Padre de un soldado

Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs

Double-sided Vietnam War single featuring the track "El padre de un soldado" ("The Father of a Soldier"). The song writing credit is given to Francisco Montalvo. Copyright was filed in 1968 - thus the same song that appeared on the Los Ideales del Norte single El padre de un soldado / Cartas que vienen discussed below.1 This also featured another version of the song "Ya volvi de Vietnam". Released on Gapoca Records (# GA-252), from Houston, Texas, USA. The first song was from the home front perspective, narrated by the father of a soldier, who prayed to god to "protect all the soldiers that find themselves in Vietnam" - making particular reference to the "Virgin of San Juan", the Roman Catholic title of the "Virgin Mary" used in Mexico and Texas. As the soldier went off to war, he told his parents that "I am pure Mexican and I am not afraid to die". At the end of the song, the father offered his own life in the place of his son: "in place of the life of my son I offer you my own". Transcription by Eric Silberberg and Ignacia Morales Reyes. Translation by Eric Silberberg.2Sources1Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series (Library of Congress. Copyright Office, 1968)↩2El padre de un soldado (Shorty Martinez)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

Spanish: I am a father like many others / We don't know what to think / That we have our sons / Fighting there in Vietnam / Miraculous Virgin / Return them as they left / Holy God I ask you / To have more compassion / For our dear sons / Who are in another nation / Think of the time that they took / Part of my heart / Divine Virgin / Virgin of San Juan / Protect all the soldiers / That find themselves in Vietnam / Goodbye my dear parents / He said to us as he left / He said don’t stay sad / I am also going to suffer / I am pure Mexican / And I am not afraid to die / He said goodbye to his girlfriend / And to his brothers also / He gave a hug to his mother / And gave me another as well / He entrusts himself before us / And before God as well / Holy God you know / What a mother suffers / To give life to her son / Until his life is at risk / In place of the life of my son / I offer you my own / Divine Virgin / Virgin of San Juan / Protect all the soldiers / That find themselves in Vietnam Soy un padre como hay muchos / Que no hayamos que pensar / Pues tenemos nuestros hijos / Peleando allá en Vietnam / Virgencita milagrosa / Vuélvelos como se van / Diosito santo te pido / Que tengas más compasión / De nuestro hijo querido / Quien anda en otra nación / Piensa vez que se llevaron / Parte de mi corazón / Virgen divina / Virgencita de San Juan / Protege a todo el soldado / Que se encuentra en Vietnam / Adios mis padres queridos / Nos dijo él al partir / Dijo no se queden tristes /…

Notes

Gapoca Records GA-252, Hi-Fi, 45 RPM, P.O. Box 21100, Hou. Tex. 77026, orange label with stars; both sides are labelled "Corrido" and credited to Shorty Martinez y su conjunto, "Cantan: Julian y Shorty". GA-252-A (LH-3680) "El Padre de un Soldado" (F. Montalvo), time 2:55; GA-252-B (LH-3681) "Ya Volvi de Vietnam", time 2:15, no writer printed. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American Tejano conjunto singer, bandleader and songwriter who led the Conjunto Popular de Shorty Martinez and recorded for the Houston-based Popular and Coyote labels. 'Ya Volvi De Vietnam' (a corrido written by Roberto Cantu) appears on the Coyote LP 'Corridos De Aqui Y De Alla' (COY-001); 'El Padre De Un Soldado' is its companion soldier corrido. No personal biographical details documented. [Source: UCLA Strachwitz Frontera Collection]

Themes

Home Front Perspective · Religion · Christianity · Mexican Pride

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Mexican-American / Hispanic Songs