Black Soldier

Annotation

Formed on 19 May 1968, the anniversary of the birth of Malcolm X, The Last Poets pioneered jazz poetry with social and political raps and rhythms, paving the way for the emergence of hip-hop. The collective, based in Harlem, New York, had several line-ups. Their debut 1970 album The Last Poets had two Vietnam War-related protest songs: "Run, Nigger" and "Surprises". The 1971 album Right On! featured "Die Nigga", referencing Vietnam and the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. The 1972 album Chastisment contained "Black Soldier" and "Hands Off". Their 1977 album Delights of the Garden included the song "Ho Chi Minh" about Vietnam and 1970s protests.This album (Blue Thumb Records # BTS 39) featured Jalal (aka Lightnin' Rod), and Suliaman El Hadi. It has been written that Jalal went to prison for refusing to fight in Vietnam.1 Billboard reviewed this album on 8 July 1972: "very interesting LP from the Last Poets. It really is a 'chastisement' with comment on their war, the ghettos, stealing and other casualties of modern life. The subjects are well handled on a musical level...much social comment here with musical interpretation".2 The song "Black Soldier" dealt with the Vietnam and Civil Rights, while also making references to demonstrations, National Guard violence, and the "jody" theme. The song started with a military cadence, which warned the soldiers that there "ain't no need in going back" to the US, because "Jody got our Cadillac" - the mythical man in blues, jazz and soul tunes who seduced the wives and girlfriends of soldiers, prisoners, and those away from home.3 This featured in dozens of soul and blues songs. The next part of the song strongly criticised African-Americans who fought in Vietnam "helping your oppressor oppress another man". While the narrator hoped for their safe return, demonstrated against the war for them, and mourned their deaths, he thought that the "question does arise on which side do you stand". The narrator believed that they should be in the US helping to fight for equal rights. He referenced a series of civil right demonstrations in several cities - Boston, Detroit, Newark - labelled as "riots". Furthermore, the lyrics mentioned confrontations with the National Guard - "National Guardsmen terrorise the ones you've left at home" - possibly referring to the death of students, at Kent or Jackson state, or maybe at Civil Rights demonstrations. Sources1dmcworld.net: Jalal of the last poets (archived copy)↩2Billboard, 8 July 1972↩3Wordorigins.org (archived copy)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation

Formed on 19 May 1968, the anniversary of the birth of Malcolm X, The Last Poets pioneered jazz poetry with social and political raps and rhythms, paving the way for the emergence of hip-hop. The collective, based in Harlem, New York, had several line-ups. Their debut 1970 album The Last Poets had two Vietnam War-related protest songs: "Run, Nigger" and "Surprises". The 1971 album Right On! featured "Die Nigga", referencing Vietnam and the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. The 1972 album Chastisment contained "Black Soldier" and "Hands Off". Their 1977 album Delights of the Garden included the song "Ho Chi Minh" about Vietnam and 1970s protests.This album (Blue Thumb Records # BTS 39) featured Jalal (aka Lightnin' Rod), and Suliaman El Hadi. It has been written that Jalal went to prison for refusing to fight in Vietnam.1 Billboard reviewed this album on 8 July 1972: "very interesting LP from the Last Poets. It really is a 'chastisement' with comment on their war, the ghettos, stealing and other casualties of modern life. The subjects are well handled on a musical level...much social comment here with musical interpretation".2 The song "Hands Off" had the line "what manner of beast is this I ask who drops a napalm from the skies, then send my sons away to war to maim and kill and die" - a reference to chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973.123 The Dow Chemical Company, the largest suppler of napalm to the US military, became a target of Vietnam protests (such as boycotts), particularly on university campuses.4Sources1dmcworld.net: Jalal of the last poets (archived copy)↩2Billboard, 8 July 1972↩3Napalm, An American Biography (book website)↩4The War Within: America's Battle Over Vietnam (Tom Wells, 2005)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Here's to you black soldier, fighting in Vietnam / Helping your oppressor oppress another man / Here's to you who volunteer your precious lives to give / While here in the ghetto are struggling to live / Here's to you, gun in hand, another land / While National Guardsmen terrorise the ones you've left at home / We hope and pray that you've been spared when casualties are high / We demonstrate for your return and we mourn you when you die / We've watched you grow up from a child / We know your strength and might / It is no news for us to hear how gallantly you fight / It is a sin for you to be upon some foreign shores when you are needed right here / At home protecting what is yours / To know the use of weaponry, I must admit, that is good / There is an occupation force in our neighbourhood, they call themselves 'peace officers' and 'law enforcement groups' / But from the actions they commit, we know they are troops / The government is cracking down... / They have the dream of stamping out resistance... But our determination grows and widens with the days / We'll fight them from the rooftops and the alley ways... / We'll free the prisoners from their jails with calculated raids / Just one desire burns in our heart, our bonds and chain to bust / We only wish that with your skills you were here with us / Here's to you black soldier in some far off distant land / Sometimes the question does arise on which side do you stand / They called it a riot in Newark, when the…

About the artist

Formed on 19 May 1968, based in Harlem, New York

Themes

Anti-War · Civil Rights · Demonstration · Kent State · Jackson State · Jody

In collections

Jody Songs · Civil Rights Songs · Jazz Songs · Kent / Jackson State Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]