Lost Soldier
1966 · CBS BP-233320 · Australia
- Artist
- Gary Shearston
- Title
- Lost Soldier
- Release
- Sings His Songs
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- CBS # BP-233320
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- Australia
- Genre
- Folk · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Contemporary folk artist Gary Shearston, born 9 January 1939 in Inverell, NSW, Australia. He died 1 July 2013, Tenterfield, NSW, Australia. He released the 1965 album Australian Broadside, which contained two Vietnam War songs: "Twenty Summers" and "The Conscription Romp". On this album was the song "The Lost Soldier" (CBS # BP-233320). The album notes by Sven Libaek (1966) said that the song was "written from a newspaper report of the death of an Australian soldier in Vietnam. The song finishes with some of the statements made by his young wife about his participation in the Vietnam war. The tune for this song is adapted from a traditional song known as "Lord Franklin". The lyrics of this song featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand. So the song told of a young man, recenlty married, being drafted to "that foreign land across the sea". However, his wife received a letter, informing her that her "soldier boy was in battle slain, oh in Vietnam in a field he died". It ended with an anti-war note, saying that…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 9 January 1939 in Inverell, NSW, Australia. He died 1 July 2013, Tenterfield, NSW, Australia
Themes
In collections
Australian & New Zealand Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs