The Private

Annotation

Private, The (Reeves, Del) United Artists Records # UA 50157 Country. Born 14 July 1932, Sparta, North Carolina. Died 1 January 2007, Centerville, Tennessee. Patriotic, reference to Vietnam, WW1, and the Civil War - connected the role of soldiers through American history. Billboard, 20 May 1967: "UA's Del Reeves' new record, The Private, is to be released to coincide with the observance of Memorial Day".1 Reached # 33 in the Billboard Hot Country Singles on 29 July 1967.2 Oh that great boy yes we owe a lot to the private"Sources1Billboard, 20 May 1967↩2Billboard, 29 July 1967↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs

Private, The (Reeves, Del) United Artists Records # UA 50157 Country. Born 14 July 1932, Sparta, North Carolina. Died 1 January 2007, Centerville, Tennessee. Patriotic, reference to Vietnam, WW1, and the Civil War - connected the role of soldiers through American history. Billboard, 20 May 1967: "UA's Del Reeves' new record, The Private, is to be released to coincide with the observance of Memorial Day".1 Reached # 33 in the Billboard Hot Country Singles on 29 July 1967.2Sources1Billboard, 20 May 1967↩2Billboard, 29 July 1967↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: He's been the man in every war before / Fought so brave and nearly froze at Valley Forge / And in the big war he was the man / And now in Vietnam we owe a lot to the private / He has the courage of the knights of old / He's America's strength standing straight and bold / With gun in hand he is a fightin' man / A courageous man yes we owe a lot to the private / He takes the gun and he points it straight / Straight at the heart of the things that free man hates / We owe a lot to the private / He's some lonely girl's only sweetheart / And he's some mother's only son / And he's some father's greatest pride and joy / Oh that great boy yes we owe a lot to the private

Notes

United Artists Records UA 50157, matrix ZTSP 123454, time 2:27, Tree Publ. Co., Inc., BMI; "The Private" (C. Putman - J. Barlow), Del Reeves, "Prod. by Bob Montgomery"; New York 19, N.Y.; in red-and-yellow chequered United Artists company sleeve, "The Proudest Name in Entertainment". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American country singer, born 14 July 1932 in Sparta, North Carolina ('The Private'); died 1 January 2007 in Centerville, Tennessee. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Patriotic · WW2

In collections

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