Girls In Saigon City

Annotation

Tom T. Hall, born 25 May 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky, son of a preacher, is primarily known as a storyteller and songwriter in the country music genre. Between 1957 and 1961 Hall served in the US army, stationed in Germany. He performed songs at local officer clubs and on the Armed Forces Network.12 In 1965 he scored a massive songwriting hit with Johnnie Wright - Hello Vietnam. From 1967 he started to release his own material, including the Vietnam-related track "Girls in Saigon City" (Mercury Records # SR-61277). Narrated from a soldier's perspective, near a place called "Da Nang""...cross the ocean far away". The soldier "got a dear-John-letter". So the soldier goes off to Saigon to visit the Vietnamese girls - presumably a reference to prostitutes. At the end of the song, Hall switches the narrative, giving out advise to those on the domestic front: "stateside girls should take this warning, be faithful" - otherwise the soldier may go visit the girls in Saigon. Thus, this looks at both the soldier's experience and the us domestic perspective.A list of Tom T. Hall Vietnam War compositions: Johnnie Wright - "Hello Vietnam" - a soldier headed out to war. Kitty Hawkins - "Goodbye to Vietnam" - a soldier returned to the US. Dave Dudley - "Then I'll Come Home Again" - a soldier will return home after doing his duty. Dave Dudley - "What We're Fighting For" - soldier justified the conflict in Vietnam. Maybelle Carter - "I Told Them What You're Fighting For" - a mother justified son's role in Vietnam. Tom T. Hall - "Girls in Saigon City" - warned that GIs visited Vietnamese girls in Saigon. Jimmy Snyder - "Chicago Story" - a soldier goes to Vietnam, while his wife started an affair back home. George Kent - "Mama Bake a Pie" - a wounded veteran criticised the human cost of the war. Sources1Google Books↩2Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky (Charles K. Wolfe, 1982)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs

Tom T. Hall, born 25 May 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky, son of a preacher, is primarily known as a storyteller and songwriter in the country music genre. Between 1957 and 1961 Hall served in the US army, stationed in Germany. He performed songs at local officer clubs and on the Armed Forces Network.12 In 1965 he scored a massive songwriting hit with Johnnie Wright - Hello Vietnam. From 1967 he started to release his own material, including the Vietnam-related track "Girls in Saigon City" (Mercury Records # SR-61277). Narrated from a soldier's perspective, near a place called "Da Nang"..."cross the ocean far away". The soldier "got a dear-John-letter". So the soldier goes off to Saigon to visit the Vietnamese girls - presumably a reference to prostitutes. At the end of the song, Hall switches the narrative, giving out advise to those on the domestic front: "stateside girls should take this warning, be faithful" - otherwise the soldier may go visit the girls in Saigon. Thus, this looks at both the soldier's experience and the us domestic perspective.Sources1Google Books↩2Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky (Charles K. Wolfe, 1982)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: There's a place called Da Nang Village cross the ocean far away / In deep concern for one young woman / That's where I abide today / Today, I got a dear-John-letter from that young woman in the USA / When I was called I knew I'd lose her it don't matter anyway / There are girls in Saigon City waiting there with open arms / On my leave I may go see them in this other world called Vietnam / Stateside girls should take this warning be faithful cause you can't tell / On the streets of Saigon City they have many things to sell / There are girls in Saigon City

About the artist

American country singer-songwriter, born 25 May 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky; wrote 'Hello Vietnam'; died 20 August 2021 in Franklin, Tennessee. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective · Prostitution

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · US Combat Perspective Songs [War Years]