conditions, including P.O.W.s / M.I.A., and of course, the memorial wall in D.C., dealt with in the song "Brian" (SM-001). The band name "Stev Mantiev" is actually "Vietnam Vets" reversed. Released in Detroit, Michigan, USA, the main vocalist was Bill House, who released a bunch of albums in the late 70s.1 The album also featured Detroit-born Rob Tyner (a formed member of MC5), Vietnam vet Johnny Maxwell, Drew Abbott (a guitarist with Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band), and Marcus Belgrave.234 This song was strongly critical of the US government, calling the war "a politician's lie" , with the narrator saying that "my country you can't apologies, so face up to the truth" . Dedicated to the narrator's friend Brian, who was in Vietnam, but is now on the Wall in D.C.. The back of the record sleeve said the following:Notes
Ambush is a reflection of our feelings of having faced the ultimate test, survival. Unlike a lot of music today, these songs speak for themselves with an intensity and urgency that compel you to listen, to think about what really happened, is still happening, and could just possible happen to you. We are all Vietnam Veterans. We all fought the war; in the jungles, in the streets, and on stage. Since that time, we have grown in knowledge and experience. So much so that we come together as peaceful warriors, as STEV, to bring you Ambush. The songs on this album are more than a collection of words and music. They are the real living emotions that were copyrighted with the blood that was shed to write them. We pull no punches, we leave no memory untouched. These songs are not about the War. They are how we, the Vets of Stev, feel. They are what has been inside us for years.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Oh lord I'm so tired of weeping at this war
They're telling lies about our war but I remember it all
For god and country...
Once in Vietnam, but now here on this Wall...
Brian, my brother, I wrote this song for you
By the time I got to where you were there was nothing I could do
Maybe someday I'll country will remember the day
Until then I'll sing my song for Brian
Cause we'll never forget, is this how our young men chose to die
Giving up their lives for a politician's lie
This war was made by AK-47s fired for us
So we can't forget the names and we can't betray the trust
Brian, my brother I wrote this song
For you...oh lord let our country look us in the face
And she will cover up her eyes with a flag in disgrace
Oh my country, my country you can't apologies
So face up to the truth and don't turn away you eyes
I know you've got the spirit and the courage it takes to hear my song for Brian
And remember those days, oh Brian, my brother, I wrote this song...
Genre: ♪ Pop
#14 Stev Manteiv Home to Stay 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Themes: Vet Vietnam Syndrome
Genre: ♪ Pop
#15 Stev Manteiv Hot L.Z. (Thorazine Shuffle) 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#16 Stev Manteiv Lonesome Road 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#17 Stev Manteiv Ode to Roy Kenny 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#18 Stev Manteiv P.O.W. 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#19 Stev Manteiv Pretty Place 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#20 Stev Manteiv Prisoner Blues 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#21 Stev Manteiv Sunrise (Intro to Nam) 1985 · Album · Ambush · SM # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “Brian” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
1986
#23 Glenn Garrett Heroes in Black Stone 1986 · Single · Power # PD 5700 · USA
Annotation
The post-war 1980s song "Heroes in Black Stone" (Power Discs # PD 5700) by Glen Garrett - originally from Birmingham, Alabama, he moved to Franklin, Tennessee.1 He wrote this song for the 1986 Veterans Day service at the memorial wall in D.C. In his book, he said that Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts), Senator Al Gore (Tennessee), and Senator John Warner (Virginia) asked him to write the song.23 Narrated in the first person, the protagonist approached the Wall, reading the names. Release on the Power Discs label, a subsidiary of Benson Records, based in Franklin, Tennessee. Songwriting credit went to Glenn Garrett, Kathy Garrett, and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Produced by Glen Garrett. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Power Discs PD 5700 (U-17158), Side A, white label marked "For Promotional Use Only, Not for Resale"; "Heroes in Black Stone", 3:37, written by Glenn Garrett (Paragon Music Corp., ASCAP), Kathy Garrett (Cut Above Music, ASCAP) and Wayne Kirkpatrick (Emily Booth, Inc., BMI); produced by Glenn Garrett. ℗ 1986 DeGarmo & Key, © 1986 Power Discs Records, distributed by the Benson Co. Inc., 365 Great Circle Rd., Nashville 37228. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Quietly I walked the Wall, one last tear for all
Silent honor paid to every name engraved
To the heroes in black stone, to the heroes...
I saw the children's eyes, surveying line by line
Daddy, who are these men? Did you know any...
For the courage you have shown, for the pain that we don't know
For the ones who made it home, for the heroes in black stone...
One by one they came, a father who gave up his son
Wives and mothers cry, a friend who fought and still survives
He placed a rose against the wall, one last tear for all...
Quietly I walked away
Healing took place today
A single friend had done the honor work of twenty-one guns, for the heroes...
#24 J.C. Weaver Salute the Boys of Vietnam 1986 · Single · Wild Turkey # 7719 · USA
Annotation
Josiah Cephas Weaver, born 9 October 1941 in Virginia, USA released the post-war patriotic track "Salute the Boys of Vietnam" (Wild Turkey Records # WT 7719) in memory of his friend who died in Vietnam - "in 1986, Josiah penned another 'rock house song' in memory of an 18 year old Dunedin friend and soldier, who died in Vietnam. That song, 'Salute the Boys of Vietnam', was recognized in the Congressional Record on October 16th of that same year by Senator Sasser from Tennessee".1 The narrator recalled the soldier heading out to war and the conflict: "leaving home...to fight a war...crawling through the jungle in Vietnam" . The song then paid tribute to those who fought in the war, referencing the memorial in Washington D.C.: "remember those...names...on the Wall" . The song also referenced medals and "ribbons of war" - another way that a country / government paid tribute to a soldier. The line "memories of a battle that is no more" may be a minor reference to PTSD. Released on Weaver's on label Wild Turkey Records, based in Clearwater, Florida, USA. Distributed by Fischer & Lucus, Inc. (Nashville, Tennessee, USA). Writing credit went to J.C. Weaver, Maynard Weaver, Jack Brown, and Joddy James. Produced by J.C. Weaver and Jack Brown. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Wild Turkey Records WT 7719 A (U-17124), stereo, marked "D J Copy"; "Salute the Boys of Vietnam" (J. C. Weaver - Maynard Weaver - Jack Brown - Joddy James), Wild Turkey Music BMI, 3:04 plus fade; produced by Jack Brown and J.C. Weaver, ©℗ 1986. Distributed by Fischer & Lucus Inc., 50 Music Square West 902, Nashville, TN 37203. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Leaving home with papers in hand
To fight a war that no one understands
Trying to be a man in this strange land
Crawling through the jungle in Vietnam
We salute the boys of Vietnam
We salute the ones that gave it all
We salute the boys of Vietnam
We salute the one that had to fall
Shining medal and ribbons of a war
Memories of a battle that is no more
Fighting boys of America who stood tall
Remember those whose names are on the Wall
We salute the boys of Vietnam
Genre: ♪ Country
Also in: ▤ Draft Songs▤ PTSD Songs
#25–29 John Steer Circuit Rider 1986 · Album · Living Word # 1 · USA
All 5 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
The song "The Wall" (Living Word Records # 001) featured on an album of Vietnam War-related tracks by John Steer, a veteran of the war. According to his website, he actually sung at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Wall, although it does not say which song.123 He was originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently lives in Winter Haven, Florida, USA. This album was recorded in Charlotte, Arkansas, USA. The song was a cover of "The Wall" by Festival, discussed above, which took a patriotic position, describing the deaths as "the price we paid for freedom" . The song centred around the story of a mother, whose son died in Vietnam, visiting the war memorial. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
#25 The Wall #26 God Bless the USA #27 Why Is Johnny Crazy #28 Wounded Soldier #29 You've Never Given Up
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#25 John Steer The Wall 1986 · Album · Circuit Rider · Living Word # 1 · USA
Annotation
The song "The Wall" (Living Word Records # 001) featured on an album of Vietnam War-related tracks by John Steer, a veteran of the war. According to his website, he actually sung at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Wall, although it does not say which song.123 He was originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently lives in Winter Haven, Florida, USA. This album was recorded in Charlotte, Arkansas, USA. The song was a cover of "The Wall" by Festival, discussed above, which took a patriotic position, describing the deaths as "the price we paid for freedom" . The song centred around the story of a mother, whose son died in Vietnam, visiting the war memorial. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
"Circuit Rider" John Steer. The cover photograph looks down on a wooden table draped with a U.S. flag, laid with Vietnam-era memorabilia: an "Airborne Classbook", medals, dog tags, a beret, a 173rd Airborne shoulder patch, an ace of spades, a POW-MIA flag and ribbon, an "Agent Orange" button, a copy of "Tracers" and a photograph of a motorcyclist among rows of military graves. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
In this place of honor, to what is best of man
I found a crying mother with flowers in her hand
She said that she was there because her son was 10 years gone
Another life that was not spared in a place called Vietnam
She turned to me, and said young man, take me in your arms snd walk with me on pass the Wall
I want to see them all, a special place this is to me
But it's taken them so long, to say his life was not in vain
In a place called Vietnam
The monument here shows me the nation has some pride
To say they really care about the ones who fought and died
So you can stand here with me now, and hold me while I cry
The price we paid for freedom son, it hurts me deep inside
The price we paid for freedom son, is the highest price of all
The price we paid for freedom son, is written on the wall
In this place of honor, to what is best of man
I found a crying mother with flowers in her hand
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#26 John Steer God Bless the USA 1986 · Album · Circuit Rider · Living Word # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#27 John Steer Why Is Johnny Crazy 1986 · Album · Circuit Rider · Living Word # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
#28 John Steer Wounded Soldier 1986 · Album · Circuit Rider · Living Word # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#29 John Steer You've Never Given Up 1986 · Album · Circuit Rider · Living Word # 1 · USA
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#30 Rachel Drexler Vietnam Ballad - An American Remembers 1986 · Single · Drew # DR-001 · USA
Annotation
Cheesy pop, with strained vocals, the song "Vietnam Ballad: An American Remembers" (Drew Records # DR-001S) is a patriotic track released in La Mesa, California, USA. The artist is currently based in San Diego, California, USA.1 The song is a 'late' thank you letter to those who fought in the war. It recalled that the soldiers did not receive a welcome home like the previous generation after World War Two: "no ticker tape parade...no D-day celebration, we played no victory songs" . US society had changed, and the veterans were told "the war was wrong, we wanted to forget it all" . Thus, the narrator wanted to correct this situation: "oh it's late, I need to thank you" . The song concluded by referencing the Memorial Wall, noting that it was an important symbol of national memory: "now the Wall stands tall in Washington...speaks loudly of wars pain" . Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Drew Records DR-001S, 45 RPM, stereo, © & ℗ 1986, (619) 464-7777; "Vietnam Ballad – An American Remembers" (Glen Erath), time 2:48, produced by Glen Erath. The picture sleeve shows the title framed around a Stars and Stripes flag. Its foot reads "Written and produced by Glenn Erath. Sung by Rachel Drexler. ©℗ 1986 Joe Drew. Manufactured by Drew Records, P.O. Box 188, La Mesa, CA 92041". [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
I was the war to be forgotten and for your soldiers we held no ticker tape parades
For the heroes welcome you...
Served our country with blind faith
You shed your blood and you gave your lives
Oh it's late, I need to thank you, and hope you realize, we are proud of you Americans
You served us with great honor, in the worried stars your brilliance shines each time I gaze upon her
For when duty called you answered...
To all who served in Vietnam, America thanks you
You had no D-day celebration, we played no victory songs
You can home to find a nation telling you the war was wrong
We wanted to forget it all...
Now the Wall stands tall in Washington, inscribed a list of names
It's granite surface cold and dark speaks loudly of wars pain...
As we touch it, not letting us forget...we're proud of you Americans...
Genre: ♪ Pop
#31 Danny Ratcliff Band The Wall 1986 · Single · The Wall / Missing in Action · Maximum Sound · USA
Annotation
Country pop double-sided Vietnam War 7" record, the first side "The Wall" (Maximum Sound Publications) dealt with the memorial wall in Washington D.C., while the B-side "Missing in Action" looked at the P.O.W. / M.I.A. issue. The front and back of the picture sleeve said that the songs were dedicated to those M.I.A., and inspired by the Christmas season:"these song were written to honor American soldiers whom names are on the Wall, to express concern for those who are still missing in action, and to say thank you to all who served our country during the Vietnam era...the lyrics were written on Christmas Eve as I thought of the many Americans whose Christmas would be saddened by memories of those whose names are on the Wall"
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Maximum Sound Publications, Route 5, Box 141, Portsmouth, Ohio, "Take it to the Max"; Side A, "The Wall", 3:15, ASCAP; lyrics Max Sidders, music and vocals Danny Ratcliff "Band"; produced by Max Sidders and Danny Ratcliff, engineered by Joseph Ferguson; recorded at Don Brown Studios, 1830 Vinton, Portsmouth, Ohio.Picture sleeve front prints the lyrics of "The Wall" and "Missing in Action" with the dedication: "These songs were written to honor the American soldiers whose names are on THE WALL, to express concern for those who are still MISSING IN ACTION, and to say 'Thank You' to all who served our country during the Vietnam Era." Back: Danny Ratcliff (vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, keys), Jim Hale (steel), Dave Crisp (drums), Joseph Ferguson (engineering, mix, lead guitar); a note signed by Max Sidders, publisher, that the song was suggested by his son Bob and the lyrics written on Christmas Eve 1985; thanks to the Midwestern Songwriters Association; proceeds to aid Vietnam veterans through V.V.A.
Chapter #188, Portsmouth, Ohio; A.S.C.A.P. copyright 1986; sticker with Max E. Sidders' Urbana, Ohio address. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
A soldier walks up to the black granite wall
He soon finds the name of a friend he saw fall
He touches the name and tries not to cry
In silence he wonders why his friend had to die
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
#32 Danny Ratcliff Band Missing in Action 1986 · Single · The Wall / Missing in Action · Maximum Sound · USA
Annotation: see “The Wall” above (same release).
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
#33 Sam Jacobs Requiem in Black Stone 1986 · Single · Requiem in Black Stone / Behind Bamboo Tears · Break # 72967 · USA
Annotation
Notes
- Vietnam vet, based in Carpinteria, California1- A-side: memorial wall, patriotic tribute
- B-side: P.O.W.s still in Vietnam, do they know the war is over?
