Sniper's Hill

Annotation

Buddy Starcher - born 16 March 1906 in West Virginia, a country singer famous for the a-side "History Repeats Itself", which compared the similarities between the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. On the b-side, the song "Sniper's Hill" (Boone Record Co. # BR 1038) started with a female chorus, narrated from the perspective of a widow, who husband died in Vietnam. She recalled "his last letter from Sniper's Hill". Then Starcher narrated the letter from the soldier. He recalled the happy news about the birth of their first child. The soldier wrote that "things are pretty rough here in Vietnam". However despite this, he believed in the cause and expressed pride in doing his part. He told his wife that if he did not return, she should tell their child that "his daddy died fighting for his country". Starcher also took a swipe at the anti-movement, pointing out that the soldier marched "proud and tall and not in protest". It reached # 39 in the Billboard Hot 100, on 14 May 1966.1 It also reached # 2 in the Hot Country Singles on 21 May.2 This song appeared on the LP History Repeats Itself (Decca # DL-74796), discussed below, which also included the Vietnam War song "Brave Men Not Afraid" and "Day for Decision". Sources1Billboard, 14 May 1966↩2Billboard, 14 May 1966↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I still have his last letter from Sniper's Hill / I still cry when I read it... / My heart bleeds as I'm reading his last words from Vietnam / Dear little mother, forgive me honey for starting out like this / But I just got your letter...about our first baby... / And I couldn't resist calling you little mother... / Show him my picture and say this is your daddy... / Things are pretty rough here in Vietnam / It's much worse then I ever thought it would be / But I'm glad to be doing my part the best I can / Freedom wouldn't mean much to me if I wasn't concerned about freedom for all who want to be free / We are located in a valley called Sniper's Hill... / If anything happens to me...be sure to tell him...his daddy died fighting for his country and his loved ones / When his daddy marched he marched with men who stood proud and tall and not in protest

Notes

Boone Record Co., Union, Ky., Record No. BR 1038 (SO: 3023), blue label with silver print; "Sniper's Hill" (Buddy Starcher), Glaser Publications, Inc. – BMI, time 3:45; produced by Chuck Glaser. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born Ripley, West Virginia, USA (16 March 1906). Died Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA (2 November 2001)

Themes

Patriotic

In collections

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