Davilita & Mario Hernandez con el Sexteto Borinquen
Viet Nam
Festival [Puerto Rico] FR-03 · Puerto Rico
- Artist
- Davilita & Mario Hernandez con el Sexteto Borinquen
- Title
- Viet Nam
- Release
- Mi gran bandera: Canciones patrioticas
- Label
- Festival [Puerto Rico] # FR-03
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- Spanish
- Country
- Puerto Rico
- Songwriter
- Pedro Ortiz Dávila
- Genre
- Hispanic Music · Jibaro
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation — Puerto Rican Songs
The track "Viet Nam" (Festival Records # FR-03) is a collaboration between the Puerto Rican artists Davilita - born 21 May 1912, and died 8 July 1986 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico; Mario Hernández - born 24 June 1924, and died 2 January 2013, in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico; and the group Sexteto Borinquen - formed in 1961, in Puerta de Tierra, Puerto Rico. This song focused on Puerto Rican patriotism, and independence, noting that if these men, sent to "fight without knowing why" were to fight "to liberate Borinquen [Puerto Rico]", then they would no longer be called the "heroes of Vietnam", but "subversives". This is a very interested track, questioning why the Puerto Ricans must fight in the US army ("they have to comply, they cannot refuse"), yet do not have freedom in their own country.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Going to Vietnam, taken away, all of them, to Vietnam / They’re from Puerto Rico, oh Lord in heaven, and off they go / They go there to fight without knowing why / They’re going to fight, they have to comply / They cannot refuse to offer their blood / In Vietnam, they’re from our country / Oh how many boys from here have to go! / And after they die, they’re called heroes of liberty / But if their fight was to liberate Borinquen [Puerto Rico] / Everything would change and the 'heroes of Vietnam' would be just called 'subversives'
Notes
Festival Records FR-03, stereo, "Mi Gran Bandera (José de Diego) – Canciones Patrióticas de Davilita", con Davilita / Mario Hernández, Sexteto Borinquen (the label reads "Canta Davilita–Mario Hernández con el Sexteto 'Borinquen'"); Lado B track 4: "Viet-Nam" (Pedro Ortiz Dávila); Horóscopo label design, 33 1/3 RPM. The back-cover notes, by Amado Alonso García, introduce Davilita (Pedro Ortiz Dávila), born in Bayamón on 21 May 1913. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Davilita - born 21 May 1912, and died 8 July 1986 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico; Mario Hernández - born 24 June 1924, and died 2 January 2013, in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico; and the group Sexteto Borinquen - formed in 1961, in Puerta de Tierra, Puerto Rico.
Themes
In collections
Civil Rights Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Puerto Rican Songs