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Break Records 72967, stereo, side A, time 4:07; written by Sam Jacobs & Don Baba, © Requiem Music ASCAP; produced by Mark Hudson.Picture sleeve "Requiem": vocals Sam Jacobs, keyboards Don Baba, guitars Steve Dudas, bass Ed Alton, drums Billy Thomas; additional keyboards Greg Jackson; background vocals Bobby Caldwell, Mavis Vegas Davis, Linda Foote, Mark Hudson, Dave Jolliffe, Liza Miller, Michael Turner and Billy Thomas. Engineered by Jeff Harris; mixed by Jeff Hudson and Mark Hudson; recorded and mixed at the Village Recorder in April 1986. Dedicated "to our brothers and sisters who have died and to those of us who lived... Welcome Home!"; a major portion of the price went to "The Requiem Project" for Vietnam veterans' support groups (c/o The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles). Lyric insert with both songs. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#34 Sam Jacobs Behind Bamboo Tears 1986 · Single · Requiem in Black Stone / Behind Bamboo Tears · Break # 72967 · USA
Notes
Break Records 72967, stereo, side B, time 4:00; written by Sam Jacobs & Don Baba, © Requiem Music ASCAP; produced by Mark Hudson. Picture sleeve and lyric insert as on "Requiem in Black Stone". [From the record label] Genre: ♪ Pop
#35 Roger Wright Heroes of Vietnam 1986 · Single · Heroes of Vietnam / Heroes of Vietnam · Six-One-Five # S1003 · USA
Annotation
The song "Heroes of Vietnam" (Six-One-Five Records # S1003) by Roger Wright received a minor reference in Billboard, on 17 August 1985: "At Disc Mastering Inc., engineer Randy Kling recently completed mastering the single 'Heroes of Vietnam', a tribute to veterans, performed by Roger Wright and produced by Harold Bradley for Rustic Records".1 However, as noted above, the label Six-One-Five Records, in Nashville, Tennessee, released the single. Co-written by Wright and Robert Bates, who both originally came from Forest Hill, Louisiana.2An interesting track that dealt with several common post-war issues - the "Vietnam syndrome", P.O.W.'s, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the Vietnam wall memorial in Washington D.C. The song told the story of Jim being drafted to fight in Vietnam in 1964, and "without a word, like his dad" he marched off to war - a reference perhaps to the Second World War or Korean War. Whichever case, the song attempted to connect the American generations that fought for their country. The narrator said that Jim went to "fight for freedom" , and that he did his duty: "no one could call him yellow" . Shortly after arriving in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese "captured and displayed" him "in Hanoi" , and therefore a P.O.W. While "locked up in a cage for over a year" he lived in terrible conditions: "cold, tired and hungry" . After returning to the US, Jim suffered from his war time experiences: "his mind plays tricks with fear" . He found it difficult to sleep and Jim's "nightmares linger on" - thus describing PTSD. Finally, as discussed above, the song sought to reverse the perceived mistreatment of veterans, highlighting their bravery and loyalty to the country, and thus overcoming the Vietnam syndrome: "we salute you and your past...you're heroes at last" . And for the ones that died, the "black wall lists them one by one" , remembering the role that they played.
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
615 (Six-One-Five Records) S1003 A, purple label with a Nashville skyline; "Heroes of Vietnam" (R. Wright, R. Bates), intro :17, 3:38; One Horse Music, BMI, and Robert Bates Publishing, ASCAP; produced by Harold Bradley. Distributed by Six-One-Five Records, P.O. Box 110829, Nashville, TN 37222. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Jim finished high school in the spring of '64
His future was big and bright, the world an open door
He received the greetings that called him off to war
Marched away, without a word, like his dad did before
Vietnam he landed from a fairly sheltered life
Couldn't believe the horrors he wrote and told his wife
Jim went to fight for freedom, nothing there you can dispute
No one could call him yellow, just red, white and blue
This song is a tribute to the men who went to 'Nam
Those who gave the life, the black wall lists them one by one
Those that made it home we salute you and your past
The years have shown everyone that you're heroes at last
In just a few short weeks he was on the front lines
How could a foreign boy from Ohio know about land mines
That night he was captured and displayed in Hanoi
Cold, tired and hungry, a nineteen year old boy
Jim was locked up in a cage for over a year
Though he's alive today his mind plays tricks with fear
Sleep is hard to come by, the nightmares linger on
The price you pay for freedom to keep our country strong
Genres: ♪ CountryContemporary Country
Also in: ▤ Draft Songs▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
#36 Terry Allen We Are Written on the Wall (Vietnam Memorial Hymn) 1986 · Single · We Are Written on the Wall (Vietnam Memorial Hymn) / I Want to Thank You · Harmony Street # HSR 6891 · USA
Annotation
Outlaw country singer/songwriter Terry Allen: born 7 May 1943, in Wichita, Kansas, USA, currently living in San Francisco, New Mexico, USA. He released the song "We Are Written on the Wall (Vietnam Memorial Hymn)" (Harmony Street Records # HSR 6891), which as you can see from the lyrics below, came in at a lengthy 4.28 minutes. The music was a cross between country pop and fanfare. It is written from the perspective of a soldier who was killed in action (K.I.A.) in Vietnam, and whose name is written on the memorial wall: "written on the Wall, though we died in the jungles of a far and distance land" . The song also contained a description of battle conditions, and the narrated wondered what the cause of the war was: "a cause that was written in the sand" . Released in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Composed by Terry Allen. Produced by Frank Pappalrado and Terry Allen at "Tanglewood Studios". Music rights: "First Million Music Inc". Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Harmony Street Records HSR 6891 A (U-16183 M), orange label with a drawing of a top-hatted dancer under a street lamp; "We Are Written on the Wall (Vietnam Memorial Hymn)" (Terry Allen), 4:28, First Million Music Inc., ASCAP, ℗ 1986 Harmony Street Records; produced by Frank Pappalardo and Terry Allen, Tanglewood Studios; Harmony Street Records, Box 4107, Kansas City, Kansas 66104. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
We have made our beds to lie on, though we didn't choose the place
We have taken over reliance for the game we had to face
The king that had to move us, from the bishop to the pawn
We are here, we are written on the Wall
We have listened to our brothers as they stand beside us now
With a feeling for the ages, though we've hardly been around
I can hear my friends and neighbours
I can hear then loud and clear
We are here, we are, written on the Wall
Though we died in the jungles of a far and distance land
For a cause that was written in the sand
Let your ears be directly so never have to see
We are here, we are written on the Wall
We flown through deadly rainfall, we trodden on the soil
We have taken to the waves, and we have coiled with our hearts and with lives we have played a desperate hand
We are here, we are written on the Wall
We are people of the cities, we are people of the land
We men and women, and we fought at your command
And we have the time to answer all the questions that you ask, and we learn from us
We are written on the Wall...
Through the battle that we knew we could won
But our fate was not to linger in a life we'd just begin
So we take the time to tell you, will you listen one and all
We are here, we are written on the Wall
Though we died in the jungles in a far and distant land
For a cause that was written in the sand
Let your prayers be directed so you never have to sing
We are here, we are written on the Wall...on the Wall, on the Wall, on the Wall
Genre: ♪ Pop
#37 Bobby & Virginia Lee From a Cross to a Star 1986 · Album · Vietnam: The Soldier's Story · JRM # JRM4-20-87 · USA
Annotation
This various artist compilation, a picture disc 12" vinyl, released in Salem, Virginia, USA, contained 9 Vietnam War-related songs, all composed by Virginia L. Hambrick (JRM Records # JRM4-20-87). Recorded at the JRM Studio, in Salem, produced by Jack Mullins. Many of the songs seem to feature the vocals and music of Bobby and Virginia Lee (Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 81, Roanoke, Virginia). The back of the LP also had a picture of a soldier called Mary Stout (National Officer of Vietnam Veterans of America, Washington D.C.) - but it's not clear what role she played on the record. The sleeve also contained a dedication from Virginia Lee:"this collection of songs is dedicated to the men and women who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and to their families, many who whom continue to struggle with the aftereffects of an unpopular guerilla war. To my husband, Bobby Lee, an in-country Vietnam veteran...is my inspiration. A special thanks to the veterans who donated their time and efforts (including back-up vocals) towards making this project possible, and to the veterans, of Vet Center 226, and to the Vietnam Veterans of America"This is followed by a statement from Bobby Lee, about the song "Angel in the Green":
"Too little has been said about the women who served in the Armed Force of the United States of America...much too little. Perhaps it is our fault...the fault of men, especially veteran men. We hide our good feeling...such as pride, honor, and gratitude. Angel in the Green is...about the women I served with, women who elected to leave the security of a traditional world to serve their country; to risk their futures and their lives...these women are veteran in every respect, I salute them with pride."The song "From a Cross to a Star" dealt with the memorial wall in D.C. and the missing in action (M.I.A. issue). A country track, it took a religious perspective, with the narrator recalling a man and woman who visit the "cold slab of stone" everyday. Their son is apparently still classified as M.I.A., with a cross by their name. The couple prayed that the cross would turn to a star. The song does not mention P.O.W.s.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Side B track 4 (3:39). JRM Records JRM4-20-87, picture disc LP in die-cut sleeve ("Special Collector's Edition"). Vocals: Virginia Lee, Bobby Lee, Bill Craft, Leon Pugh, Rhonda Lee. All songs written by Virginia L. Hambrick (BMI) © 1986; published by Double Jack Co. (BMI), Salem, Virginia; recorded at JRM Studio, Salem. Produced by Jack Mullins; engineer and special arrangements Rick Mullins; harmony vocals Virginia, Bobby & Rhonda Lee, Bill Craft, Jackie Jean and members of Vet Center 226; guitars Bobby Lee, Bobby Smith; keyboards Aubrey Hilton & David Ferguson; steel guitar Mike Calloway, Joey McCray, Mike Sweeney; drums Rick Mullins; bass Chuck Crush; harmonica Bobby Smith; "marching and combat sounds are authentic". Back cover: Mary Stout (National Officer of Vietnam Veterans of America) and Bobby & Virginia Lee (Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 81, Roanoke, Virginia); Bobby Lee served with the 19th Combat Engineers in Vietnam, 1966–67. Portions of the proceeds were used to aid needy veterans. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
There's a wall in the city where the big White House stands
The wall stands so blase and low, and the names of 10,000s
Who gave up their lives are carved in the black of the stone
There's an old man and woman who visit each day
And they gave on the name of their son, with tears in their eye, and hope on their lips
They pray for the safety of one, from a cross to a star, please Jesus we pray, help us change the mark on the wall
If missing in action and he can't come home, let it be from a cross to a star
On the wall by each name there is a cross or there's a star, which tells if that man's lost or if he's been found
The cross means he's still missing, the star, well he's gone home
A soldier, that's in every man, as I hold to the hand of my own little boy whose never touched his daddy
Just his name, by the cold slab of stone, with a cross mark by him
I say the word I heard the old couple say, from a cross to a star
Please Jesus, we pray, help us change the mark on the wall...
Genre: ♪ Country
1987
#38 1st Lt. Bobby Ross Finally Welcomed Home 1987 · Single · Finally Welcomed Home / Goodbye to West Virginia · Base Camp # BCR-USA-7487 · USA
Annotation
Bobby Ross, a country artist, born on 4 September 1947, in California, USA is a Vietnam veteran - he served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 2/17th CAV in the 101st Airborne Division in the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969. He retired from music in 2004 and runs a farm in the Sacramento Valley, California, USA. He has taken an active part in veteran affairs.123 Both songs on this 7" single ((Constellation # IM-31589) related to the Vietnam War, and referenced the memorial wall in D.C. They both featured on the 1988 album Voice of America (Constellation # VOA-1). Released in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The picture sleeve of this single contained a quote from Cashbox Magazine: "This veteran can sing! Get ready to be touched. Excellent effort by, and for, those who served in Vietnam...I'll admit this one hit the heart". There was also a quote from Music Row Magazine: "this labor-of-love by a group of Nashville veterans will bring a lump to your throat and possible a tear to your eye". The song "Finally Welcomed Home" started with some memorable sounds of the 60s, with a clip of Country Joe & The Fish performing "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" at the festival Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music: "terrible jam, way down yonder in Vietnam", followed by a quote from JFK: "bring this situation back to what it was" and then LBJ: "this is a different kind of war, there are no marching armies and solemn declarations". Next, a spoken-word intro, which referenced the memorial wall: "those were the sounds of the 10,000 day war, here's a reminder of what we were fighting for, but first lets bow our head in silence, for those names upon that stone, here's to the rest of us, we finally made it home". The song itself was a nostalgic look through American culture, suggesting that the soldiers were fighting to protect the American way of life.
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Base Camp Records BCR-USA-7487 (U-19497), orange label with a jungle-boot logo; Side "B": "Goodbye to West Virginia" (George Jeffrey), Big Blue Ridge Music, BMI, time 4:11, intro :11, end fade; produced by Andy Anderson; credited to 1st Lt. Bobby Ross (Ret., 101st Airborne, USA).The label states: "This material was written and performed by Vietnam Veterans for All Veterans, Especially those who served in The Vietnam Era."
The picture sleeve for "Finally Welcomed Home" shows a tinted combat photograph of two soldiers standing in a smoke-filled jungle clearing beside a covered body on the ground. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
It was all for baseball, the old fishing pole, peanut butter & jam
Bicycles and dogs, turtles and frogs, and Disney Land
For all the girls in their faded blue jeans, Hershey bars, keys to the car
Senior high school rings, hello America you've remembered me
We were the ones who fought the war every night on your TV
Lost in America, been gone so long, the war is over now
We're finally welcomed home
I see a home town, hear the latest sounds at the back yard barbecue
The Carson show, pizza to go, a day at the zoo
I see a family all together on a Sunday afternoon
Grandpa, grandma, telling us all how they shined on harvest moon...
It's been a long time coming
This day is finally here
We can proudly stand together...hello America
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#39 1st Lt. Bobby Ross Goodbye to West Virginia 1987 · Single · Finally Welcomed Home / Goodbye to West Virginia · Base Camp # BCR-USA-7487 · USA
Annotation
Bobby Ross, a country artist, born on 4 September 1947, in California, USA is a Vietnam veteran - he served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 2/17th CAV in the 101st Airborne Division in the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969. He retired from music in 2004 and runs a farm in the Sacramento Valley, California, USA. He has taken an active part in veteran affairs.123 Both songs on this 7" single ((Constellation # IM-31589) related to the Vietnam War, and referenced the memorial wall in D.C. They both featured on the 1988 album Voice of America (Constellation # VOA-1). Released in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The picture sleeve of this single contained a quote from Cashbox Magazine: "This veteran can sing! Get ready to be touched. Excellent effort by, and for, those who served in Vietnam...I'll admit this one hit the heart". There was also a quote from Music Row Magazine: "this labor-of-love by a group of Nashville veterans will bring a lump to your throat and possible a tear to your eye". The song "Goodbye to West Virginia" described a young man being drafted by Uncle Sam to fight in the "hell of Vietnam". The lyrics provided a combat description: "deadly silence, flash of fire", which took the young man's youthful smile away. The soldier was K.I.A. and "now his name is inscribed on that black stone wall". His body was returned to his home in West Virginia.
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Base Camp Records BCR-USA-7487 (U-19497), orange label with a jungle-boot logo; Side "B": "Goodbye to West Virginia" (George Jeffrey), Big Blue Ridge Music, BMI, time 4:11, intro :11, end fade; produced by Andy Anderson; credited to 1st Lt. Bobby Ross (Ret., 101st Airborne, USA).The label states: "This material was written and performed by Vietnam Veterans for All Veterans, Especially those who served in The Vietnam Era."
The picture sleeve for "Finally Welcomed Home" shows a tinted combat photograph of two soldiers standing in a smoke-filled jungle clearing beside a covered body on the ground. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
18 years old and kind of wild, not yet a man, still not a child
He faced each new day with a smile as he stumbled through his youth
Born to laugh, he'd never cried, had a wondering eye
Had a roving eye, he could work all day, and raise hell all night
And then he had to face the truth when he said goodbye to West Virginia
He broke down an cried, like a baby in mother's arms...
How could he know this was the calm before the storm
So Uncle Sam took him away, and we cuss him to this very day
He heard that big drill sergeant say, 'it's time to be a man'
Your neck is red, but son you're green, get rid of them old blue jeans
And so began that two year dream in the hell of Vietnam
It was goodbye to West Virginia
With a bad moon rising...
Now it's not do surprising that his youthful smile is gone
Deadly silence flash of fire, his life was hanging by a wire
What else could good Old Uncle Sam require of this West Virginia boy
In his mind he saw his mom again
His baby son, and one old friend
So if this was to be the end his heart was filled with joy
Now his name is inscribed on that black stone wall
He answered when there came a call, a reluctant hero all alone
But a hero nonetheless, the baby son is now a man
He's touring with a five piece band
He sings of freedom across the land
And his father's soul is at rest
Because they brought him back to West Virginia to a little Freeport graveyard, near the Wood/Wirt county line...
