Vietnam Blues

Annotation

A US soldier had a different sort of "Vietnam Blues" (B.R.W. Records # 20133) to the track above. In this song the soldier felt down about being in Vietnam, suffering from loneliness and fear: "I'm so alone, I'm so blue". He also did not like the climate: "Vietnam it's so hot". Yet, the soldier continued to do his job - as he "saw the Vietcong coming", the GIs got out their M14s and chased them away. This was released under the artist name Hardy Brendle and His Virginia Pardners - which could suggest the location of the recording. However, the label was from North Carolina. Furthermore, there is a Hardy Brendle (1933-2003) who served in Vietnam as a Sargent, and died in NC, so probably the same person.1 He may have also played with the bluegrass group the Tidwell Brothers.2Sources1Find a Grave↩2denonco.net: Bob Denoncourt biography (Cedar Mountain Boys)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I've been over in Vietnam for almost a year / Wish you could tell me how to brush aware the fear / I'm so alone, I'm so blue, boy I'm here to tell you / I sure have those damn Vietnam blues... / Boys I'm here to tell you in Vietnam it's so hot / The GIs over there, they just don't know... / We looked over the river, we saw the Vietcong coming / We took our M14s and got them on the run

Notes

B.R.W. 20133, Side 1, 45 RPM; "Vietnam Blues" (H. Brendle), time 2:33, Billy Wagner Music (BMI), Rt. 5 Box 512, Durham, N.C.; credited "Hardy Brendle and His Virginia Pardners". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Hardy Brendle and His Virginia Pardners

Themes

Soldier's Perspective · Saigon · VC · Combat · Military

In collections

US Combat Perspective Songs [War Years] · US Military & Veteran Songs