Border-Land's Song (Part 2)

Annotation

As above, split across this 7" is a four-part chorus. Here is discussed the song "Border-Land's Song (Vietnam) - Part III-IV" (Dihavina # 6202). Note: Google Translation used. In Part 3, called "The Call of the Homeland" the narrator once again focused on the scenery and importance of home: "the distant homeland is waiting... those rivers and mountains seem to urge our hearts, keeping the border for the heart of the Fatherland". The final part was called "Defend the Fatherland, Keep the Peace", the longest section of the song. It looked at the practicalities of fighting the war: "homeland is built day by day... factory rotates... hand still holds the gun". It praised the border guards for keeping peace, and thanked those who maintained a "good rice harvest", keeping up a food supply chain.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Part 3: The Call of the Homeland "As evening falls, I pause upon the mountain ridge / (Though far away, my heart remains joyful) / Gazing toward the distant horizon / (Where loved ones wait, longing day and night) / My beloved homeland, where so many await / (In that distant home, someone yearns for my return) / On nights of the full moon, songs ring out / Threshing rice beneath the moon with the one far away / Now, here on the far-flung frontier / I sing a song, fervent and full of love for life / The rivers and mountains seem to urge me on— / What hardship could ever prevail against the love for one’s homeland? / Across a thousand mountain passes, peaks, rivers, and streams / (Though far away, my heart remains joyful) / The further I travel, the deeper my love for home grows / (Where loved ones wait, longing day and night) / Someone stops her picking and gazes at the distant sky / (In that distant home, someone yearns for my return) / A tilted conical hat, a sash adorned with peach blossoms— / They dance in the evening sunlight all around me / Now, here on the far-flung frontier / I sing a song, fervent and full of love for life / The rivers and mountains seem to urge me on— / To guard the border, that the song of our Motherland may resound across the heavens. Part 4: Defending the Motherland, Preserving Peace Day after day our homeland is being built; everywhere the pulse of life surges with vibrant energy / Songs ring out on all sides, and in every factory, the…

Notes

Dihavina 6202, 45 rpm; side a) "Border-Land's Song", chorus in four parts by Tô Hai, part I and part II; side b) part III and part IV; "Presented by the Chorus of the Popular Army, Hanoi Viet Nam"; "All rights reserved, unauthorised public performance, broadcasting and copying of this record prohibited". The picture sleeve front shows a drawing of reeds and a winding road across hills beneath white cloud and mountains, titled "Border-Land's Song (Vietnam)", signed L.T. Đức. The back repeats "Border-Land's Song, chorus in four parts" and gives "Distributors: Xunhasaba, 32, Hai Bà Trung — Hanoi — Vietnam"; "Offset-NY." [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Performing ensemble credited on North Vietnamese / NLF revolutionary-song recordings of the Vietnam War era; individual members uncredited.

Themes

Vietnamese Perspective · Vietnamese Patriotic

In collections

North Vietnamese Songs