Provides..friends and family with...peace of mind
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
1988
#40 Ed Curran Three Service Men 1988 · Single · Three Service Men / Our Men in Nam · Loon Hill · USA
Annotation
Post-80s double-sided Vietnam War-related record, in the pop / singer-songwriter genre, it took a patriotic perspective, dealing with P.O.W.s and the Vietnam Veterans memorial wall and statue in Washington D.C. Nothing in known yet about Ed Curran, who composed and performed both sides - record was released in Dracut, Massachusetts, USA, and the record label address (68 Loon Hill Road) appears to be a home / residence, so it is a private label, probably the home of either the artist, or the producer, Fred Vigeant. The first song "Three Service Men" (Loon Hill Records) is the only record on here to focus on the "The Three Soldiers" (also known as the "Three Service Men" ) bronze statue, designed by Frederick Hart unveiled on Veterans Day, 11 November 1984. It is located on the National Mall, part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It was commissioned to appease those who opposed Maya Lin's design, the Wall, with a more traditional, heroic sculpture. The three men are identifiable as European American (center), African American (right), and Latino American (left) - this is said to be the first African-American representation on the National Mall.1 In the song, the narrator, from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran, connected the two memorials, noting that the three soldier "stare upon the Wall of sadness" . The narrator said that he "had some friends on that Wall" and he thanked "the lord that I made it back at all" . It contained anti-war sentiment, hoping in the future that "there is no new war" , and wondering "why they died at all" .
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Loon Hill Records, stereo, Side One; "Three Service Men" (Ed Curran), 3:19, BMI; produced by Fred Vigeant; ℗ 1988 Loon Hill Records, 68 Loon Hill Rd., Dracut, MA 01826. No catalogue number printed. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
If you ever go to Washington, go to see Three Service Men
They are standing tall and their eyes tell it all
As they stare upon the Wall of sadness
I had some friends on that Wall
But I wish I knew them all
They're standing tall and their eyes tell it all
As they stare upon the Wall of sadness
The children look but don't understand
But they'll be a day when they know it all
I hope in the future there is no new war
And I wonder why they died at all...
When I went to visit the Wall, my heart sang with sadness
A part of me belongs to that Wall
And I thank the lord that I made it back at all
I look at the the Three Service Men
And I can't relate to them
But back then no one cared about the Three Service Men
They're standing tall...eyes tell is all..
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
#41 Ed Curran Our Men in Nam 1988 · Single · Three Service Men / Our Men in Nam · Loon Hill · USA
Annotation
The b-side song, "Our Men in Nam" dealt with the P.O.W. issue, which took the position that "there are men still over there" , a view which featured prominently in 1980s P.O.W. songs, and fitted into several war films of the period, such as First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984). The narrator noted that when he saw the black flag, he thought of the men left behind in Vietnam - this was a reference to the National League of Families POW/MIA flag, also known as the POW/MIA flag, or the POW flag, created in 1972.2 The narrator said that the P.O.W.s are "going through hell" , as were their families, and that they are "brave and will survive" . Interestingly, the narrated said that the war had been over for many years and that it was time to adjust: "as a country we must move on" . Then contradictory, the narrator said that "we know there's no men over there" , but that "we will always keep searching" - providing an unclear, mixed message to the listener. The lyrics also contained references to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), often found in 1980s Vietnam War songs: "my memories are still there" . The song concluded with helicopter sound-effects.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Loon Hill Records, Side Two, stereo, cream label, 68 Loon Hill Rd., Dracut, MA 01826; "Our Men in Nam" (Ed Curran), 3:11, BMI, ℗ 1988 Loon Hill Records; produced by Fred Vigeant. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
The war has been over for many a year
And we know there are men still over there
We will always keep searching until the end of time
That's the least we can do for our men in Nam
When I see the black flag waving on high
I think of the men we left behind
Their families still wait, their children have come
Those lonely feelings that are unknown
They are going through hell, that we know
And I pray that some day the men will show
The jungles are quit, my memories are still there
But know my thoughts are in despair, but they are brave and will survive
But as a country we must move on
The war has been over for many a year
And we know there's no men over there
We will always keep searching to the end of time
That's the least we can do for our men in 'Nam
When I see the black flag waving on high, I think of the men we left behind...
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
#42 George Pickard Daddy's Name Upon the Wall 1988 · Single · Nifty Pick # NP10 · USA
Annotation
Pop rock 80s post-war song "Daddy's Name Upon the Wall" (Nifty Pick Records # NP10) by George Pickard, released in Reno, Nevada, USA. A Boy recalled playing with his father the day before he left for "a place called 'Nam...fighting for my country, land of liberty" . He carved his name on the wall outside the house. But then a man came to the door in 1968 and informed his mother that the father was KIA in Vietnam. Twenty years later, the boy, with his son, was at the "cold black slate" at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. , to pay tribute to his father: "touching Grandpa's name" . The picture sleeve showed the father and son carving the name on the wall of the house, and on the other side, the son and grandson looking at the soldier's name on the memorial wall. Composed by Matt Pickard and George Pickard. Recorded at Club Studios, Reno, Nevada. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Nifty "Pick" Records NP10, Side A, stereo, USA, 316 California Ave., #441, Reno, NV 89509; "Daddy's Name Upon the Wall", ©1988 Matt Pickard/George Pickard, Yowza/Doris Lindsay Publishing, ASCAP, time 2:50.Credits: producer George Pickard; strings/vocal arrangement Mark Donovan and Eileen Stamnas; drums Kevin Strawn; guitar Johnny Davis; engineer Wilis Allen; recorded at Club Studios, Reno, Nevada. The black-and-white picture sleeve, "Written by George Pickard and Matt Pickard", is a pen drawing, signed and dated '89, of a man and child at a dark memorial wall with flowers at its base, a man and boy with a ball beside a brick house, and a photograph of a smiling helmeted soldier inscribed "I love you — Dad". [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
We were in the backyard, playing pass the ball
Daddy took his knife, carved his name upon the wall
He didn't want to tell me the words he had to say
Tomorrow he'd be leaving to a war so far away
We spent the day together
He, and me and mum
They whispered to each other about a place called 'Nam
And when the morning sunlight streamed across my bed, his note was on my pillow, and this is what it said
Son remember my name upon the wall
I'll be home again come a year from now
Take care of mama, and keep her safe for me
I'm fighting for my country, land of liberty
I remember the day a man came to the door
My mama stood there frozen, his eyes looked at the floor
He said 'mam, I'm sorry, but your husband has died'
He turned and walked away
And that's when mama cried
That was 20 years ago, back in '68
Now I'm standing with my son, beside a cold black slate
He's touching grandpa's name, a man he never knew
And I think back to another wall, his name is on it to
Son remember my name upon the wall
I'll be home again come a year from now
Take care of mama, and keep her safe for me
I'm fighting for my country, land of liberty...
#43 Ray R. Jones The Long Black Wall (Tribute to the Vets of Vietnam) 1988 · Single · The Long Black Wall (Tribute to the Vets of Vietnam / These Old Cigarettes · Sollie Sunshine # FES-88-21 · USA
Annotation
The song "The Long Black Wall (Tribute to the Vets of Vietnam)" (Sollie Sunshine Recordings # FES-88-21), is a country track by Lamar, Indiana, USA artist Ray R. Jones, who claims to have performed for LBJ!1 Released on a Pensacola, Florida record label. This was a post-war 80s patriotic tribute to veterans. It started with a spoken-word intro: "this song is a tribute to every American soldier, sailor, airman, and marine, who fought the long hard struggle of the Vietnam War, and for all those who died in the name of our country, whose names are enshrined forever in Washington D.C. on a long black Wall" . It told the story of the narrator going to D.C. to see the wall with people he served with in the Vietnam War. He said that the Wall was there to remind everyone of the "vets of Vietnam" and of course those that died. Moreover, the monument does not "try to glorify" . The protagonist reflected on "what's right and wrong" , as soldiers in combat "watch a comrade fall" . Composed by Ray R. Jones and Fred E. Sollie. Recorded at Sound Quest Studio, Lamar, Indiana. Sources
- 1 45cat ↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Sollie Sunshine Recordings FES-88-21 (U-22473M), A Side, stereo, ©℗ 1988, yellow label; "The Long Black Wall" (Tribute to the Vets of Vietnam) (Fred E. Sollie, Ray R. Jones BMI), 3:50, Cindy Jane Music (BMI); producer Ray Richard Jones, Sound Quest Studio, Lamar, Indiana 47550. "Distributed by Sollie Sunshine Records, 4724 Lillian Hwy. Pensacola, FL 32506". [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
I went down to the long black Wall in Washington D.C.
With an old vet of the Vietnam War who served out there with me
And all the hardships of that war we did remember, at the long black Wall...
We read the names of servicemen engraved on the shiny Wall
And in our hearts we felt the pain knowing bravely they did fall
We remembered vividly how they answered their country's call
They will shine forever on the long black Wall
This monument stands to remind us all the vets of Vietnam
But it don't try to glorify those that didn't give a damn
Standing stone to testify the gallantry of them all
On the long black Wall, the long black Wall
All wars are hell, especially for those who had to fight
Who faced the hardened enemy in the steamy jungle night
It's hard to tell what's right and wrong as you watch a comrade fall
They will live forever on the long black wall
We read the names in silence, tonight we begin to fall
Then we turned an walked away with other veteran I recall
It was my first time in Washington, just a short place from the Mall
At the long black Wall, at the long black Wall
This monument stands to remind us all the vets of Vietnam
But it don't try to glorify those that didn't give a damn...
Genre: ♪ Country
#44 Stu Huggens & The Susquehanna River Band They're Still Heroes Today 1988 · Single · They're Still Heroes Today / When You Look Into Someone's Eyes · River Basin # 1014 · USA
Credited on the record as Stu Huggens and The Susquehanna River Band.
Annotation
Post-war country pop song "They're Still Heroes Today" (River Basin Records # RBR 1014) released by Stu Huggens and The Susquehanna River Band. There is no location on the record - Huggens is from and currently based in Pennsylvania, USA, performing in the Harrisburg, Lancaster and York area.123 The song is narrated from perspective of a Vietnam veteran, who paid tribute to those who fought in the war. He recalled being 18, just out of school, when he signed up for the US marines, to fight "in the jungles...and paddies of Vietnam" . He then recalled the lack of patriotic parades for the soldiers returning home: "no one welcomed us with open arms, no one seemed to care" . The song also noted the anti-war movement: "protesters said politicians lied" . This very much reflected on the Vietnam Syndrome, typically found in post-war 80s songs in which veterans returned to an unfavorable domestic climate in the US. The song concluded by referencing the memorial wall: "their names on a marble wall, 57,000 in all, never came back" . Sources
- 1 Google News Archive ↩
- 2 archive.today ↩
- 3 inyork.com (link no longer available) ↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
River Basin Records, A side; "They're Still Heroes Today" (Stu Huggens), © 1988, BMI; produced by Jeff Brubaker. No catalogue number or time printed. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Out of school and just eighteen, I signed up for the US marines
I knew I'd go out soon to fight a war
All the young men in their prime, headed out to the firing line
In the jungles and mountains and paddies of Vietnam
We watched with tear filled eyes
When we saw good friends die
Puff the magic dragon flew at night
Back home they said that this war wasn't right
They still sent us out to fight in the heat, and the rain, and the mud of Vietnam
I once heard someone say, there's no heroes left today
But I knew some back in 1968
All of my brothers in arms, who served over in Vietnam
They were heroes then, they are still heroes today
We came home from the war, no one welcomed us with open arms
No one seemed to care what we went through
We thought we served our country with pride
Protesters said politicians lied
Years ago but not forgotten, Vietnam
Their names on a marble wall, 57,000 in all
Never came back to see their homes again
Fathers, sons, brothers and friends and all the women who served with them in the jungles and mountains, and paddies, in the heat and rain, and the blood of Vietnam
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#45 Joel Mabus Touch a Name on the Wall 1988 · Live · Joel Mabus in Concert: The Naked Truth · Fossil # 288 · USA
Annotation
Contemporary folk singer/songwriter Joel Mabus, born in 1953, Illinois, USA, currently based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, recorded the touching and melodic song "Touch a Name on the Wall" (Fossil Records # 288) about remembering his friend who died in the Vietnam War. The album was released on his own record label on 18 October 1988, based in Lansing, Michigan, and recorded live on 15 January 1988, at the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse, Michigan State University. The narrator recalled his "summer of freedom" with his friend after they turned eighteen, when they hitch-hiked to Denver. However, "they took us away in the fall" and now he can only "touch your name on the wall". He said that walls are usually built for division, but that this wall brings people together. He noted that some said "that they all died for nothing", however he disagreed, saying that he "didn't die for no country, he died for me". The song seems to end on an anti-war, anti-establishment standpoint: "damn the liars...who trade on the blood of such men...never again". This song featured on the 1992 compilation Songs of the Wall, below. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Fossil Records 288, side A ("set one"), track 3; ℗ 1988 Fossil Records, P.O. Box 4754, E. Lansing, Michigan. All songs by Joel Mabus, © 1987, 1988 Fingerboard Music, BMI. Recorded live at the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse, 15 January 1988, at Erikson Kiva, Michigan State University; engineered by Gary Reid; produced by Joel Mabus; cover by Laurent Dundas; photo by Dave Chapman. This copy is signed by Joel Mabus on the back cover. Also on the 1992 cassette Songs of the Wall. [From the record sleeve and label]Lyrics
English
Well, I guess you could call it our summer of freedom
The year that we both turned eighteen
We hitch-hiked to Denver, straight out of high school, man, we were sights to be seen
And that was the year that you dated my cousin
'Til they took us away in the fall
Now I dearly wish you were standing here with me
As I touch your name on the wall...God help us all...
Every time I come here I wear my fatigues, to honor rhe men that I knew
I touch every name that came from my outfit
And I read them out loud when I do
Now some people say that they all died for nothing
But I don't completely agree
'Cause this brother here didn't die for no country, he died for me...
Now, usually walls are made for division, to separate me from you
But God bless the wall that brings us together, and reminds us of what we've been through
And god damn the liars and the tin-plated heroes who trade on the blood of such men
God give us the strength to stand up and tell them, never again
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
#46 Michael J. Martin & Tim Holiday Time to Lay It Down (aka The Wall) 1988 · Album · Time to Lay It Down · USA
Notes
Album Time to Lay It Down. Also on the Bear Family box ...Next Stop Is Vietnam (2010). See also VWSP3465 by the same duo. Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
1989
#47 Johnny Anthony Long Black Wall 1989 · Single · Long Black Wall / The Iowa, Remember Turret Number Two · Country Showcase # CSA 191 · USA
Annotation
Country pop song "Long Black Wall" (Country Showcase America # CSA 191) by Johnny Anthony, an obscure artist, who featured on the ...Next Stop Is Vietnam (The War on Record: 1961-2008) compilation, which said in the booklet: "Anthony, from the Laurel, Maryland area, was a frequent performer on the CSA Jamboree, a live country music internet radio show hosted for many years by Francis Gosman".1 The record label was formed in 1971 in Beltsville, Maryland, USA, founded by Frank Gosman, who also produced this song. This one certainly leans towards an anti-war perspective: "to die for reasons they didn't understand, these innocent lambs...victims of the times" . Yet, of course, it fully praised the soldier's bravery and patriotism: "bravely they answered their nation's call" . The song referenced well-known Vietnam War locations Khe Sanh, Da Nang, and Pleiku. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Country Showcase America Records CSA-191A (U-27326M), label with the CSA logo over a U.S. flag; "Long Black Wall" (Tomich/Stamm), 2:49, Country Showcase America BMI; producer Frances Gosman. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
These are the men on the long black Wall
Some went down in a fire fight, some were ambushed in the middle of the night
Bravely they answered their nation's call
These are the men on the long black Wall
They were at Khe Sanh, Da Nang, and Pleiku
They fought the battles for you and me
They sacrificed the ultimate, they gave their all
These are the men on the long black Wall
They were sent to a far off land, to die for reasons they didn't understand
These innocent lambs were slaughtered
All these are the men on the long black Wall
The bodies came back in boxes of pine
They were the victims of the times
They beg us not to forget from the grave...
