Long Black Wall

Annotation

A contemporary folk song, "Long Black Wall" (Fast Folk # SE 204), one of the first songs written and released about the memorial. It looked back at the idealistic early days of the war, wanting to fight communism and become a soldier: "a Green Beret came" and "told about the Communists". The narrator "thought I'd like to be like him". Then he recalled the growth of the protest movement, referencing demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968 (where 8 people were arrested for inciting riots, known as the Chicago Eight, later becoming the Chicago Seven): "Chicago summer, 1968...kids out on a lark...on the evening news and got teargassed in Lincoln Park". It then looked at the college days, where everyone: "was against the war...had long hair and Nixon stunk" - a reference to President Richard Nixon of course, and hippie culture. The song then turned to the impact of the war on the returning veterans: "vets came back... drank black coffee and smoked...never spoke of what they'd seen". Finally "a man on TV" said that ten years had passed and "a monument was raised". The narrator noted that the "roll of dead took four whole days". Composed in 1982 by Michael Jerling, born 17 April 1952, in Joliet, Illinois, USA, and currently based in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA12 The record was released on this Fast Folk Musical Magazine various artist compilation in 1983 - this was a New York-based magazine and record album publisher, from February 1982 to 1997, a songwriter / performer cooperative. It also published many political and social contemporary songs, playing a similar role to Broadside Magazine in the 1960s. This song also featured on his 1998 compilation Early Jerling (Waterbug Records # WBG 0043), and on the 2002 compilation Fast Folk: A Community of Singers and Songwriters (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings # SFW40135). The song was covered in 1989 by Richard Meyer on Fast Folk Musical Magazine (Vol. 5, No. 3) - Live at the Bottom Line 1989 (Fast Folk # FF 503), discussed below.& Sources1Michael Jerling: Biography↩2Wikipedia: Michael Jerling↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs

A contemporary folk song, "Long Black Wall" (Fast Folk # SE 204), one of the first songs written and released about the memorial. It looked back at the idealistic early days of the war, wanting to fight communism and become a soldier: "a Green Beret came" and "told about the Communists". The narrator "thought I'd like to be like him". Then he recalled the growth of the protest movement, referencing demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968 (where 8 people were arrested for inciting riots, known as the Chicago Eight, later becoming the Chicago Seven): "Chicago summer, 1968...kids out on a lark...on the evening news and got teargassed in Lincoln Park". It then looked at the college days, where everyone: "was against the war...had long hair and Nixon stunk" - a reference to President Richard Nixon of course, and hippie culture. The song then turned to the impact of the war on the returning veterans: "vets came back... drank black coffee and smoked...never spoke of what they'd seen". Finally "a man on TV" said that ten years had passed and "a monument was raised". The narrator noted that the "roll of dead took four whole days". Composed in 1982 by Michael Jerling, born 17 April 1952, in Joliet, Illinois, USA, and currently based in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA12 The record was released on this Fast Folk Musical Magazine various artist compilation in 1983 - this was a New York-based magazine and record album publisher, from February 1982 to 1997, a songwriter / performer cooperative. It also published many political and social contemporary songs, playing a similar role to Broadside Magazine in the 1960s. This song also featured on his 1998 compilation Early Jerling (Waterbug Records # WBG 0043), and on the 2002 compilation Fast Folk: A Community of Singers and Songwriters (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings # SFW40135). The song was covered in 1989 by Richard Meyer on Fast Folk Musical Magazine (Vol. 5, No. 3) - Live at the Bottom Line 1989 (Fast Folk # FF 503), discussed below.Sources1Michael Jerling: Biography↩2Wikipedia: Michael Jerling↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: A Green Beret came to talk to us, gave a slide show in the gym / Told about the communists and the punji sticks / Thought I'd like to be like him / Long black wall and nothing is undone / Long black wall, sleeping in the sun / Chicago summer, 1968, some high school kids out on a lark / Waved to the cameras on the evening news / And got teargassed in Lincoln Park / Long black wall and nothing is the same / Long black wall, shining in the rain / Everyone in college was against the war / We had long hair and Nixon stunk / Draft number high, draft number low / Stayed out all night and got real drunk / The vets came back on the G.I. Bill, in their field jackets and jeans / Drank black coffee and smoked cigarettes / And never spoke of what they'd seen / Long black wall and nothing left to say / Long black wall, so many miles away / The man on TV said ten years had gone / Today a monument was raised / And when they spoke each name one at a time, the roll of dead took four whole days / Long black wall, and nothing is the same / Long black wall, shining in the rain... / Nothing is undone...

Notes

The Coop – The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, May '83, SE 204 B, stereo, side two; "All rights reserved by the artists. ℗ © 1983 Jack Hardy as trustee for the Coop." "Long Black Wall" (Michael Jerling), 4:21, side two track 4; credits: Michael Jerling, vocal & guitar; Bob Warren, guitar; Teresina Huxtable, Casio keyboard. The accompanying magazine, Vol. 2 #4, is titled "The Political Song", with a cover drawing signed Jeff Tiedrich 1983 setting newspaper headlines to musical staves; page 14 prints the lyrics, "c 1982 by Michael Jerling", which trace a Green Beret's slide show in a school gym, Chicago in summer 1968, the draft, returning veterans and the dedication of a monument whose "roll of dead took four whole days". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born 17 April 1952, Joliet, Illinois, USA. Currently Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

Themes

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall · Chicago Seven · Demonstration · Green Beret · Lincoln Park · Draft · Counter-Culture & Hippies · Mistreatment of Vet · GI Bill · Communism

In collections

1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs · Draft Songs · Veterans Memorial Wall Songs