The Son Of A Green Beret (A Child's Ballad Of The Green Beret)

Annotation

The song "The Son of a Green Beret (A Child's Ballad of the Green Beret)" (Holton Records # H-61966), narrated by a young boy called Craig Arthur, age unknown, although probably 10 or under, can be viewed as an answer record to Barry Sadler's Ballad of the Green Berets as it makes several references to that hit. The boy explained in the song that he hoped to one day join the green berets, like his father had done before him, because they were "our country's best...so brave and bold".Ballad of the Green Berets answer records: The Beach Bums - Ballad of the Yellow Beret (1966) Nancy Ames - He Wore the Green Beret (1966) Craig Arthur - The Son of a Green Beret (1966) Selected covers of Ballad of the Green Berets: Duane Eddy - The Biggest Twang of Them All (1966) The Lancastrians - The Ballad of the Green Berets (1966) Paul Lavalle - Salute to Our Fighting Men in Vietnam (1966) Lonesome Valley Singers - Men in the Green Berets (1966) Lloyd Green - Day for Decision (1966) The Deputies - The Ballad of the Green Berets (1966) Herb Eaton - Ballad of the Green Beret (1966) Johnny Mac - Ballad of the Green Beret (1966) Crum Brothers - A Ballad of the Green Beret (1967) Autry Inman - Ballad of Two Brothers (1968)

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I'll be a man and fight some day / Like my daddy with the green beret / Bravest men you'll ever see / The kind of man I want to be / Place the silver wings upon my chest / These silver wings are our country's best... / Daddy came to me one day / He said 'son I must go away' / Until I come home...you take care / He said goodbye so proud and bold / Mum was not afraid at all

Notes

Holton Records H-61966-A / H-61966-B, 45 RPM, "Division of Holton Records Inc., N.Y."; "The Son of a Green Beret (A Child's Ballad of The Green Beret)" (A. Cordasco-S. Cordasco-J. McNamara), 2:10, Jitters Music Co. BMI / Vantone Music Prod., Inc. BMI; arranged by Steve Pulliam, "An Alfred Production". The A-side is the vocal by Craig Arthur; the B-side is the same song credited "Instrumental with Chorus", also 2:10. [From the record sleeve and labels]

Themes

Patriotic · Child · Answer to Green Beret

In collections

Children on Record · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]