Please Settle In Viet Nam

Annotation

Lightnin' Hopkins, born Sam Hopkins on 15 March 1912, in Centreville, Texas, recorded extensively from the 1940s-1970s, typically playing blues in the style that came out of his native Texas, like Blind Lemon Jefferson (acoustic / electric Texas blues). Often singing about topical events, such as the Korean War and Great Depression, in the mid-late 1960s he turned his attention to Vietnam. He died in Houston Texas on 30 January 1982.1 He recorded the song "Vietnam War" with his cousin Billy Bizor on the album Blowing My Blues Away in 1968. In the same year he released an alternative version, called "Vietnam War (Pts. 1 & 2)" on the album Talkin' Some Sense (Jewel Records # LPS 5001) - see Draft section. Hopkins recorded the song "Please Settle in Viet Nam" in Berkeley, California, under the direction of Chris Strachwitz (the founder of the Californian label Arhoolie Records), on 20 May 1969, for the session which produced the album Lightnin'! (Poppy # PYS-60,002). But the song did not appear on the album. Strachwitz released "Please Settle in Viet Nam" on this single (Joliet # 205) and then later on the album Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley (Arhoolie # 1063).1 Hopkins wanted to see "an ending to the war" and called on the government to settle the Vietnam issue. It also included a little twist. Hopkins said that his girlfriend actually had a man fighting in the war, and that he hoped "he'll stay forever" in the army, because he did not "want to leave that girl". This idea is similar to the "jody" theme - a mythical man in blues and jazz tunes who seduced the wives and girlfriends of soldiers, prisoners, and those away from home. In this case, the narrator played the role of the "jody". Hopkins used this same line in an earlier track, "War Is Starting Again", from the 1962 album Lightnin' Strikes (Vee-Jay Records # LP-1044).Sources1Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues (Alan Govenar, 2010)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Jody Songs

Lightnin' Hopkins, born Sam Hopkins on 15 March 1912, in Centreville, Texas, recorded extensively from the 1940s-1970s, typically playing blues in the style that came out of his native Texas, like Blind Lemon Jefferson (acoustic / electric Texas blues). Often singing about topical events, such as the Korean War and Great Depression, in the mid-late 1960s he turned his attention to Vietnam. He died in Houston Texas on 30 January 1982.1 He recorded the song "Vietnam War" with his cousin Billy Bizor on the album Blowing My Blues Away in 1968. In the same year he released an alternative version, called "Vietnam War (Pts. 1 & 2)" on the album Talkin' Some Sense (Jewel Records # LPS 5001) - see Draft section. Hopkins recorded the song "Please Settle in Viet Nam" in Berkeley, California, under the direction of Chris Strachwitz (the founder of the Californian label Arhoolie Records), on 20 May 1969, for the session which produced the album Lightnin'! (Poppy # PYS-60,002). But the song did not appear on the album. Strachwitz released "Please Settle in Viet Nam" on this single (Joliet # 205) and then later on the album Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley (Arhoolie # 1063).1 Hopkins wanted to see "an ending to the war" and called on the government to settle the Vietnam issue. It also included a little twist. Hopkins said that his girlfriend actually had a man fighting in the war, and that he hoped "he'll stay forever" in the army, because he did not "want to leave that girl". This idea is similar to the "jody" theme - a mythical man in blues and jazz tunes who seduced the wives and girlfriends of soldiers, prisoners, and those away from home. In this case, the narrator played the role of the "jody". Hopkins used this same line in an earlier track, "War Is Starting Again", from the 1962 album Lightnin' Strikes (Vee-Jay Records # LP-1044). Sources1Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues (Alan Govenar, 2010)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Blues songs

Lightnin' Hopkins, born Sam Hopkins on 15 March 1912, in Centreville, Texas, recorded extensively from the 1940s-1970s, typically playing blues in the style that came out of his native Texas, like Blind Lemon Jefferson (acoustic / electric Texas blues). Often singing about topical events, such as the Korean War and Great Depression, in the mid-late 1960s he turned his attention to Vietnam. He died in Houston Texas on 30 January 1982.1 He recorded several Vietnam War-related songs, see the info box below. Hopkins recorded the song "Please Settle in Viet Nam" in Berkeley, California, under the direction of Chris Strachwitz (the founder of the Californian label Arhoolie Records), on 20 May 1969, for the session which produced the album Lightnin'! (Poppy # PYS-60,002). But the song did not appear on the album. Strachwitz released "Please Settle in Viet Nam" on this single (Joliet # 205) and then later on the album Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley (Arhoolie # 1063).1 In the lyrics, Hopkins wanted to see "an ending to the war" and called on the government to settle the Vietnam issue. It also included a little twist. Hopkins said that his girlfriend actually had a man fighting in the war, and that he hoped "he'll stay forever" in the army, because he did not "want to leave that girl". This idea is similar to the "jody" theme - a mythical man in blues and jazz tunes who seduced the wives and girlfriends of soldiers, prisoners, and those away from home. In this case, the narrator played the role of the "jody". Hopkins used this same line in an earlier track, "War Is Starting Again", from the 1962 album Lightnin' Strikes (Vee-Jay Records # LP-1044). Vietnam War songs by Lightnin Hopkins: In 1962 Hopkins released the song "War Is Starting Again" on the album Lightnin' Strikes (Vee-Jay Records # LP-1044). In 1969, he released the anti-war single "Please Settle in Viet Nam" (Joliet # 205). He also recorded the song "Vietnam War" with his cousin Billy Bizor on the album Blowing My Blues Away in 1968. In fact, Hopkins released his own version of that song, called "Viet Nam War (Pt.1) & (Pt.2)" on the 1968 album Talkin' Some Sense (Jewel Records # LPS 5001). Finally, in 1970 Hopkins produced the song "Questionnaire Blues" on film, released in 1970 on video, but unreleased on audio format.Sources1Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues (Alan Govenar, 2010)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: My mama prayed, she said please let that kingdom come / She said, please let it be an ending to the war, please settle in Vietnam / My girlfriend got a boyfriend fighting / She don't know when that man coming back home /' I said I hope he'll stay forever, cuz I ain't gonna leave, that girl alone / It's a shame...taking the young people out of the United States, taking them over to Vietnam / And they've got to stay / Uncle Sam does trenches, he does then way over in no man's land / Uncle Sam...little girl tell me, did he take your man?

Notes

Joliet 205 A, Joliet Productions, Box 67201, Los Angeles, Calif. 90067, "Promotional Copy - Not for Sale"; "Please Settle in Viet Nam" (S. Hopkins), 2:50, Tradition Music / Joliet Music BMI; produced by C. Strachwitz, Arhoolie Prod.; artist credited as Lightning Hopkins. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born 15 March 1912, in Centreville, Texas. Died 30 January 1982, Houston, Texas, USA

Themes

Anti-War · Jody

In collections

Jody Songs · Blues songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]