Viet Nam Prayer
It'll Do 1000 · USA
- Artist
- The Mask
- Title
- Viet Nam Prayer
- Release
- Viet Nam Prayer / Christmas Letter
- Label
- It'll Do # 1000
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- The Mask
- Genre
- Country · Country · Novelty
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation — Christmas Songs
The song "Christmas Letter" (It'll Do Records # 1000) by the Mask - a country novelty record about a soldier in Vietnam during Christmas. It took a humorous tone, as the soldier hoped his father, back home, will cut down on the drinking and go to church on Christmas day. The soldier had a Christmas tree in Vietnam, all wet and muddy, but it protected him from the bullets: "don't worry mum, I have a Christmas tree...it protects me from the shells". Also, the Red Cross supplied doughnuts to the soldier, which were apparently just as good as his mum's cooking. At the end of the song, the soldier sent out a Christmas wish to everyone from "under my Christmas tree in Vietnam". Unknown artist, label, and year. The record also included the track "Viet Nam Prayer", which took a more serious approach. The narrator, a soldier, prayed to god to end the war in Vietnam, so that all the soldiers could get "out of this jungle" and then "be with our mothers, wives and girlfriends". He also prayed for god to bring together at the conference table the leaders of the United States (referencing President Johnson), China, and Russia.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US Combat Perspective Songs
The song "Christmas Letter" (It'll Do Records # 1000) by the Mask - a country novelty record about a soldier in Vietnam during Christmas. It took a humorous tone, as the soldier hoped his father, back home, will cut down on the drinking and go to church on Christmas day. The soldier had a Christmas tree in Vietnam, all wet and muddy, but it protected him from the bullets: "don't worry mum, I have a Christmas tree...it protects me from the shells". Also, the Red Cross supplied doughnuts to the soldier, which were apparently just as good as his mum's cooking. At the end of the song, the soldier sent out a Christmas wish to everyone from "under my Christmas tree in Vietnam". Unknown artist, label, and year.The record also included the track "Viet Nam Prayer", which took a more serious approach. The narrator, a soldier, prayed to god to end the war in Vietnam, so that all the soldiers could get "out of this jungle" and then "be with our mothers, wives and girlfriends". He also prayed for god to bring together at the conference table the leaders of the United States (referencing President Johnson), China, and Russia.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Themes
Christmas · LBJ · Anti-War · Religion · Foxhole · Soldier's Perspective