Bombs of Destruction

Annotation

Blues and soul artist Eddie Carson, born on 25 August 1923 in North Carolina, USA, and died on 29 May 1990 in Toledo, Ohio, USA, released the Cold War, atomic bomb-related song, "Bombs of Destruction" (Versa Recording # 1203), released in 1962 in the early Vietnam War period. According to music historian Guido Van Rijn in his 2007 book Kennedy’s Blues: African - American Blues and Gospel Songs on JFK, the song may have been a response to the Cuban Missile crisis.1 The narrator notes "rumours, rumours of war" and the threat of atomic destruction: "those bloody bombs... may someday... destroy the world", taking an anti-war position. Sources1Kennedy's Blues (Guido van Rijn, 2009)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Blues songs

Blues and soul artist Eddie Carson, born on 25 August 1923 in North Carolina, USA, and died on 29 May 1990 in Toledo, Ohio, USA, released the Cold War, atomic bomb-related song, "Bombs of Destruction" (Versa Recording # 1203), released in 1962 in the early Vietnam War period. According to music historian Guido Van Rijn in his 2007 book Kennedy’s Blues: African - American Blues and Gospel Songs on JFK, the song may have been a response to the Cuban Missile crisis.1 The narrator notes "rumours, rumours of war" and the threat of atomic destruction: "those bloody bombs... may someday... destroy the world", taking an anti-war position.Sources1Kennedy's Blues (Guido van Rijn, 2009)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: You know, there is trouble all around the world today / And not a pretty, pretty sight to see / And rumours, rumours of war / Just to destroy humanity / That's why I'm writing you this letter in words, words of a song / I wanna tell the world, the whole world of today: it won't be long / Now you know those bloody, those bloody bombs that hangs high, high over our heads / They may someday, someday destroy the world / And make our own, our own death beds / Now you can hide, you can hide in your bomb shelters / And if you do, and if do survive / You can see the world, the whole world of today destroyed before your very eyes / Now, you know, I was a war orphan, and it hasn't been, hasn't been too long ago / But I've seen, I've seen what bombs can do to this country, this country that I love so / Now, we've had, we've had too many wars, and there's many, many more to come / So stop, think a minute won't you / The next might, just might be the one

Notes

Versa Recording 1203 (102023, side A, MW889), stereo, green label, 2033 Dorr - Toledo, Ohio 43607; "Bombs of Destruction", 2:40, BMI-1462; Eddie Carson, arranged by Rober Smith and Eddie Carson; "Noble's Production—2033 Dorr". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born North Carolina. Died Toledo, Ohio.

Themes

Atomic

In collections

Blues songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]