The Wall
1986 · Living Word 1 · Charlotte, Arkansas
- Artist
- John Steer
- Title
- The Wall
- Release
- Circuit Rider
- Year
- 1986
- Label
- Living Word # 1
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- Charlotte, Arkansas, USA
- Genre
- Pop · Pop
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
The song "The Wall" (Living Word Records # 001) featured on an album of Vietnam War-related tracks by John Steer, a veteran of the war. According to his website, he actually sung at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Wall, although it does not say which song.123 He was originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently lives in Winter Haven, Florida, USA. This album was recorded in Charlotte, Arkansas, USA. The song was a cover of "The Wall" by Festival, discussed above, which took a patriotic position, describing the deaths as "the price we paid for freedom". The song centred around the story of a mother, whose son died in Vietnam, visiting the war memorial.Sources1Country Music Today and Yesterday (J. L. Steer, Angelfire)↩2Wounded Soldier: A Reason to Live - A Faith That Heals (John Steer, 1997)↩3Congressional Record, Volume 156 (Congress, 2014)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Veterans Memorial Wall Songs
The song "The Wall" (Living Word Records # 001) featured on an album of Vietnam War-related tracks by John Steer, a veteran of the war. According to his website, he actually sung at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Wall, although it does not say which song.123 He was originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently lives in Winter Haven, Florida, USA. This album was recorded in Charlotte, Arkansas, USA. The song was a cover of "The Wall" by Festival, discussed above, which took a patriotic position, describing the deaths as "the price we paid for freedom". The song centred around the story of a mother, whose son died in Vietnam, visiting the war memorial. Sources1Country Music Today and Yesterday (J. L. Steer, Angelfire)↩2Wounded Soldier: A Reason to Live - A Faith That Heals (John Steer, 1997)↩3Congressional Record, Volume 156 (Congress, 2014)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: In this place of honor, to what is best of man / I found a crying mother with flowers in her hand / She said that she was there because her son was 10 years gone / Another life that was not spared in a place called Vietnam / She turned to me, and said young man, take me in your arms snd walk with me on pass the Wall / I want to see them all, a special place this is to me / But it's taken them so long, to say his life was not in vain / In a place called Vietnam / The monument here shows me the nation has some pride / To say they really care about the ones who fought and died / So you can stand here with me now, and hold me while I cry / The price we paid for freedom son, it hurts me deep inside / The price we paid for freedom son, is the highest price of all / The price we paid for freedom son, is written on the wall / In this place of honor, to what is best of man / I found a crying mother with flowers in her hand
Notes
"Circuit Rider" John Steer. The cover photograph looks down on a wooden table draped with a U.S. flag, laid with Vietnam-era memorabilia: an "Airborne Classbook", medals, dog tags, a beret, a 173rd Airborne shoulder patch, an ace of spades, a POW-MIA flag and ribbon, an "Agent Orange" button, a copy of "Tracers" and a photograph of a motorcyclist among rows of military graves. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
John Steer - currently in Winter Haven, Florida. Grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Themes
From the release Circuit Rider