These are the men on the long black Wall
The cry out for sanity, for no more unjust wars
The silently plea for killing no more
They're praying for peace at their final role call
These are the men on the long black Wall
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
#48 Remember When Long Black Wall 1989 · Single · Long Black Wall / Lone Ranger · Country Star # 504 · USA
Annotation
Post-war 80s pop rock / fanfare song "Long Black Wall" (Country Star # 504) by a group called Remember When, out of Franklin, Pennsylvania, USA. A promotional sheet which came with the record said: "written and produced by Bob Belche, Viet Nam marine, awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star. Sounds-effects are the Bulger, Marching, and gun fire of the National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA".1 The sound-effects are a reference to about half-way through the track, when the narrator has a flashback to Vietnam, a representation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The lyrics of the song paid tribute to those those died: "remembering you this way, precious names on a long black Wall" . Song is listed in the 1989 edition of Songwriter's Market.2 The label Country Star, a subsidiary of Process Records, released a bunch of other Vietnam-related records, such as "Missing in Action" by Tom Booker (click on label link for more). 
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
CSI 504-A (U-24032M), 45 RPM, stereo, ℗ 1989; "Long Black Wall" (Bob Belche'), 3:20, Process Music-BMI; producer Bob Belche'. Country Star International, P. O. Box 569, Franklin, PA. 16323. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Precious names on a long black Wall, hear the muffled drums
The bugle call for a mothers son, daddy's girl
Names in stone for a living world
As I was walking by my house I saw some soldier boys in uniform so tall and proud
They looked like living toys
Without a glance they marched on by, young girls on their mind
And I had a memory of another day in time...
[Flash back: sound-effect and spoken word dialogue of war]
So heart shown by you proud young men
You've every right to be
Your the price that will be paid
Your the price of victory
Somewhere our faceless foe will cut you down one day
And broken hearts will pray for you, remembering you this way
Precious names on a long black Wall, hear the muffled drums
The bugle call for a mothers son, daddy's girl...
My leg gets so little room down there, mostly when it rains
I remember a few old friends in that Wall, with all their names...
#49 The Statler Brothers More Than a Name on a Wall 1989 · Single · More Than a Name on a Wall / Atlanta Blue · Mercury # 874 196-7 · USA
Annotation
The song "More Than a Name on the Wall" (Mercury Records # 874 196-7) by The Statler Brothers, a gospel country pop group formed in 1955, in Lyndhurst, Virginia, USA. They disbanded in 2002, in Staunton, Virginia, USA.12 This song peaked at # 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, which makes this one of the most commercially successful singles on this list. The song was composed by Jimmy Fortune and John Rimel.3 The song was originally released on the compilation The Statlers Greatest Hits (Mercury Records # 834 626-1), and shortly after released as a single. The song was about a mother of a soldier who died in Vietnam, visiting the memorial in Washington D.C., and remembering her son. The narrator said that he "he died for God and country in a place so far away" . The mother could remember "a little boy playing war since he was three" - a similar theme found in many 60s songs about "toy soldiers". Also of note is that the song referenced Christmas - missing loved ones is a long-running theme in holiday songs: "he really missed the family and being home on Christmas day" .Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Mercury 874 196-7 (2-59977), stereo, 45 RPM, black label with barcode 422-874196-7; "More Than a Name on a Wall" (J. Fortune/J. Rimel), 2:54; produced by Jerry Kennedy for JK Productions, Inc.; Statler Brothers Music, Inc. (administered by Copyright Management Inc.) (BMI); "From the Mercury album 422 834 626-1 'The Statlers Greatest Hits'", ℗ 1988 PolyGram Records, Inc.; manufactured and marketed by PolyGram Records, Inc., 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10019. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
I saw her from a distance, as she walked up to the wall
In her hand she held some flowers, as her tears began to fall
She took out pen and paper as to trace her mem'ries
She looked up to heaven, and the words she said were these
She said, "Lord my boy was special, and he meant so much to me
And Oh, I'd love to see him just one more time you see
All I have are the mem'ries and the moments to recall
So Lord could you tell him he's more than a name on the wall"
She said, "He really missed the family, being home on Christmas day
And he died for God and country in a place so far away
I remember just a little boy, playing war since he was three
And Lord this time I know, he's not coming home to me"
She said, "Lord my boy was special, and he meant so much to me
And Oh, I'd love to see him but I know it just can't be
So I thank you for my mem'ries and the moments to recall
But Lord could you tell him he's more than a name on the wall
Lord could you tell him he's more than a name on the wall
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ Christmas Songs
#50 Vettz God Bless America Tonight 1989 · Single · God Bless America Tonight / Carolina Gold · Fraternity # F-3546 · USA
Annotation
The group formed in Ohio, US, in 1981, led by Wayne Barker Jr., a Vietnam veteran. The group often performed at veteran gatherings. The back of this single said that "the group was formed to help the Vietnam veterans, through the support of the Vietnam Veteran of America, Ohio State Council. Funds raised through the sale of records, show, concerts, etc. will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America for veteran-related projects".1234 The group released several Vietnam-related singles: "The Wall" (discussed above), "American Heroes", and "Orange Ribbons", the last two of which are also related to the 1990 First Gulf War. The song "God Bless America Tonight" (Fraternity Records # F-3546) - a patriotic, country pop, post-war 80s song about the memorial wall in D.C. contained some very interesting thoughts on the war. It is narrated from the perspective of a veteran who visited D.C., listening to the questions of his dead comrades. A dead soldier asked "did we finally win their freedom?" , meaning the South Vietnamese, thus the position of the US government's objective in the 60s & 70s to establish a non-communist South Vietnam. It then contained the line "did they finally let us fight?" - implying that the government / military establishment were preventing the soldiers from conducting the war properly, thus presenting that as an explanation as to why they lost the war. The narrated concluded that "there is something wrong here, with this country" . The song also dealt with the mistreatment of Vietnam War veterans, with the dead soldier saying: "did she treat my brothers right" . Released in Cincinnati, Ohio. Composed by Wayne Barker Jr. Produced by Wayne Barker Jr. and Ron Czarnecki. Engineer: Dale "Smitty" Smith.
Sources
- 1 Wall, The (The Vettz) ↩
- 2 engineersvietnam.com (archived copy) ↩
- 3 ReverbNation (link no longer available) ↩
- 4 efolkmusic.org: Wayne barker (link no longer available) ↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Fraternity Recording Corporation F-3546-A (U-24106), stereo, 45 RPM; "God Bless America Tonight" (W. Barker Jr.), 3:20; © 1989 by Fraternity Records, Cinti, Ohio; publisher Big Ron Music, B.M.I.; producers Wayne Barker and Ron Czarnecki; engineer Dale "Smitty" Smith. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
I went to see the big black wall today, where there are many many names
I tried to read, and touch everyone only a few hours were all I could save
And while the time was passing by, I heard the voices in my head
Their spirits called and fell all over me and America this is what they said
Well they asked me, does our country remember
Did she treat my brothers right
Did we finally win their freedom, did they finally let us fight
Tell our mothers we love them, we hear their prays every night
We gave our lives for good reasons...
God bless America tonight
As I walked away I couldn't speak, the tears welled up in my eyes
No I couldn't give them any answers, not any that wouldn't be lies
My god you know there is something wrong here
With this country we all love so
We know the answers to their questions
But how can tell them its no when they ask you
Does our country remember
Did she treat my brothers right
Did we finally win their freedom
Hell, did they ever let us fight
Tell our mothers we love them...
Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#51 10,000 Maniacs The Big Parade 1989 · Album · Blind Man's Zoo · Elektra # 9 60815-1 · USA
Annotation
10,000 Maniacs, a popular alternative rock / jangle pop group formed in 1981, in Jamestown, New York, USA, which included the members Rob Buck, Natalie Merchant, Steve Gustafson, and Dennis Drew. They had several charting albums, including Blind Man's Zoo (Elektra Records # 9 60815-2), which reached # 13 in the US Billboard chart.1 The album dealt with several contemporary political issues, such as U.S. interventions in Central America and the Iran-Contra Affair, and environmental pollution. The song "The Big Parade" looked at a family visit to the Vietnam memorial wall in Washington - a man recalled his brother's letters: "in a jungle town postmarked Saigon" . The brother knew the exact location of the name: "it's 40 paces to the year that he was slain" . He witnessed others visiting the wall, including a "tour of Japanese" , an "ex-marine" , and a "widow" with her "Purple Heart" - a reference to the military medal. At the end of the song, the narrator wondered who was to blame for the war and the deaths: "was it Washington or the Viet Cong?" . It ended on an anti-war note, although slightly strange, suggesting the Civil War was not an honest war (no mention of slavery!): "toward the other monuments...Abraham had his war too...an honest war...so it's taught in school" . Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Detroit to D.C., night train, capitol, parts east
Lone young man takes a seat
And by the rhythm of the rails
Reading all his mother's mail
From a city boy in a jungle town
Postmarked Saigon
He'll go live his mother's dream
Join the slowest parade he'll ever see
Her weight of sorrows carried long and carried far
"Take these, Tommy, to the wall"
Metro line to the mall site with a tour of Japanese
He's wandering and lost until
A vet in worn fatigues
Takes him down to where they belong
Near a soldier, an ex-marine
With a tattooed dagger and eagle trembling
He bites his lip beside a widow breaking down
She takes her purple heart, makes a fist, strikes the wall
All come to live a dream
To join the slowest parade they'll ever see
Their weight of sorrows carried long and carried far
Taken to the wall
It's 40 paces to the year that he was slain
His hand's slipping down the wall for it's slick with rain
How would life have ever been the same
If this wall had carved in it one less name?
But for Christ's sake, he's been dead over 20 years
He leaves the letters asking
"Who caused my mother's tears
Was it Washington or the Viet Cong?"
Slow deliberate steps are involved
He takes them away from the black granite wall
Toward the other monuments so white and clean
O, Potomac, what you've seen
Abraham had his war too
But an honest war
Or so it's taught in school
#52 Lou Reed Xmas in February 1989 · Album · New York · Sire # 25829-1 · USA
Annotation
Lou Reed's post-Vietnam War song "Xmas in February" (Sire Records # 25829-1) is a grim, depressing tale of a Vietnam Vet ignored by society. The song suggested that in December the Christmas spirit kicks in - carols, trees, lights, and charity. But by February, in the cold and rain, the Christmas spirit disappeared as the homeless person asking for money was ignored. The song started with the protagonist Sam volunteering for the army. He ended up in Vietnam, listening to Jimi Hendrix on the Vietnamese jukeboxes, and lying in the jungle. Out there he "lost his arm" . The song also referenced the poisonous herbicide agent orange, used by the US military in Vietnam: "Agent orange spread across the sky" . The veteran returned to the US - he had lost his wife and kid and could not find a job. Sam visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., a "reminder of the war that wasn't won" . The narrator suggested that while the dead were remembered, society ignored the living veterans. The song also referred to the use of drugs to reduce the pain: "if he didn't have that opium to smoke, the pain would never ever stop" .Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Sam was lyin' in the jungle
Agent Orange spread against the sky like marmalade
Hendrix played on some foreign jukebox
They were praying to be saved
Those gooks were fierce and fearless
That's the price you pay when you invade
Xmas in February
Sam lost his arm in some border town
His fingers are mixed with someone's crop
If he didn't have that opium to smoke /The pain would never ever stop
Half his friends are stuffed into black body bags
With their names printed at the top
Xmas in February
Sammy was a short order cook
In a short order black and blue collar town
Everybody worked the steel mill
But the steel mill got closed down
He thought if he joined the Army
He'd have a future that was sound
Like no Xmas in February
Sam's staring at the Vietnam Wall
It's been a while now that he's home
His wife and kid have left, he's unemployed
He's a reminder of the war that wasn't won
He's that guy on the street with the sign that reads
"Please help send this Vet home"
But he is home, and there's no Xmas in February
No matter how much he saves
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ Christmas Songs
#53 Jim Walktendonk Cold Knuckle Sandwich 1989 · Album · Red White and Blind · Self-released # None · USA
Annotation
Jim Walktendonk (aka James) comes from Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, and is currentl based in Gillingham, Wisconsin, USA. He served in Vietnam, 1970-71, with 212th and 595th Sentry Dog Companies, 89th Military Police Battalion. He took up folk singing back in the US. From 2002 he focused on painting, due to the negative effects of Agent Orange making it difficult to play guitar.12 He released several albums of Vietnam War songs, as well as the book "Song for America", featuring a collection of anti-war / protest songs.3 He is a member of the Vietnam Veterans Against The War (VVAW), on ongoing, non-profit anti-war group, taking particular interest in Agent Orange, Veterans Rights, and Pesticide Reform.45 His artwork featured in an exhibition at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, called "A Vision from Another Sky: The Paintings of Vietnam Veteran Jim Walktendonk".3 This 1989 cassette album featured two songs related to the memorial wall in D.C. The song "Cold Knuckle Sandwich" , a slang term for a punch in the mouth, focused on a veteran visiting the memorial, recalling that he was a young man in 1968. It is particularly interesting to note the reference to contemporary conflicts, taking an anti-war perspective: "Kuwait, Beruit, and El Savador...what the hell has it all been for?"The next song, "Just the Dream of Them All Alive" , came in at nearly 7-minutes long, told the story of a dream, in which the songwriter was at the wall, and the soldier's written there stepped out and started dancing to the music. The music provided comfort to both the living and the dead. The songwriter told the dead soldiers that "I won't let the world forget".
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Self-released cassette, recorded at Randy's Recording, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; contact Boonie Tunes, P.O. Box 3472, Madison, Wisconsin. Other Vietnam tracks: The Agent Orange Song, The Claymore Polka, Luang Pro Bang.Lyrics
English
Well we built us up a monument, put it ten feet into the ground
It's a black cold marble wall, set into the deep...
Inscribed on the wall to see it is truly a wonder to me
Hits me like a cold knuckle sandwich
If you came home like me on a freedom bird
Heading back from the war
You went your way, and I went mine
And we wished and wondered
We died and did time
We're American survivors, and we're all in a line...
Now that we've built up our monument
Told America of our needs, it's such a simple..
What we are
Now deal with the wounds that we carried so far
Help us deal our horrible stars...
I was a young man back in '68
Hadn't touched face of war
Felt real hate, I stood posed and I was at deaths door
But Kuwait, Beruit, and El Savador, it's all a symptom that we can't ignore
But what the hell has it all been for
No we don't need a...cold knuckle...
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#54 Jim Walktendonk Just the Dream of Them All Alive 1989 · Album · Red White and Blind · Self-released # None · USA
Notes
Same cassette as "Cold Knuckle Sandwich". Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
1990
#55 Richard Meyer Long Black Wall 1990 · Live · Fast Folk Musical Magazine: Live at the Bottom Line 89 · Fast Folk Musical Magazine # FF 503 · USA
Annotation
The "Long Black Wall" by Richard Meyer, a contemporary folk artist, born in 1952, and died in New York, USA on 14 May 2012, was a long-term editor of Fast Folk - this was a music magazine and record album publisher from February 1982 to 1997, a songwriter / performer cooperative. It also published many political and social contemporary songs, playing a similar role to Broadside Magazine in the 1960s. This song was a cover, composed by Michael Jerling in 1982, and released in 1983 on the LP: CooP Fast Folk Musical Magazine (Vol. 2, No. 4) - Political Song, discussed above.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Fast Folk 1989 Volume 5 No. 3, recorded at The Bottom Line, 18 February 1989; side A track 4. Richard Meyer (guitar, vocals), Lisa Gutkin (viola, violin), backing vocals Lillie Palmer, John Gorka, Josh Joffen.Lyrics
English
A Green Beret came to talk to us, gave a slide show in the gym
Told about the communists and the punji sticks
Thought I'd like to be like him
Long black wall and nothing is undone
Long black wall, sleeping in the sun
Chicago summer, 1968, some high school kids out on a lark
Waved to the cameras on the evening news
And got teargassed in Lincoln Park
Long black wall and nothing is the same
Long black wall, shining in the rain
Everyone in college was against the war
We had long hair and Nixon stunk
Draft number high, draft number low
Stayed out all night and got real drunk
The vets came back on the G.I. Bill, in their field jackets and jeans
Drank black coffee and smoked cigarettes
And never spoke of what they'd seen
Long black wall and nothing left to say
Long black wall, so many miles away
The man on TV said ten years had gone
Today a monument was raised
And when they spoke each name one at a time, the roll of dead took four whole days
Long black wall, and nothing is the same
Long black wall, shining in the rain...
