Ballad of Song My

Annotation

Mike Millius came out of the New York contemporary folk scene, like Phil Ochs and Tom Parrott, although probably less successful and less well-known than those two, only releasing one album during the 60s/70s period: Desperado (1969). He had nine songs published in Broadside, including the "Ballad of Song My", appearing in # 105 (March 1970).1 It was not recorded. The lyrics and notations featured alongside a newspaper article, which had the headline "Calley Meets With Wallace and Received Sympathy"- a reference to George C. Wallace, the Governor of Alabama. The lyrics criticised the actions of the soldiers, asking "why GI's even killed the children there". It then accused the politicians of misleading the people: "the president is lying to you on TV". The lyrics went on to make some general anti-war comments, such as about the military-industrial complex, which President Eisenhower warned about during his farewell address on 17 January 1961: "we'll make a war and sell lots of bullets".2 It referenced the number of American deaths in Vietnam and the impact it had on families: "do you know forty thousand young men died?...Left their...loves alone". It also suggested that "there's forty thousand more in Canada" - meaning those who dodged the draft by leaving the country.Sources1Index of Songs by Author 1-144, part 1↩2US National Archives: Farewell address (archived copy)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

Mike Millius came out of the New York contemporary folk scene, like Phil Ochs and Tom Parrott, although probably less successful and less well-known than those two, only releasing one album during the 60s/70s period: Desperado (1969). He had nine songs published in Broadside, including the "Ballad of Song My", appearing in # 105 (March 1970).1 It was not recorded. The lyrics and notations featured alongside a newspaper article, which had the headline "Calley Meets With Wallace and Received Sympathy"- a reference to George C. Wallace, the Governor of Alabama. The lyrics criticised the actions of the soldiers, asking "why GI's even killed the children there". It then accused the politicians of misleading the people: "the president is lying to you on TV". The lyrics went on to make some general anti-war comments, such as about the military-industrial complex, which President Eisenhower warned about during his farewell address on 17 January 1961: "we'll make a war and sell lots of bullets".2 It referenced the number of American deaths in Vietnam and the impact it had on families: "do you know forty thousand young men died?...Left their...loves alone". It also suggested that "there's forty thousand more in Canada" - meaning those who dodged the draft by leaving the country. Sources1Index of Songs by Author 1-144, part 1↩2US National Archives: Farewell address (archived copy)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Can you sing of Song My and can you tell me why they murdered all the people there? / Was it only Song My and can you tell me why GI's even killed the children there? / Well you'd know why if you were there on that day / Oh the leaders and the fathers of our country did say / They said ythere's just too many young people here / We got to send them somewhere to die / We'll make a war and sell lots of bullets young soldiers have to buy / And if the people say we lost our way'...they'll say 'have faith in you Uncle Sam' / Then they'll wrap up in a flag / Well you don't even have to go out of your house to see the president is lying to you on TV / Do you know forty thousand young men died? / Left their lives and loves alone and there's forty thousand more in Canada / And they're gonna make some trouble when they come home

Notes

Unreleased - lyrics and notation appeared in Broadside Magazine # 105 (March 1970), featured alongside a newspaper article, which had the headline "Calley Meets With Wallace and Received Sympathy"- a reference to George C. Wallace, the Governor of Alabama.

Themes

My Lai · Anti-Calley · Draft · Draft Dodger · Canada Border · TV War

In collections

Draft Songs · My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]