Child of Vietnam
1970 · Columbia SOEX-9698 · Australia
- Artist
- Roger Thwaites
- Title
- Child of Vietnam
- Release
- North by North West
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- Columbia # SOEX-9698
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- Australia
- Genre
- Folk · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Roger Thwaites, Australian contemporary folk artist, composed and released the song "Child of Vietnam" (Columbia (EMI) # SOEX-9698), which started off with gunfire sound-effects, and took an anti-war perspective. The back of the LP said: "Child of Vietnam is the story of a little girl and a soldier in the land of tears, your land, child of Vietnam". Narrated from the perspective of the soldier, who said "how can I help her", as the child rests "on the bloody ground", and the "streets full of pain". It concluded by calling on people to "help...around the world" to stop the war and suffering, for the "helpless children of Vietnam".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Roger Thwaites is the documented Australian folk singer-songwriter from Araluen, New South Wales, educated at Tudor House (Moss Vale) and Scots College (Sydney), who recorded for RCA, Columbia and Pumpkin - albums include "200 Years" (1970), "Age Of Time" (1971), "North By North West" and "Bound For Glory" (1981). The National Library of Australia holds biographical newspaper cuttings on him as a folk singer, and he co-authored "The History Of Araluen" with his father. [Source: National Library of Australia catalogue; career detail via an unsanctioned Australian music-history site]
Themes
In collections
Australian & New Zealand Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs