Credited on the record as Little Debbie Duncan and Her Twilights.
The Vietnam Song
Haven HM-101 · USA
- Artist
- Little Debbie Duncan
- Credited on the record as
- Little Debbie Duncan and Her Twilights
- Title
- The Vietnam Song
- Release
- The Vietnam Song / Forget All Your Troubles
- Label
- Haven # HM-101
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Bill Duncan
- Genre
- Traditional Pop · Traditional Pop
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs
The track "The Vietnam Song" (Haven Records # HM-101) by the young child Little Debbie Duncan and Her Twilights - song composed by Bill Duncan - her father? This might be a song-poem record label. The track started with a group chorus, introducing the listener to the little girl. Then Debbie Duncan started telling the listener "about her real daddy", recalling that her father went off to war. However, she said that her "daddy...had been killed at some place called Vietnam". This had a a huge impact on her family situation - in the second set of verses, Debbie Duncan started speaking about "her foster daddy". The narration took a darker turn: "I have a new daddy, he drinks a lot...we don't get to go places and have fun". She concluded the song by wondering how many other children had a difficult family situation as a result of the war. Thus, this song provided a different perspective on how the death of a soldier rebounded on a child and the family.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: A little girl with the lovely curls, her eyes shine brighter than all the stars at night / Her smile was so pretty, it was such a pity when she started telling us about her real daddy / I remember the day my daddy went away / I didn't know he would come back again / One day mommy told me my daddy won't come home to us anymore / I didn't understand what she said / He had been killed at some place called Vietnam / A little girl with the lovely curls, her eyes shine brighter than all the stars at night / Her smile was so pretty, it was such a pity when she started telling us about her foster daddy / Things have changed around our house, we don't get to go places / And have fun, way we did before / Cause you seen now I have a new daddy / He drinks a lot and smokes a lot / When I'm in my room at night I can hear them talking / I know they are talking about me, I wonder how many boys and girls have the kind of problem I've got / Oh lord will you shine your light on all the broken hearts tonight / And bless our boys who are in Vietnam tonight
Notes
Haven Records HM-101, yellow label; "The Vietnam Song" (Bill Duncan), 2:40, Ranchette Pub., BMI; Little Debbie Duncan and Her Twilights; produced by Dick Michaels, engineer Norman Goodman. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Themes
Soldier's Perspective · Child · Patriotic · Song Poem · K.I.A.
In collections
US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Children on Record · Song Poems · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]