Twenty Summers

Annotation

Contemporary folk artist Gary Shearston, born 9 January 1939 in Inverell, NSW, Australia. He died 1 July 2013, Tenterfield, NSW, Australia. This album, recorded in 1965 in Sydney, Australia, and produced by Sven E. Libaek (CBS # BP-233186), contained two anti-war songs related to the Vietnam War.. According to the album notes, written by Edgar Walter (1965), the first song "Twenty Summers" was composed by Mona Brand: "Twenty Summers: Mona Brand's words were written as a comment on the recent decision to conscript young Australians for military service overseas. But they are a protest not so much against that decision in itself, as against all warfare. The melody is by Gary Shearston". Mona Brand was a theatre playwright, who taught English in Hanoi with her husband Len Fox in the 1950s.1 It told the story of a young man, 20 years old, drafted to war: "Johnny is called for a soldier today". His father died in a previous war: "rain in the jungle when Johnny was born, the day that his father lay dying at dawn".Sources1Union Song↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs

Contemporary folk artist Gary Shearston, born 9 January 1939 in Inverell, NSW, Australia. He died 1 July 2013, Tenterfield, NSW, Australia. This album, recorded in 1965 in Sydney, Australia, and produced by Sven E. Libaek (CBS # BP-233186), contained two anti-war songs related to the Vietnam War. According to the album notes, written by Edgar Walter (1965), the first song "Twenty Summers" was composed by Mona Brand: "Twenty Summers: Mona Brand's words were written as a comment on the recent decision to conscript young Australians for military service overseas. But they are a protest not so much against that decision in itself, as against all warfare. The melody is by Gary Shearston". Mona Brand was a theatre playwright, who taught English in Hanoi with her husband Len Fox in the 1950s.1 It told the story of a young man, 20 years old, drafted to war: "Johnny is called for a soldier today". His father died in a previous war: "rain in the jungle when Johnny was born, the day that his father lay dying at dawn".Sources1Union Song↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Twenty summers passing away / Johnny is called for a soldier today / Twenty summers, see how they pass / Johnny was earning his earning at last / Johnny must shoulder a gun / And be going and fighting some people he'd rather be knowing / Twenty summers the tree by the wall / Heavy with blossoms were starting to fall / One night when his mother did / Johnny can see that spring when his father came home for some leave / Now Johnny must shoulder a gun / And be going... / Rain was falling softly to earth / The day of the autumn that gave Johnny birth / Rain in the jungle when Johnny was born / The day that his father lay dying at dawn / Now Johnny must shoulder a gun and be going... / Twenty summers look how they've flown / Johnny was planning... / How many summers await Johnny? As I was walking down the street on my twentieth birthday / A government man he said to me you'd look fine in khaki / The government is in need of men / Come read our proclamation / Two years conscription / Life for you will be a fine vacation / And it's true my lads / It's true my lads / To tell the truth I'm bound / There's always trouble in the year with election coming around / Well it may be so I said to him, but tell me if you can / If I'm old enough to carry a gun, am I old enough to vote / If I'm sent to fight in a foreign land not warring with Australia / What will you give us a guarantee I won't come home in a coffin... / Well the government he looked at me and his smile was very…

About the artist

Born 9 January 1939 in Inverell, NSW, Australia. He died 1 July 2013, Tenterfield, NSW, Australia

Themes

Anti-War · Draft · ANZUS

In collections

Australian & New Zealand Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]