Nothing is undone..."
Also featured in:
• Vietnam War: Veterans Memorial Wall Songs
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
#56 Pat Garvey (Still Waiting at) The Wall 1990 · Album · A Rose a Letter a Poem · Not On Label # None · USA
Notes
CD A Rose A Letter A Poem, track 7, 4:59; Patrick Garvey (vocals, guitar, accordion, producer), Sanford Markley, Zan McLeod, Willum Garvey, Fergus Kennedy. Also on the 1992 cassette Songs of the Wall (track B1, "Still Waiting at the Wall", 4:51): words and music by Tim Murphy (c) 1986; the album was available from Pat Garvey, Germantown, Maryland. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
1991
#57 Guns N' Roses Civil War 1991 · Album · Use Your Illusion II · Geffen # GEF 24420 · USA
Annotation
Very well-known and popular hard rock group Guns n' Roses, featuring lead singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash, formed in 1985, in Los Angeles, California, USA, released the song "Civil War" , an anti-war track, which referenced Vietnam, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy ( "in my first memories they shot Kennedy" and Martin Luther King Jr. ("...wear a black armband when they shot the man who said "peace could last forever""). It originally appeared on the 1990 charity album Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal (Warner Bros. Records # 26280-2), to benefit Romanian orphans. It then appeared, as seen in the image, on the B-side (Geffen Records # GES 19039) to a single released for the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, although the song is not featured in the film. The song appeared on the successful 1991 album Use Your Illusion II (Geffen Records # GEFD-24420). It was released worldwide in 1993. This song is commercially the most successful on this list, reaching # 4 in the US Billboard rock charts, and reaching the charts in many European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.1 The narrator said that he "never fell for Vietnam", and that "we got the wall of D.C." to remind people that they cannot blindly trust the freedom and democratic systems they live in: "everybody's fightin' for their promised land". The song argued that war benefited the rich in society, while the poor and young suffered. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Look at your young men fighting, look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying, the way they've always done before...
They shot Kennedy, and I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for Vietnam
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all that you can't trust freedom when it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin' for their promised land I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers in a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
#58–69 John R. Black Vietnam Farewell 1991 · Album · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
All 12 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
John R. Black, a Vietnam veteran, currently based in Seattle, Washington, USA, born 26 December 1940. He left for Vietnam in January 1967, his first of two tours, having volunteered to join the service. His father was also in the military, stationed in China before World War Two.1 He released several pop rock Vietnam War-related albums. This one contains two songs about the memorial wall (which also feature on the compilation Meet Me in Vietnam). The first, "The Women on the Wall" , is unique in that it is the only song focused on the eight women inscribed on the wall, all nurses, who died in the Vietnam War - the song actually calls out their names: 1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane, 2nd Lt. Pamela Dorothy Donovan, Lt. Col. Annie Ruth Graham, Capt. Mary Therese Klinker, 2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba, 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones, Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander, 1st Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
#58 The Women on the Wall #59 Oh Mr. War Memorial #60 Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh #61 I Want to Be Free #62 I'm Home #63 Ricky I'm Right Behind You #64 Saigon Girl #65 Vietnam Farewell #66 Vietnam Farewell (Reprise) #67 Vietnam I'm Dreamin' Dreamin' On #68 We Don't Have to Worry Anymore #69 Who Did I Leave Behind
Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →
#58 John R. Black The Women on the Wall 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation
John R. Black, a Vietnam veteran, currently based in Seattle, Washington, USA, born 26 December 1940. He left for Vietnam in January 1967, his first of two tours, having volunteered to join the service. His father was also in the military, stationed in China before World War Two.1 He released several pop rock Vietnam War-related albums. This one contains two songs about the memorial wall (which also feature on the compilation Meet Me in Vietnam). The first, "The Women on the Wall" , is unique in that it is the only song focused on the eight women inscribed on the wall, all nurses, who died in the Vietnam War - the song actually calls out their names: 1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane, 2nd Lt. Pamela Dorothy Donovan, Lt. Col. Annie Ruth Graham, Capt. Mary Therese Klinker, 2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba, 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones, Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander, 1st Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
On the earth at another time, you have your life to save mine
In that war so far away, you cared for me in a special way
Heard your voice as you spoke to me as you gave up what you
Could...
Helped me through the lonely nights
'Till clocks changed to dawns early light
Oh farewell, oh farewell
Women on the Wall
Your spirit is strong
Women on the Wall
The boys say so long
Women on the Wall
God bless you all
Always remember the women on the Wall
Saigon, July...
Tenderness was all we knew
Gave us strength, kept hope alive, gave your love so we'd survive
Oh farewell...women on the Wall...
Elizabeth you're living on
Eleanor...not really gone
Pamela and Sharon, history will tell
Annie and Mary, we'll remember you...
There you are solid stone, names of soldiers forever burned
Forever deep inside your memory, so many there forever gone
Gave their lives so that we'd live on, names burned in solid stone
Heard...voices cry, each and everyone asking why
Love and sorrow, hard lessons to learn
Oh Mr. War Memorial
How are your boys today
Tell them we miss them, they died so far away
Oh Mr. War Memorial, you are so great and strong
Tell them all we're crying, we're so sorry they are gone
There you are solid stone, a monument stand alone
To arc against the deep grey sky, the sacrifice was supreme
They died to give..the dream, the cause of peace and liberty
The battle field say and night, fought to champion the right
Peace & freedom are lessons to learn, oh Mr. War Memorial
On the earth at another time, you have your life to save mine
In that war so far away, you cared for me in a special way
Heard your voice as you spoke to me as you gave up what you could...
Helped me through the lonely nights
'Till clocks changed to dawns early light
Oh farewell, oh farewell
Women on the Wall
Your spirit is strong
Women on the Wall
The boys say so long
Women on the Wall
God bless you all
Always remember the women on the Wall
Saigon, July...
Tenderness was all we knew
Gave us strength, kept hope alive, gave your love so we'd survive
Oh farewell...women on the Wall...
Elizabeth you're living on
Eleanor...not really gone
Pamela and Sharon, history will tell
Annie and Mary, we'll remember you...
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#59 John R. Black Oh Mr. War Memorial 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation
The track "Oh Mr. War Memorial" is a fairly standard tribute to those that died in Vietnam and whose names are on the memorial. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
There you are solid stone, names of soldiers forever burned
Forever deep inside your memory, so many there forever gone
Gave their lives so that we'd live on, names burned in solid stone
Heard...voices cry, each and everyone asking why
Love and sorrow, hard lessons to learn
Oh Mr. War Memorial
How are your boys today
Tell them we miss them, they died so far away
Oh Mr. War Memorial, you are so great and strong
Tell them all we're crying, we're so sorry they are gone
There you are solid stone, a monument stand alone
To arc against the deep grey sky, the sacrifice was supreme
They died to give..the dream, the cause of peace and liberty
The battle field say and night, fought to champion the right
Peace & freedom are lessons to learn, oh Mr. War Memorial
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#60 John R. Black Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#61 John R. Black I Want to Be Free 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#62 John R. Black I'm Home 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#63 John R. Black Ricky I'm Right Behind You 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#64 John R. Black Saigon Girl 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#65 John R. Black Vietnam Farewell 1991 · Album · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#66 John R. Black Vietnam Farewell (Reprise) 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#67 John R. Black Vietnam I'm Dreamin' Dreamin' On 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#68 John R. Black We Don't Have to Worry Anymore 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#69 John R. Black Who Did I Leave Behind 1991 · Album · Vietnam Farewell · Silver Star # JRB-1240 · USA
Annotation: see “Oh Mr. War Memorial” above (same release).
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#70–83 Sarge Lintecum Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace 1991 · Album · Tempest · USA
All 14 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
Sarge Lintecum was a veteran, who served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968, for twenty six months. His first tour was for eleven months, in the jungle with the 101st Airborne Division, doing search and destroy missions. His second tour was at E Company Support Battalion, at the base camp of the 101st Airborne Division, and his third tour was as a security guard with the elite Saigon Machine Gun Patrol.1 He released a few albums of Vietnam War-related material. On the blues rock album he released the song "Reunion at the Wall" , which started out with the intro: "I'd like to dedicated this song to all the GIs whose names are on the Wall" . The narrator said that he was going to the memorial wall in D.C. to visit his friends that he served with in Vietnam. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
#70 Reunion at the Wall #71 The Vietnam Blues #72 Blue Monsoon #73 Combat Fatigue #74 Five Down #75 Into the Fire From the Fryin' Pan #76 It Don't Mean Nothin' #77 Oh Shit #78 Saturday Morning Cartoons #79 Sister Soldier #80 This Shirt of Mine #81 Time Bomb in My Mind #82 Veteran's Wife #83 Welcome Home
Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →
#70 Sarge Lintecum Reunion at the Wall 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation
Sarge Lintecum was a veteran, who served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968, for twenty six months. His first tour was for eleven months, in the jungle with the 101st Airborne Division, doing search and destroy missions. His second tour was at E Company Support Battalion, at the base camp of the 101st Airborne Division, and his third tour was as a security guard with the elite Saigon Machine Gun Patrol.1 He released a few albums of Vietnam War-related material. On the blues rock album he released the song "Reunion at the Wall" , which started out with the intro: "I'd like to dedicated this song to all the GIs whose names are on the Wall" . The narrator said that he was going to the memorial wall in D.C. to visit his friends that he served with in Vietnam. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I'm going to see some friends of mine
I'm going to Washington
Some years ago I used to know these boys in Vietnam
Yeah I am going to see my friends in Washington
Well we were all young and crazy
When we were scared you'd never know
We took out the planes and partied real hard
And went when Uncle Sam said go
Yeah I'm gonna see them
Going to Washington
Well they're all back together now
There holding there heads up proud
I know I'll cry as I read there names as I stand before the Wall
Stand before the Wall, it was a long long time again
But time don't heal our wounds
So I'm going to see some friends of mine
Cause I got those Vietnam blues
We'll all be back together when I stand before the Wall
Genre: ♪ Rock
#71 Sarge Lintecum The Vietnam Blues 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#72 Sarge Lintecum Blue Monsoon 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#73 Sarge Lintecum Combat Fatigue 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#74 Sarge Lintecum Five Down 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#75 Sarge Lintecum Into the Fire From the Fryin' Pan 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#76 Sarge Lintecum It Don't Mean Nothin' 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#77 Sarge Lintecum Oh Shit 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#78 Sarge Lintecum Saturday Morning Cartoons 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
#79 Sarge Lintecum Sister Soldier 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#80 Sarge Lintecum This Shirt of Mine 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#81 Sarge Lintecum Time Bomb in My Mind 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Rock
#82 Sarge Lintecum Veteran's Wife 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
#83 Sarge Lintecum Welcome Home 1991 · Album · Vietnam Blues: Combat Tested Blues...for Peace · Tempest · USA
Annotation: see “Reunion at the Wall” above (same release).
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
1992
#84 Jonathan Edwards United By the Wall 1992 · United by the Wall · Not On Label · USA
Annotation
The song "United by the Wall" by Jonathan Edwards, a singer/songwriter, country artist, born 28 July 1946 in Aitkin, Minnesota, USA. He released some successful album in the 1970s, such as Jonathan Edwards (1971) and Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy (1972). He released around 20 albums. His website said: "he was of an age to be sent against his will to southeast Asia to become a soldier. He had a different idea. Songs and the need to write them".12 In the song, the narrator said that his brother faced a difficult choice when drafted: "should I fight or run" . He went to war to make his father proud, but was K.I.A. His mother cried that in war "only the young ones die" . The narrator is then at the Wall in D.C. to remember those that died. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
And the war was raging loud and it burned inside our soul
American the beautiful divided by the wall
Everybody I know fights a war in their own way
But would the choices we made back then be the same
My brother said should I fight or run
And he searched inside his heart, no matter what the answer was
Our lives were torn apart
My brother went away to make our father proud
When he didn't come back our mother cried out loud
She said war is fought by all of us
But only the young ones die
And leave us here to see ourselves and touch the wall and cry
And the war was raging loud...
A wall of separation ,a wall of black and rage
And memories and roses and children come to pray
Chiseled in stone, our brothers and sisters names
I hope something has changed and they didn't give their live in vain
People say the sun will shine again, and time united us all
Please god let us walk on from the shadow of the wall
And the war is raging loud
Now we stand here one and all, American the beautiful
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
Also in: ▤ Draft Songs
#85–92 Various Artists Songs of the Wall 1992 · Compilation · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
All 8 songs from this compilation in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
Various artist compilation, largely contemporary folk and pop songs, put together by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a non-profit organisation no longer in existence, said to have been established for "preserving its historical significance and emotional legacy".1 Songs included were: A1| Susan Graham White - "Facing the Wall"
A2| Cleve Francis - "Reflections on the Wall"
A3| Joel Mabus - "Touch a Name on the Wall"
A4| Barbara Jarrell - "Heal Over Vietnam"
A5| Pat Garvey - "Sons and Daughters"
A6| Richard Gill - "Soldiers of the Clouds"
B1| Pat Garvey - "Still Waiting at the Wall"
B2| Paula Jones - "Brother of Mine"
B3| Marie Zerby - "I Touched His Name Upon the Wall"
B4| Olin Murrell - "The Wall"
B5| The New Arkadelphians - "The Wall: Between the Lines"
B6| Brenda Simpson - "Welcome Home"
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
#85 Heal Over Vietnam #86 Sons and Daughters #87 Soldiers of the Clouds #88 Brother of Mine #89 I Touched His Name Upon the Wall #90 The Wall #91 The Wall: Between the Lines #92 Welcome Home
Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →
#85 Barbara Jarrell Heal Over Vietnam 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Annotation
Various artist compilation, largely contemporary folk and pop songs, put together by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a non-profit organisation no longer in existence, said to have been established for "preserving its historical significance and emotional legacy".1 Songs included were: A1| Susan Graham White - "Facing the Wall"
A2| Cleve Francis - "Reflections on the Wall"
A3| Joel Mabus - "Touch a Name on the Wall"
A4| Barbara Jarrell - "Heal Over Vietnam"
A5| Pat Garvey - "Sons and Daughters"
A6| Richard Gill - "Soldiers of the Clouds"
B1| Pat Garvey - "Still Waiting at the Wall"
B2| Paula Jones - "Brother of Mine"
B3| Marie Zerby - "I Touched His Name Upon the Wall"
B4| Olin Murrell - "The Wall"
B5| The New Arkadelphians - "The Wall: Between the Lines"
B6| Brenda Simpson - "Welcome Home"
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Track A4, 4:01. Words and music by Barbara Jarrell (c) 1992. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
#86 Pat Garvey Sons and Daughters 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Credited on the record as Pat Garvey and Sons and Daughters in Touch.
Notes
Track A5, 3:22. Performed by Pat Garvey and Sons and Daughters in Touch; words and music (c) 1990 by Tom Kelly, Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
#87 Richard Gill Soldiers of the Clouds 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Credited on the record as Richard Gill and the Legion of Honor.
