Merry Christmas From Vietnam
1967 · Loyal LR-226 · Birmingham, Alabama
- Artist
- The Sullivan Family
- Title
- Merry Christmas From Vietnam
- Release
- Merry Christmas From Vietnam / Lonely, Lonely Road to Calvary
- Year
- 1967
- Label
- Loyal # LR-226
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Songwriter
- Jerry Sullivan
- Genre
- Country · Bluegrass · Country
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation
The Sullivan Family - a bluegrass gospel group from Alabama, which started performing around 1949. Similar to Rusty Wellington above, the track "Merry Christmas From Vietnam" (Loyal Records # LR-226) took a patriotic position, praising the boys for "fighting...to keep us free". It was narrated from the perspective of a soldier: "so lonely in this foxhole where I am, merry Christmas from your boy". Once again, it picked up on sentimental themes, such as the Christmas tree and gifts, unavailable to the soldiers in Vietnam. The song also had strong religious content.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Hello mum, merry Christmas to you / Sorry I can't send a gift like I wanted to / There is no place to buy a gift here where I am / But I send you all my love from Vietnam / Christmas morning when you gather around the tree / When the gifts are passed around think of me / So lonely in this foxhole where I am / Merry Christmas from your boy in Vietnam / Mummy please keep praying for me while I'm fighting here to keep us free / Mum you know that god will not let us down / So ask him to protect his boys in Vietnam
Notes
Loyal Records LR-226 (UK4M-3346), 45 RPM, red label, Box 586, Birmingham, Ala.; "Merry Christmas From Vietnam", "A Jerry Sullivan Song", 2:00, Wal-Fran Music, BMI. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Formed Alabama, USA
Themes
Christmas · Patriotic · Foxhole · Soldier's Perspective · Religion
In collections
Christmas Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]