The Blind Soldier From Vietnam
1968 · Arzee RZ-106-X · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Artist
- Curly Herdman
- Title
- The Blind Soldier From Vietnam
- Release
- The Blind Soldier From Vietnam / Heartaches and tears
- Year
- 1968
- Label
- Arzee # RZ-106-X
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Songwriter
- Curly Herdman
- Genre
- Country · Traditional Country
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
The country song "The Blind Soldier From Vietnam" (Arzee # RZ-106-X) took an anti-war and plight of the soldier interpretation. Curly Herman (1918-1986), from West Virginia, a fiddler in the 1960s, sometimes headed a group called the West Virginia Boys. He died shortly after the recording and release of this single, in 1968.123 Narrated from the perspective of a soldier, who had returned home "from Vietnam", blinded by the war. His brother had also died in a war, possibly Vietnam or Korea. Likewise his father, presumably a reference to the Second World War. It thus sought to show a family continuity in fighting wars for the US. The narrator then explained that the young boy helped him cross the street. The boy told him that his friend's father had died in the Vietnam War. The soldier then declared: "dear god...stop the fighting in Vietnam and send the boys home safely". Released in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Rex Zario's record label Arzee (he produced the single). Composed by Curly Herdman. Sources1beebalmmusic.com: Curley herdman (archived copy)↩2Billboard, 23 October 1965↩3ibiblio.org↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: I am a blind soldier, just come from Vietnam / I'll never see them... / I'm so lonesome I could cry / I have dreams I could die / I pray they stop this war / My sweetheart has left me / My brothers in heaven / My dad is there I know / I am a blind soldier... / I was trying to walk alone on a busy sidewalk today / And when I started to cross the street I heard a little voice say / He said 'mister I'll lead you cross the street' / And then tethering at my coat sleeve was a little boy so small and sweet.... / When he told me his name and his daddy's name the boy had to say: / 'I knew that little boy's daddy, he was my real close friend / And when he was shelled that night in Vietnam, for him it was the end' / Now dear god in heaven, I hope you'll answer my prayer / Stop the fighting in Vietnam and send the boys home safely
Notes
Arzee RZ-106-X, 1739 N. 3rd St., Phila, PA. 19122; "The Blind Soldier From Vietnam" (Curly Herdman), 2:57, Peer Inter'l Corp. (BMI); Curly Herdman; produced by Rex Zario. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Born West Virginia, USA