Notes
Track A6, 4:16. Performed by Richard Gill and the Legion of Honor; words and music by Richard "Doc" Gill (c) 1987; other songs available from Richard Gill, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
#88 Paula Jones Brother of Mine 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Notes
Track B2, 4:18. Words and music by Paula Jones (c) 1992; other songs available from Paula Jones, Camarillo, California. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
#89 Marie Zerby I Touched His Name Upon the Wall 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Notes
Track B3, 4:32. Words and music by Marie Zerby (c) 1991; other songs available from Living Tree Records, Canon City, Colorado. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall K.I.A.
#90 Olin Murrell The Wall 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Notes
Track B4, 3:00. Words and music by Olin Murrell (c) 1988. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
#91 The New Arkadelphians The Wall: Between the Lines 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Notes
Track B5, 3:28. Words and music by Jack Cheshire (c) 1990; "soon to be released" on The New Arkadelphians' album "Dane On A Cadillac" (Paper Airplanes Music, Gulf Breeze, Florida). Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] #92 Brenda Simpson Welcome Home 1992 · Compilation · Songs of the Wall · Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial # None · USA
Notes
Track B6, 3:39. Words and music by Brenda Simpson (c) 1990; previously released on Brenda Simpson's tape "Welcome Home", available from Brenda Simpson, Casper, Wyoming. Songs of the Wall cassette, produced by The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Ira J. Hamburg, president; Wanda Ruffin, In Touch director), Arlington, Virginia; assembled and edited at RBO Studio, Springfield, Virginia; engineered by Brad Hayford; production assistance by Pat Garvey. [From the cassette insert] Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
1993
#93 Crystal Gayle Til the White Dove Flies Alone 1993 · Single · Til The White Dove Flies Alone · Star Spangled · USA
Annotation
"Til the White Dove Flies Alone" - one of the only songs specifically about the women's memorial added to the site in 1993, composed by Rod McBrien and John Linde - as written on the front cover: "To commemorate the dedication of the Vietnam women's memorial. Washington DC - November 11, 1993".11 This is a cassette-only single, produced by Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project (VWMP).Sources
- 1 Chicago Tribune ↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Star Spangled Music cassette single, same song on both sides; cover: "To commemorate the dedication of the Vietnam women's memorial. Washington DC - November 11, 1993"; produced for the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project. Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
1994
#94 Jamie O'Hara 50,000 Names 1994 · Rise Above It · RCA # 07863 66297-2 · USA
Annotation
Jamie O'Hara, born in Toledo, Ohio, USA on 8 August 1950, a member of the 1980s country duo The O'Kanes. He released the song "50,000 Names" (RCA Records # 66297) about Vietnam War memorial in Washington.1 The song was covered by George Jones in 2002 on his album The Rock, below. It picked up some attention in Billboard, although does not seem to have charted.2 The song focused on the ornaments left by people visiting the Wall, from all religions and backgrounds: "there's stars of David and rosary beads, and crucifixion figurines" . Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
There's teddy bears and high school rings
And old photographs that mamas bring
Of daddies with their young boys playin' ball
There's combat boots he used to wear
When he was sent over there
And there's 50,000 names carved in the wall
There's cigarettes and cans of beer
And notes that say: "I miss you dear"
And children who don't say anything at all
There's purple hearts and packs of gum
Fatherless daughters and fatherless sons
And there's 50,000 names carved in the wall
They come from all across this land /In pick-up trucks and mini vans
Searchin' for a boy from long ago
They scan the wall and find his name
The teardrops fall like pourin' rain
Then silently they leave a gift and go
There's stars of David and rosary beads
And crucifixion figurines
And flowers of all colours large and small
There's a boy scout badge and a merit pin
Little American flags wavin' in the wind
And there's 50,000 names carved in the wall
50,000 names carved in the wall
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
1995
#95 Susan Graham White Facing the Wall 1995 · Rescue · USA
Annotation
Susan Graham White, a singer/songwriter, released the song "Facing the Wall" 1 - this was recorded at the Lion & Fox Recording Studios in Washington D.C., USA. She released a few albums in the 1990s, before retiring from music to focus on her career as an equestrian rider, trainer, and judge, in Maryland, USA. She released some new material in the 2000s. Pete Kennedy featured on this album, playing electric guitar and bass on several tracks (he released his own Vietnam War song in 1987: 19 in Vietnam). The narrator recalled visiting the memorial wall in DC, finding her loved one: "I know the panel and the line to find your name again" . She described the death as a "tragedy in Vietnam" and that it was "a war we'd never understand" . This song featured on the 1992 compilation Songs of the Wall, above. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I knew my heart would leave me back to where the Wall begins
I know the panel and the line to find your name again
Another years gone, and your memory calls
I close my eyes and hear your voice each time I'm facing the Wall
I stand before the dreaded truth, your name is etched in stone
I touch my finger to the wound, your never coming home
But I'm keeping your dreams, I remember them all
I see your brave reflection here each time I'm facing the Wall
Where would you be today if there were battles won...
Lives to pay...a war we'd never understand
A tragedy in Vietnam
There's always someone standing here and staring at a name
And through a sea of faces the feelings are the same
When I return and the tears starts to fall
Leave them like a souvenir, each time I'm facing the wall
Genre: ♪ Pop
1996
#96 Iris DeMent There's a Wall in Washington 1996 · The Way I Should · Warner Bros. # 9 46188-2 · USA
Annotation
Singer/songwriter, country artist, born 5 January 1961 in Paragould, Arkansas, USA, and currently based in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She is married to Americana artist Greg Brown. On this post-war 1996 album she released the song "There's a Wall in Washington" (Warner Bros. Records # 9 46188-2), of course a reference to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. This song contained some anti-war sentiment at the end, with the cry "who is to blame for this wall in Washington" and "why is my father's name etched here in it" . The main bulk of the song dealt with a father visiting the memorial to remember his son. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
There's a wall in Washington and it's made of cold black granite
They say 60,000 names are etched there in it, in that wall in Washington
A father, he traveled from far away to walk the path
'Til he finds that name he reaches his hand up and traces each letter
The tears they fall as his memories gather for the boy who filled his heart with pride
Is now but a name that's been etched in the side of this wall in Washington
A mother she traveled from far away to walk the path
'Til she finds that name, she reaches her hand up and traces each letter
The tears they fall as her memories gather
She feels the baby at her breast but her heart it breaks because all that is left is this wall in Washington
A boy he traveled from far away to walk the path
'Til he finds that name, he reaches his hand up and traces each letter
He stares at the name of his unknown father, his heart is young and it's filled with pain
In anger he cries out, "who is to blame for this wall in Washington that's made of cold black granite?
Why is my father's name etched here in it, in this wall in Washington?
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Folk
#97 Moe Bandy Chiseled in the Wall 1996 · Compilation · These Colors Won't Run: A Veteran Tribute · TCWR # 53787 · USA
Annotation
1990s patriotic compilation, with an impressive line-up of artists, including Bobby Bare and B. J. Thomas, in the country music genre, promoted as a tribute to veterans, and thus all the songs deal with war. Two are focused on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in DC. Released on TCWR Records (# 53787), from Dallas, Texas, USA. The song "Chiseled in the Wall" is by Moe Bandy, born 12 February 1944, Meridian, Mississippi, USA, and currently Branson, Missouri, USA. Narrator in the first person, he recalled that he was 18 in 1965, "sent away to the closest thing to hell". The narrator remembered the ones left behind, killed in action, and now on the memorial wall.The song "Beyond the Wall" by well-known country artist Charley Pride, born 18 March 1934 in Sledge, Mississippi, USA, and currently based in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is one of the very few African-Americans to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He had a hugely successful career, with 52 top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 30 of which made it to number one, becoming the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley.1 The song noted that there is "a story for every name written on that wall", and referred to the "special things" that visitors leave: such as a "ragged teddy bear" - a child's favourite toy, given to them by their father, killed in action?
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
TCWR Records 53787 (Dallas, Texas), ℗ 1996 Canyon Creek Records; track 6. Reissued digitally in 2011.Lyrics
English
The year was 1965 and I was just eighteen
And I was sent away to the closest thing to hell I’d ever seen
So many boys that were just like me
Only one thing on our mind
To get back home to the ones we love but some were left behind
They’re unsung hero’s and friends we used to know
Maybe they were just next door or called your house their home
For you and I they gave their life
They took that final call
Now they’re just another name that’s chiseled in the wall
That’s been almost 30 years ago but it seems like yesterday
I guess that’s why I come down here and look through all those names
I know that I can’t bring them back
But they live here in my mind
Oh I wish that I could thank them just one time
They’re...another name...chiseled in the wall
Genre: ♪ Country
#98 Charley Pride Beyond the Wall 1996 · Compilation · These Colors Won't Run: A Veteran Tribute · TCWR # 53787 · USA
Notes
TCWR Records 53787, ℗ 1996 Canyon Creek Records; track 8. Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall K.I.A.
Genre: ♪ Country
#99 Jim Hatch Touch a Name on the Wall 1996 · Album · A Viet Nam Aviators Odyssey · USA
Annotation
Vietnam War veteran Jim Hatch released this album of war songs, which included "Touch a Name on the Wall" about the memorial.. Hatch said that: "I first heard this song on the 10 NOV 93 Marine Corps birthday. Laurie Canaan, who played the fiddle and sang harmony on that occasion, graciously agreed to do so for this album". With regards to the album, Hatch said that:Liner notes
in recent years, several of the men I had the privilege to fly with, have urged me to record a sample of these musical oddities. I decided to start with songs we sang in flight training, through two tours in Viet Nam, in between tours, and up to the present day". (1)Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Liner notes signed "Jim Hatch, Tustin, CA 1996"; track 20 of 20, with Laurie Canaan (fiddle, harmony vocals). Hatch first heard the song at the 10 November 1993 Marine Corps birthday. Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#100 Michael McCann The Wall 1996 · Soldiers' Songs · MM # 001-2 · USA
Annotation
Michael McCann was born in 1945, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is currently based in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He enlisted in the army in 1968 and became a Green Beret. He was wounded while serving as a combat medic on a Special Forces A-team in Vietnam, receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor. He left the army in 1971.1 He released this record in 1996, which contained the song "The Wall" , composed by Tim Murphy, who received the Silver Star in Vietnam, a cross between singer/songwriter and Irish folk music. The song told the story of a man visiting the memorial, people watching, from the "tourists, and the querious" as well as "the veterans" , all coming together at the same place for various reasons, but still a "common bond" . Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
On a drizzly DC morning in the middle of July
My brother bought me downtown to the Wall
Past the watchful eyes were blinking beneath a weeping summer sky
We crossed the street to the little green, and visited the Wall
I remember I was nervous then, I guess a little scared
Cause I wasn't sure how I'd react at all
See the names of the servicemen who been recorded there
Who heard the final roll call, and assembled at the wall
And every name’s a father or a husband or a son
Or a daughter or a brother or a cousin to someone
Or a name might be a classmate or a friend you may recall
There’s nearly sixty thousand fallen names, still waiting at The Wall
Now the wall has many granite sections, solid gold and black
Visitors, they pause and touch a name
And it seems that in the dark reflections hands were reaching back
As if to reach, to touch and hold the hands...
Someone might leave a rose, a letter or a poem
A message to young man loved and lost
And to show they still remember those who never made it home
They built the wall so long and tall, and paid the bitter cost...
As I watched the minds of people walk by in slow parade
I read a different story in each face
But I couldn't help wonder in this pilgrimage we made
What common bond if any may have brought us to this place
There were tourists, and the querious, and some veterans who came
Some others who sought an answer to it all
But the only thing I'm sure of is we left not quite the same
With our memories alive...
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
1997
#101 J.D. Blackfoot Missing You in St. Louis 1997 · Ohio Dream · Sisapa # 5948-2-EP · USA
Annotation
Singer/songwriter, and psychedelic rock / folk artist, he was born Benjamin Franklin Van Dervort on 9 May 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The song "Missing You in St. Louis" , a beautiful, sad, tribute to the artist's high school friend John Kramer (of Beltsville, Maryland), K.I.A. in Vietnam, and inscribed on the wall memorial - although the Wall is not mentioned directly in the lyrics, it was dedicated to the Wall, and he performed it at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. at the 20th Anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.1 The narrator recalled bumping into the K.I.A. soldier's father at the hardware store, then looking at his picture at the school's 25th reunion, and the soldier's mother calling to say that it would have been his birthday. He paid tribute to "the brothers and sisters who marched home again" , while remembering his friend. The song ended with helicopter sound-effects. J.D. Blackfoot served in both the Army National Guard and as an Air Policeman in the Air Force Reserve (1963-1969). Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I ran into Nathan at the hardware store
Topic got around to the Vietnam War
Still remembers the telegram coming that day
He stared out into the distance, then he turned and walked away
The night walked in on someone
Missing you in St. Louis
Had our 25th reunion in '92
Found your picture in the yearbook, reminisced about you
Every eye in the room started to look
When crazy Con mentioned how extremely handsome you were
The night closed in on some friends
Missing you in St. Louis
So here's to Johnny, my hero, my wonderful friend
Here's to the brothers and sisters who marched home again
Here's to the honor and glory, my tribute to you
My children are safe and free tonight in the red, white, and blue
The night closed in on someone
Thinking of you in St. Louis
Mother...called today to ask if I'd remembered that it was your birthday
She said you know that's the hardest time of all
She said she could of sworn that she heard your footsteps down the hall
And night closed in on someone
Missing you in St. Louis...
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
1998
#102 George Grove Where Have All the Flowers Gone? - a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Album 1998 · Album · Where Have All the Flowers Gone? - A Vietnam Veterans Memorial Album · Timber Grove · USA
Notes
Album line, contains Vietnam references. Songs and poems [From Justin A. Brummer notes from RYM] Timber Grove Records, 2657 Windmill Parkway # 3333, Las Vegas, Nevada. [From the Rate Your Music label page] Themes: Vet Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
1999
#103 John McDermott The Wall 1999 · Remebrance · Angel # 98981 · USA
Annotation
John McDermott, born on 25 March 1955 in Glasgow, Glasgow City, UK, and currently based in the USA, released the song "The Wall" (Angel Records # 98981), a contemporary folk version of the song above (performed by Michael McCann, and written by Vietnam War veteran Tim Murphy), with a few alternative lyrics, including reference to the Lincoln Memorial in the first verse. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
On a drizzly DC morning in the middle of July
My brother bought me downtown to the Wall
Past the watchful eyes of Lincoln, beneath a weeping summer sky
We crossed the street to the little green, and visited the Wall
I remember I was nervous then, I guess a little scared
Cause I wasn't sure how I'd react at all
To see the names of the servicemen who been recorded there
Who heard the final roll call, and assembled at the wall
And every name’s a father or a husband or a son
Or a daughter or a brother or a cousin to someone
Or a name might be a classmate or a friend you may recall
There’s nearly sixty thousand fallen names, still waiting at the wall...
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ European Songs
#104 John McDermott The Wall 1999 · Compilation · Remembrance · Angel # 7243 4 98981 2 7 · UK
Annotation
John McDermott, born on 25 March 1955 in Glasgow, Glasgow City, UK, and currently based in the USA, released the song "The Wall" ( Angel Records # 98981), a contemporary folk version of the song above (performed by Michael McCann , and written by Vietnam War veteran Tim Murphy), with a few alternative lyrics, including reference to the Lincoln Memorial in the first verse. Also see: Vietnam War: Veterans Memorial Wall Songs
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
CD, Album, Compilation. Co-producers: Bill Bridges, Brigham Phillips, John McDermott. ℗/© EMI Music Canada; manufactured/distributed by Angel Records. Barcode 724349898127. Contemporary folk version of the song performed by Michael McCann and written by Vietnam veteran Tim Murphy, with alternative lyrics including a reference to the Lincoln Memorial in the first verse. Cover of The Wall – Michael McCann.Lyrics
English
On a drizzly DC morning in the middle of July
My brother bought me downtown to the Wall
Past the watchful eyes of Lincoln, beneath a weeping summer sky
We crossed the street to the little green, and visited the Wall
I remember I was nervous then, I guess a little scared
Cause I wasn't sure how I'd react at all
To see the names of the servicemen who been recorded there
Who heard the final roll call, and assembled at the wall
And every name’s a father or a husband or a son
Or a daughter or a brother or a cousin to someone
Or a name might be a classmate or a friend you may recall
There’s nearly sixty thousand fallen names, still waiting at the wall...
