Credited on the record as Norm Burns & the Satelites.
The Babies of My Lai
Sterling S-547 · Boston, Massachusetts
- Artist
- Norm Burns
- Credited on the record as
- Norm Burns & the Satelites
- Title
- The Babies of My Lai
- Release
- The Babies of My Lai
- Label
- Sterling # S-547
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Songwriter
- Ann Parks, Lew Tobin
- Genre
- Traditional Pop · Easy Listening · Traditional Pop
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Another song-poem about My Lai, released in Boston, Massachusetts - these are song lyrics, sent to specialist publishing and recoding companies, usually in response to an advertisement, that have been set to music for a fee (around $200-400).1 Composed by Ann Parks and Lew Tobin (he co-founded the label with Shelley Stuart, and he presumably took the writing credit for the music side). Performed by Norm Burns & The Satelites. The track, called "The Babies of My Lai" (Sterling Records # S-547), probably released in either late 1971 or early 1972 (based on the label discography), focused on the death of the children at the massacre. The narrator sarcastically said that "a little baby raised it gun" and so a soldier "raised his weapon in defense". The narrator mourned the deaths: "sleep baby sleep", and declared to "never forget what has been done". The lyrics did not mention or comment on William Calley's trial, but it leaned towards criticising his actions, and therefore it fell into the anti-Calley camp.Sources1Song Poem Music↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs
Another song-poem about My Lai, released in Boston, Massachusetts - these are song lyrics, sent to specialist publishing and recoding companies, usually in response to an advertisement, that have been set to music for a fee (around $200-400).1 Composed by Ann Parks and Lew Tobin (he co-founded the label with Shelley Stuart, and he presumably took the writing credit for the music side). Performed by Norm Burns & The Satelites. The track, called "The Babies of My Lai" (Sterling Records # S-547), probably released in either late 1971 or early 1972 (based on the label discography), focused on the death of the children at the massacre. The narrator sarcastically said that "a little baby raised it gun" and so a soldier "raised his weapon in defense". The narrator mourned the deaths: "sleep baby sleep", and declared to "never forget what has been done". The lyrics did not mention or comment on William Calley's trial, but it leaned towards criticising his actions, and therefore it fell into the anti-Calley camp. Sources1Song Poem Music↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Sleep baby sleep, sleep baby sleep / A little baby raised its gun, a soldier was in danger / He raised his weapon in defense and emptied all the guns contents / Sleep baby sleep, eternal watch will keep / You were the babies of My Lai, you weren't supposed to die... / We'll never forgot what has been done / So sleep poor baby, sleep, sleep baby sleep
Notes
Blue Sterling Records label, S-547, matrix 28133, 45 rpm, ASCAP; "The Babies of My Lai" (Ann Parks and Lew Tobin), time 2:45; arranger Roger Baker; credited to Norm Burns & the Satelites; "Ace Distrib., Box 64, Boston, Mass." [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Norm Burns, American song-poem vocalist: lead house singer for the Sterling Records song-poem label in the 1960s-70s, here with the Satellites. [Source: songpoemmusic.com (AS/PMA)]
Themes
My Lai · Anti-War · Song Poem · Anti-Calley
In collections
My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Song Poems