No Christmas Tree in Vietnam

Annotation

Rusty Wellington, a Canadian country singer born in 1925, who parents moved to the US. He started singing at the age of 13, going on tour with Tex Ritter. Despite coming from Canada he produced one of the most patriotic Vietnam Christmas records with the song "No Christmas Tree in Vietnam" (Arzee # RZ-105) - this fitted perfectly into the country music genre which largely contained pro-Vietnam songs. The song focused on the soldiers "fight for liberty" against "evil communism" during Christmas time, while back on the home front people took "advantage of our precious freedoms". The narrator pointed out that the soldiers "in Vietnam won't have a Christmas", and thus he sent out a prayer to them.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: While were sitting here at home in peace and comfort / Our boys are fighting in a foreign land to halt the flow of evil communism / If we don't fight they will take the upper home / We take advantage of our precious freedoms / The little things in life that are so grand / Preparing for another jolly Christmas / But I wonder if a Christmas tree grows in Vietnam / For our boys in Vietnam won't have a Christmas / There will be no Christmas lights upon a tree / Our boys will see it's just another day for battle / God bless these boys who fight for liberty

Notes

Arzee RZ-105-X (66912), 1739 N. 3rd St., Phila., Pa. 19122; "No Christmas Tree In Vietnam" (Rusty Wellington), 2:37, Rex Zario Music (BMI); produced by Lucky Steel. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born 10 April 1925, Camelton, NB, Canada

Themes

Christmas · Patriotic · Anti-Communism

In collections

Christmas Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]