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ European Songs
2001
#105 Paul Revere & The Raiders Ride to the Wall 2001 · Album · Rhino # RWF 1005 · USA
Annotation
Post-2000s rock album, which featured an image of a soldier in Vietnam on the front cover, and which said that it was "dedicated to all the men and women who served in the Vietnam War". Released by the famous group Paul Revere & The Raiders, formed in 1958, Boise, Idaho, USA, originally led by Paul Revere (from 1958, until his death in 2014), but with a revolving line-up. Revere was born 7 January 1938 in Harvard, Nebraska, USA, and died 4 October 2014, in Garden Valley, Idaho, USA. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Now here's a story that need to be told, of a midnight ride, let the world know...
Rolling thunder bikers heard his call
Fired up their hogs, and headed towards the wall
Coast to coast...
To show the numbers...we're riding to the wall
The Vietnam tribe, to honor those who put it all on the line
We're riding to the wall, the price they had to pay...
With blood for the USA
Some say it's over, it's in the past
But the wall is proof that their story will last
Tears in their eyes...reminds us of the veterans living and dead
Rolling thunder bikers, side by side, remembering those carved...
Harley's roaring, by the thousands they ride
To the big black wall...
The Vietnam vet, ride to the wall, never forget...
We'll ride to the wall, the Vietnam tribe...
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
#106 Paul Revere & The Raiders Rolling Thunder 2001 · Album · Ride to the Wall · Rhino # RWF 1005 · USA
Annotation
The theme of the album was "Rolling Thunder" , an organisation seeking accountability for prisoners of war (P.O.W.s) and missing in action (M.I.A.). Since 1987, Rolling Thunder held The First Amendment Demonstration Run, formerly called "Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall", a motorcycle rally on Memorial Sunday, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. There were an estimated 500,000 bikers for the Rolling Thunder ride to the National Mall in 2018.12 The title song "Ride to the Wall" , was a patriotic tribute, which called the bikers the "Vietnam tribe" , heading towards the memorial, from coast to coast. It paid tribute to the "veterans living and dead" .The other song, "Rolling Thunder" is of course a direct reference to the motorcycle run on Memorial Sunday, which said that they would "be heard throughout the land" and that they were taking a "stand, to honor fallen heroes" . The song described combat conditions, from the jungle to the DMZ, fighting the enemy in the dark. The narrated said that "our prisoners" were "tortured" -. The narrator also referenced the Tet Offensive, described as an event that some soldiers survived - this was a campaign launched by the North Vietnamese army and the VC on South Vietnam, on the Vietnamese New Year, 30 January 1968. It is viewed by historians as a watershed moment, feeding into the US "credibility gap", and providing support to those who wanted to end the war. Another interesting reference is the line that veterans were "spit on by the people who stood against the war" - this is the famous "spitting image", although no actual incidents have been documented, and this is considered to be a myth.34 Also note that the narrator criticised politicians, saying that they used the veterans.
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
They fought in the jungle and died on foreign soil
And spit on by the people who stood against the war
Used by politicians who beat them like a drum
But now the war is over and the time has finally come
Rolling thunder from the highways, will be heard throughout the land
Fighting band of brothers are going to make a stand
To honor fallen heroes who never had a chance
Rolling thunder from the jungle...
Now they died in the Delta, and on the DMZ
Fought in total darkness with a ghost they could not see
Survived the Tet Offensive, and the stories they can tell...
With the tortured, that our prisoners knew too...
God has come to guide us, to lend his mighty hand...
Guide us to our brothers who we'll never leave behind...
Rolling thunder
Genre: ♪ Rock
Also in: ▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
2002
#107 George Jones 50,000 Names 2002 · Album · The Rock · Bandit # BNA07863-67029-2 · USA
Annotation
Well-known Nashville Sound country artist, born 12 September 1931, Saratoga, Texas, USA, and died 26 April 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, he has a very successful careers, with a string of albums in the 60s and 70s. On this post-war album, he released a cover of Jamie O'Hara's "50,000 Names" .Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Genres: ♪ CountryNashville Sound
2005
#108 Scott Ainslie Rice Grows Again in Vietnam 2005 · The Feral Crow · Cattail # 2004 · USA
Annotation
Scott Ainslie, a blues and country singer based in Brattleboro, Vermont, also taught music history and published a music notation book on the delta blues guitarist Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson - Guitar Signature Tricks). He self-released a bunch of albums on his website, including "The Feral Crow" .1 In the song "Don't Obey" he mentioned the Kent State shootings, as well as the 1968 Chicago Demonstrations. The song warned against blindly following Uncle Sam when "they speak to you of glory" and use "words like good and evil" . He used Hitler and Stalin as examples of the "horror of obedience" . Therefore, he called on people not to obey a country's call for war, remembering that at "Kent State...we cry out, we bleed" . In the song "Rice Grows Again in Vietnam" , Ainslie reflected on the land of Vietnam decades after the war, where "new life has begun" . The song featured Vietnamese vocals from Nguyen Dinh Nghia, who fled Saigon in 1975, and immigrated to Washington DC in 1984. The song was dedicated to him, see note below the lyrics.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
A family working in the sun
Food must be grown for everyone
So green, new life has begun
Rice Grows Again In Vietnam
Our fathers met here long ago
And with their blood these fields are sown
So silent now, where many fell
So many stories they can’t tell
Receive the weak, receive the strong
And prayers of ours for those who’ve gone
Forgive me for the wrongs I’ve done
Give me the strength to carry on
There will be days when rain must fall
Upon these fields, upon the wall
But may the harvest of these tears
Bring peace to our remaining years
Lift up your tools, lay down your gun
Once peace is lost, nothing is won
Harvest a thousand grains from one
Rice grows again in Vietnam
There will be days when rain must fall
Upon these fields, upon the wall
But may the harvest of these tears
Bring peace to our remaining years
And though the war’s pain is not gone
Rice grows again in Vietnam
This song is dedicated to Nguyen Dinh Nghia, a master of traditional Vietnamese flute and composition who taught at the National Conservatory of Music and at Van Hanh University in Saigon in the 1960s, and to his friend and mine, Larry Bohnert. Nghia fled Saigon when the Communists took over in 1975, fearful that his talent might be used in their cause. It took him almost ten years to escape South East Asia, and he landed in the Washington, DC area with his family in 1984. At first uneasy about the expatriate community’s response to a song of reconciliation, Nghia had finally agreed to perform on this track with me, but was prevented from participating by health problems that continue to plague him to this day. His generous spirit and his assessment that this track would “Change many hearts” sustained me as I pursued this recording. This song is dedicated to his friend, Larry Bohnert, who connected us, to Nghia, and to his family".
Genre: ♪ Singer Songwriter
2006
#109–111 Phil Ferrazano Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart 2006 · Album · USA
3 of the 6 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
Three songs on this country pop album, dealing with the memorial wall: "Facing the Wall", "Touching Your Name", and "Angels on a Wall".Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →
#109 Phil Ferrazano Facing the Wall 2006 · Album · Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart · USA
Annotation
Three songs on this country pop album, dealing with the memorial wall: "Facing the Wall", "Touching Your Name", and "Angels on a Wall".Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Tracks 1–3 are the Wall songs; other Vietnam tracks: Bobby's Saigon Boogie, Mekong River, Sons and Daughters. Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#110 Phil Ferrazano Touching Your Name 2006 · Album · Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart · USA
Notes
Track 2 of Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart. Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vet
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#111 Phil Ferrazano Angels on a Wall 2006 · Album · Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart · USA
Notes
Track 3 of Vietnam Remembered: Songs From the Heart. Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
2010
#112 Michael McCann The Wall 2010 · Album · Soldier's Songs · Soldier's Song # MM-001-2 · USA
Annotation
The ultimate Vietnam War compilation, released by Bear Family Records, it includes 13 discs, 334 tracks, and a 304 page booklet. In fact you can spend 16 hours and 49 minutes listening to Vietnam War songs if you like. Hugo Keesing, a popular music collector and teacher (formerly at the University of Maryland) produced the compilation, and help to find, select, and evaluate most the songs included - his personal collection of Vietnam War songs stretches into the thousands. Also see The Keesing Collection on Popular Music and Culture.1 It is split into various themes, such as veterans, the patriotic, the draft, the protest movement, the plight of the soldiers etc. The blurb says:The compilation of course included several songs about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C. including "The Big Parade" by 10,000 Maniacs, "Long Black Wall" by Johnny Anthony, "More Than a Name on the Wall" by the The Statler Brothers, "The Wall" by Michael McCann, "Finally Welcomed Home" by Bobby Ross, "Who Are the Names on the Wall" and "Time to Lay It Down (aka The Wall)" by Michael J. Martin & Tim Holiday, "The Women on the Wall" by John Black, "Ride to the Wall" by Paul Revere & The Raiders, and "Salute the Boys of Vietnam" by J.C. Weaver.
Booklet notes
From America's first, naive impressions of a country called Vietnam through the spirited musical debate over the morality of the war to the healing meditations on the conflict's lengthy aftermath, this set captures it all and more".Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
CD album Soldier's Songs (Soldier's Song MM-001-2); "The Wall" written by Tim Murphy. Also on the Bear Family box ...Next Stop Is Vietnam (2010). Pat Garvey's "Still Waiting at the Wall" (VWSP5693) is also by Tim Murphy. Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
2012
#113 Rebecca Linda Smith The Wall 2012 · Not On Label · USA
Annotation
Rebecca Linda Smith, served in the US armed forces, as a US Army First Lieutenant.1. She released the song "The Wall" about the veterans memorial in D.C. It took a standard patriotic tribute route, praising those who answered the call to fight in "that bitter war called Vietnam" . The narrator sung that "freedom is not free for the living, for the dead" , thus suggesting support for the objective of the US government in going to war in Vietnam. The narrator said that the wall provided comfort to the families of the deceased. Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
The names are etched on the wall, more than 58,000 in all
The fallen from the furthest to the last
More were young and fought with zeal until mortal wounds that could not heal
In a place where all grew up too fast
The wall was designed with heroes in mind
And when their names are read, we'll get to see that freedom is not free for the living, for the dead
The wall with names of lives that were lost
It can never fully count their cost
In that bitter war called Vietnam, it personifies the price they paid
The total sacrifice they made, when called to serve by their Uncle Sam...
The wall is were the living can go, to lett their brother or sister know
That their death was not in vain
It reaches out to all who come
Touching the soul of everyone
With the wall which helps to ease the pain
The wall was designed with our heroes...
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
2013
#114 Sid Orr As Long As That Black Granite Stands 2013 · Album · Vietnam: The Journey · Not On Label · USA
Annotation
Sid Orr - he joined the marines in 1966 after high school, and served in the Vietnam War, with the Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMM-362) Ugly Angels at Phu Bai, Vietnam from 1969-1970. He currently lives in Woodstock, Georgia, USA. He is also in a group called The Tunnel Rats.1 He released this 2013 album of patriotic country songs about the Vietnam War. It included the song "As Long as That Black Granite Stands" about the memorial wall. This one took a religious perspective, focusing on a chaplain in combat in Vietnam, K.I.A.: "he grabbed his chest, his life flashed there in the water and the blood" . Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Chaplain broke the bread and served the wine
Chaplain said my son you'll never die
Your sins are washed away
Your born from above
Born of the water and the blood
He served in the swamps of Vietnam
The platoon fought hard man to man
An AK crack, a bullet slash, he grabbed his chest
His life flashed there in the water and the blood
As long as that black granite stands
58,000 names man to man
The word of the chaplain come alive
In our hearts our brothers never dies
We'll never let our brother's memories die
He wore a helmet and a dark green vest
To protect his head and the best part of his chest
The chaplain told his men that this won't even start to protect the wounded warriors heart...
Some day you think that war is behind you
Then that day will hit you one more time
As long as that long black granite stands...
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#115 Sid Orr He Can't Go Back Home (From Vietnam) 2013 · Album · Vietnam: The Journey · Not On Label · USA
Annotation: see “As Long As That Black Granite Stands” above (same release).
2014
#116 Bruce Springsteen The Wall 2014 · Album · High Hopes · Columbia # 88843015461 · USA
Annotation
Bruce Springsteen, born on 23 September 1949, in Long Beach, New Jersey, nicknamed the "Boss", is an Americana and heartland rock artist, known for his socially conscious lyrics, including many songs that reference Vietnam or feature a Vietnam veteran as the protagonist. This includes "Highway Patrolman" on Nebraska (1982); a double-sided Vietnam single, "Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light" (1984); a cover of Edwin Starr's "War" (1986); "Youngstown" & "Galveston Bay", both on The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995); "The Wall" on High Hopes (2014); two songs on Tracks (1998), a compilation of rare material, called "Brothers Under the Bridges '83" and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"; in 2006 he released a version of Pete Seeger's anti-Vietnam song "Bring Them Home" on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions [American Land Edition]. He also discussed the Vietnam War on the album Springsteen on Broadway (2018), especially with regards to the acoustic rendition of "Born in the U.S.A." His debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) contained many war references, such as "Lost in the Flood". Additionally, his song "Freedom Cadence" dealt with both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, featuring in the closing credits of the 2017 film Thank You for Your Service. Springsteen wrote the song "The Wall" (Columbia Records # 88843015462) following a visit to the memorial, to see the names of two of his friends who were K.I.A. in Vietnam, both members of New Jersey rock & roll bands - Bart Haynes, the drummer in The Castiles, a group that Springsteen was a member of, and Walter Cichon, lead singer of The Motifs.1 The song noted that the former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (under both JFK and LBJ) had said he was sorry for his part in the war. The narrated said "apology and forgiveness got no place here at all".
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Columbia 88843015462, track 11, 4:20. Written after a visit to the Memorial, for Walter Cichon (The Motifs) and Bart Haynes (The Castiles), both killed in Vietnam. [From Discogs; the RYM annotation]Lyrics
English
Cigarettes and a bottle of beer, this poem that I wrote for you
This black stone and these hard tears are all I got left now of you
I remember you in your Marine uniform laughing, laughing at your ship out party
I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry
Your high boots and striped t-shirt, ah, Billy you looked so bad
Yeah you and your rock and roll band, you were the best thing this shit town ever had
Now the men that put you here eat with their families in rich dining halls
And apology and forgiveness got no place here at all, here at the wall
Well I'm sorry I missed you last year, I couldn't find no one to drive me
If your eyes could cut through that black stone, tell me would they recognize me
For the living time it must be served as the day goes on
Cigarettes and a bottle of beer, skin on black stone
On the ground dog tags and wreaths of flowers, with the ribbons red as the blood
Red as the blood you spilled in the Central Highlands mud
Limousines rush down Pennsylvania Avenue, rustling the leaves as they fall
And apology and forgiveness got no place here at all, here at the wall
Also in: ▤ Bruce Springsteen Songs
#117 JP Williams The Wall Song 2014 · Single · Not On Label · USA
Annotation
JP Williams is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. He released the song "The Wall Song" , written by songwriters Mitch Townley and Brad Dunse, inspired by a poem called "The Spirit of the Wall" by Judy Gorman King.12 The song is narrated from the perspective of one of the names on the wall, who observed his friend visiting him, "with that silver in your hair" . The narrator is "all of 21...forever young at the Wall" . The narrator recalled joining the army, expressing patriotic sentiment: "we were proud to serve our country" . The narrator was then "shipped...off to 'Nam" . He recalled the heat, mud, blood, and death. He was K.I.A., and so his friend returned to the US alone, to a country that could not comprehend the impact of the war on the veterans. Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
When you were searchin' for my name today I saw you standing there man
You look different with that silver in your hair
Me I haven't aged a bit, still all of 21, that's the thing about us spirits
We're forever young at the wall, here at the wall
We were proud to serve our country when called by Uncle Sam
Then more than a little anxious, when they shipped us off to 'Nam
Remember all the heat and bugs, days marchin' through the mud
Constant gunfire, smell of death, sight of all that blood
Some gave all, the names carved in this wall
But it's a wall of love, a wall that heals, a wall that touches and helps
You feel the faces of more than 50,000 names
Feel the wall, be forever changed
When we finally got the orders sayin' we could go back home
They were lookin' for my body so you made the trip alone
You came back to a country that couldn't comprehend how so many boys that left returned as messed up men
Who served with all the names here on the wall....
So as you stand there weepin' with your fingers on my name
Share with those cute grand kids the reason for this place
To restore some stolen gratitude and dignity
This granite wall of honor that holds my memory...
It's wall that heals, a wall that touches and helps you feel the faces of more than 50,000 names
Feel the wall, be forever changed, feel the wall...
Genres: ♪ CountryCountry Pop
Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs
2016
#118 PJ Harvey Near The Memorials To Vietnam And Lincoln 2016 · Album · The Hope Six Demolition Project · Island # 4791541 · UK
Notes
Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln (PJ Harvey)Lyrics
English
All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln
At the refreshments stand
A boy throws out his hands
As if to feed the starlings
But really he throws nothing
It's just to watch them jump
See the people coming
They're moving over the grass
To squeeze in two plastic chairs...
Three notes, a bugle call
A black man in overalls
Arrives to empty the trash
Hauls it to a metal hatch
A doorway opens up
To the underworld
The boy throws empty hands
And the starlings jump
All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln
Genres: ♪ RockAlternative Rock
Also in: ▤ European Songs
Unknown date
#119 Cleve Francis Reflections on the Wall USA
Annotation
Smooth soul song "Reflections on the Wall" , recorded in 1987 in Nashville, Tennessee, possibly on an album called Reflection, although have not tracked this down yet.1 It was composed with Arthur Lisi in 1986. His website said that "JanScruggs, the organizer of the memorial, was so moved by the composition that he asked Cleve to perform the song on Memorial Day, 1987, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial."23 The song appeared on the various artist cassette-only compilation Songs of the Wall (1992). Jet magazine referenced the song on 18 January 1988, saying that the album: "was applauded because of his ode to the Vietnam veterans, Reflections on the Wall".4 The album also contained a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., released as a single: Martin. Cleve Francis was born in Jennings,Louisiana, USA, and graduated from Southern University in 1967. He moved to Virginia, to College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and the Medical College of Virginia where he performed at "many on campus coffeehouses and roadside bars and cafes".5 He then worked at George Washington University Hospital in Washington,D.C. The song focused on the diversity of those who "fought and died for America", including "from cities both big and small, the rich, and the poor, all colors". The song ended with the narrator hoping for a world of peace so that more people would not die.Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
YouTube upload (channel Nancy Lisi Musicalhossgal): song written by Cleve Francis in 1987 and performed 25 May at the Vietnam Wall; audio produced by Arthur Lisi; Cleve Francis lead vocal, David Yarborough flute, Arthur Lisi keyboards, Greg Jennings guitars. No Discogs release found; nearby Discogs items: 'Martin' (Southern Tracks ST 1050, produced by Moses Dillard) and self-released LP 'Timeless' (Cleve Francis Productions EGE-822, 1985).Lyrics
English
The right or wrong of war, they never asked
Instead they headed the country's call, they fought and died for America
There names are there on the wall
From the North and the South, from the East and the West
From cities both big and small, from the rich and the poor, all colors they bore their names on the wall
They were bright young poets who would never write
Father who would never see their children grow tall
As old and as young as they ever be, patriots all, on the wall
Unless we can learn from our past all their dying would have been in vain and brave young men will return to the war
To add names to the wall again
The wall is here to remind us all that good and brave men die when their country calls
We pray for a world where peace stand tall
Where men don't die in a war at all
There names are there on the wall...
Somebody's brother...crying mother there at the wall...
Genres: ♪ Soul, Gospel & FunkSoul
Also in: ▤ Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs
#120 Phil Coley Big Black Wall Single · Big Black Wall / Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam · Aftermath # AMH 101 · USA
Annotation
Phil Coley, based in Bowdon, Georgia, released this pop-rock / country doubled-sided Vietnam War single, recorded at Coley Recording Studio, Carrollton, Georgia.1 The A-side song "Big Black Wall" (Aftermath Records # AMH 101) focused on a vet going to the memorial wall in Washington D.C., to see the names of his buddies from Vietnam. It recalled several names, where they came from, and what they did in Vietnam. While in-country they "promised we'd all get together" back in the states. He was the first to leave Vietnam, but his friend were K.I.A., concluding with the line "who would believe I'd have to come to D.C. to see them on a big black wall?" . Composed by W. H. Mozal.Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
After Math Records AMH 101, yellow label, recorded at Coley Recording Studio, Carrollton, GA.; A-side (AMH 101A) "Big Black Wall" (W.H. Mozal), 2:40; B-side (AMH 101B) "Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam" (W.H. Mozal), 3:16; both Woodrich Pub. Co., BMI. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Mary came from West Virginia, he drove the colonel's jeep
Ernie came from Pennsylvania, he never could stand the heat
Staff Sergeant John came from Houston, he had six kids...
We were all together in Vietnam, and I can't wait to see them again
The lieutenant came from Chicago, he knew my brother in school
Poncho came from Alamogordo, said...mama never raise no fool
Danny always talked about Ronda, he loved his girlfriend
We were all together in Vietnam and I can't wait to see them again
We promised we'd all get together once we got back to the states
We'll keep in touch with each other until we all agreed on a place
I was the first to leave, I said don't worry you'll make it as I waved goodbye to my friends
We were all together in Vietnam, looks like I'm finally gonna see them again
I'm standing here on Constitution Avenue, next to Henry Bacon Dr
I know there here now, there waiting for me
I'm the last one to arrive
It's been a long time, yeah I feel a little nervous, I can't wait to see them...
But who would believe I'd have to come to D.C. to see them on a big black wall?
Themes: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall K.I.A.
Genre: ♪ Country
Also in: ▤ Draft Songs
#121 Phil Coley Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam Single · Big Black Wall / Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam · Aftermath # AMH 101 · USA
Annotation
The song "Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam" , a fascinating post-war look at the war, addressed several Vietnam War images and perceptions. This included draft evasion, by fleeing to Canada, and subsequent amnesty; the mistreatment of veterans; veterans and drug addiction; the role played by politicians. The song also referenced napalm, and medals (the Silver Star and Purple Heart). The narrator started by recalling how he was drafted to go to war while his friends headed off to Canada, avoiding the same fate. His father thought it was best, and the narrator didn't like the cold weather up north, so he reluctantly "packed my bags and went south to Vietnam" . The vet then described returning to the US in San Diego where he was greeted by "this hippie" who said "welcome home Mr. Baby Killer" . The narrator said that he "didn't take part in no brutality" , and that he got "better treatment from the Vietcong" , and thus leading into the chorus and title of the song, with the message that the veterans were not to blame, and that they have been mistreated back in the US. In fact, the narrator pointed the finger at the politicians: "there's a lot of politicians you ought to be blaming" , and they were the ones who "we should have Napalmed" . The narrator also suggested that it was their fault that the war was lost, which is why South Vietnam ended up "in the hands of the Viet Cong" . The narrator then said that the image that all veterans are "on dope...still shooting heroin or snorting coke" is a misperception, but people are unwilling to consider otherwise. The song concluded that his friends returned from Canada, having received Amnesty, while he received "a limp and a faded Purple Heart" . And thus the government could "shove" its "next war" . With regards to Amnesty - on 16 September 1974, President Gerald R. Ford offered a partial amnesty, with a program for draft dodgers, requiring them to work in alternative service from 6-24 months.2 In 21 January 1977, President Jimmy Carter, in his first day in office, offered pardons to anyone who had evaded the draft (and requested one).3
Sources
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
After Math Records AMH 101, yellow label, recorded at Coley Recording Studio, Carrollton, GA.; A-side (AMH 101A) "Big Black Wall" (W.H. Mozal), 2:40; B-side (AMH 101B) "Don't Go Blamin' Me for Vietnam" (W.H. Mozal), 3:16; both Woodrich Pub. Co., BMI. [From the record sleeve and labels]Lyrics
English
Now after high school I knew they would draft me for sure
So all summer all long I never felt too secure
Well I got my letter just the other day, I thought I might as well get this out of the way
Wouldn't you knew they were sending me off to the war
Now my friends decided they were going up to Montreal
And when they called me up they said, 'man were having a ball'
My dad said 'son you got sense, you know better', but the trouble was I just didn't like cold weather
So I packed my bags and went south to Vietnam
Now don't go blaming me for Vietnam
There's a lot of politicians you ought to be blaming it on
You see I went over there and did my duty
But all I got back was a kick in the petuti
I got better treatment from the Vietcong
Well I did my time and they finally sent me home
And when I hit San Diego I was glad to get off that boat
This hippie said 'welcome home Mr. Baby Killer'
And I said 'would you mind stepping over here fella'
I shoved my Silver Star right down his throat
Now I didn't take part in no brutality
But no matter what I tell the people they won't believe me
They said that everyone that went came back on dope
And they're still shooting heroin or snorting coke
When I show them my arms or nose they don't want to see
Now don't go blamin' me for Vietnam...
Now the war is over and my friends just laugh at me
Cause they all went to Canada and got Amnesty
But they only thing I got for doing my part is a leg with a limp and a faded Purple Heart
That and a dime won't get me a coffee
So listen America I want to make one thing clear
Because on your next war, hey I ain't gonna be here
But if you won't go ahead you can give me a call
But I'll probably be up north in Montreal
And you can shove your next war right into your middle ear
Because I won't be blamed for another Vietnam
And I believe it's all the politicians we should have napalmed
Cause if they weren't so worried about getting their votes
All those people needn't worried about leaving...
And the country wouldn't be in the hands of the Viet Cong
Yeah don't go blamin' me for Vietnam
Genre: ♪ Country
Also in: ▤ Draft Songs
#122 Various Artists The Vietnam Corps Single · The Vietnam Corps / The Long Black Wall · Kenneth A. Webb Productions Company # 9X611 · USA
Credited on the record as Ricardo Benavides, Roy D. Burgett, Frederick V. Harper, Martha Lum, Otis Mathis III, Alex Steele, David L. Williams, Nathanial Williams.
Notes
80s pop, post-war A-side: mistreatment of vets, PTSD, Agent Orange, helicopter sound-effects
Answered the call and fought for country. But spurned on return and lied to.
There's a monunent in DC, don't forget them.
B-side: Anti-war, memoriual wall in DC.
They bravely ansered the call, sent to die for reasons they did not understand.
Victims of the times. No more unjust wars, pray for peace
Notes
Kenneth A. Webb Productions Company, Troy, Michigan; side one 9X611A, 45 RPM, stereo. Names under the title: Ricardo Benavides, Roy D. Burgett, Frederick V. Harper, Martha Lum, Otis Mathis III, Alex Steele, David L. Williams, Nathanial Williams (the label does not say whether they sing or wrote it). [From the record label] Genre: ♪ Pop
Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs
#123 Anna Webb & Alex Steele The Long Black Wall Single · The Vietnam Corps / The Long Black Wall · Kenneth A. Webb Productions Company # 9X611 · USA
Notes
Kenneth A. Webb Productions Company, Troy, Michigan; side two 9X611B, 45 RPM, stereo; names under the title: Anna Webb, Alex Steele. [From the record label] Genre: ♪ Pop
#124 John Bartles Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Album · Bloo Sangwich · Self-released # None · USA
Annotation
The song "Vietnam Veterans' Memorial" , released on cassette-only, probably around 1994. It also featured on this various artist compilation: Mécanismes Vol. VI (Groupuscule Vision # GV 021).Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Self-released C30 cassette, track A4; recorded at Holt Studios, Mt. Morris, New York; © John Bartles / BMI. John Bartles (vocals), Giancarlo Cervone (piano), Ted Mosher (bass), Bob Reardon (drums). Also on the compilation Mécanismes Vol. VI (Groupuscule Vision GV 021, France, 1994, track B5). #125 High Caliber Band Vietnam Song Single · Lady of the Evening / Vietnam Song · High Caliber # U-23166M · USA
Notes
- Post-war, released North Carolina- Vet's perspective, contemporary folk
- Two brothers in Vietnam, one lived, one died
- Impact on family
- What was Vietnam?
- Reference to the memorial wall
- High Caliber Records U-23166M, side B, time 3:30, ASCAP; (Sam C. Courtney and Randall Newnam); Jeff Farris lead guitar, Randy Newnam lead vocals; producer Sam Courtney; High Caliber Records, P.O. Box 4330, Cary, N.C. 27519. [From the record label]
Genres: ♪ FolkContemporary Folk
Also in: ▤ US Military & Veteran Songs
#126 The Poet Glenn The Plaque Single · Pueblo / The Plaque · Shazam # 601 · USA
Notes
Plaque, The (Poet Glenn, The) Fanfare. Canton, Illinois.
Memorial for soldiers gone.
Widows and mothers cry.
Men did not die in vein - but for freedom.
Vietnam-era war song
Notes
Shazam Records 601, TM-3039; Shazam Music Pub., BMI, P.O. 555, Canton, Ill.; "The Plaque" (G. Genseal), The Poet Glenn; "Arr. & Prod. by W. Hopper & D. Fowler". [From the record sleeve and labels] Genres: ♪ Traditional PopFanfare
Lyric theme data
Lyric content themes tagged on the songs in this collection — parent themes with their sub-themes (number of records). Click a theme for its definition and all records carrying it.
Show all 28 themes ▾Key stats
126 songs · 76 releases · 71 artists · 55 labels · 1982–2016
Time period
- 1991 is the peak year, with 27 songs.
- 1989–92 holds 46 of the 117 dated songs — nearly one in three in four years.
- 1 were released during the war years (to 1975); 125 came after.
- Nine records are undated.
Artists
- 71 artists for 126 songs. The most represented is Sarge Lintecum, with 14.
- 23 of the artists are still unidentified beyond the record: no line-up, no biography.
- One is credited to various artists — compilations and cast recordings.
Songwriters
- Songwriter gender is recorded for 57 of the 126 songs: 49 by men, six by women and two by mixed teams — women wrote 11% of those.
- By performer: 111 men, ten women, four mixed groups and one not identified (recorded for 126).
- 73 named songwriters. The most often credited is John R. Black, with twelve.
Labels
- 37 of the 55 labels appear exactly once; Tempest has the most, with 14.
- Nine sit on a major or well-known imprint — CBS Associated, Columbia, Elektra, Geffen, Island, Mercury, RCA, Sire. The other 117 are on independent, regional or private labels.
- Six are private pressings with no label at all.
- Eight 45s put both of their sides into this list.
Locations
- 124 of the 126 are American. California leads with six, then New York six and Arkansas five.
- Charlotte accounts for five records, more than any other city; New York City has five, Boston two.
- Two come from outside the US: two British.
Themes
- By perspective: 125 post-war; one patriotic, pro-government or anti-protest.
- 65 distinct sub-themes across 126 songs.
- Vet is the single biggest subject — 84 songs, two thirds.
- Next come Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (79), Military (57), Patriotic (24) and K.I.A. (19).