The Work Is Done

Annotation

Birth Control, a German progressive rock band formed in 1968 in West Berlin, released the song "The Work Is Done" narrated in the first person, which focused on the indiscriminate killing of a child in Vietnam: "I just killed a child, you know down in Vietnam". Due to the theme and time period, this may have been influenced by the My Lai massacre, although it is not mentioned and no further information is known on the specific inspiration for the song.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: The work is done, the work is done / The work is done I have just killed a child / You know down in Vietnam / It needs no father, it needs no mother / It needs no parents anymore, cause you know / 'Cause you know the work is done / So gimme shelter, so gimme shelter / So gimme shelter Uncle Sam, I'm a lonely boy / I have just killed someone / So gimme shelter Uncle Sam, I'm a lonely boy / I have just killed someone / I love the peace, I love the peace / I love the peace and if I killed the enemy they said / I have done nothing wrong / Do me a favour, do me a favour / Do me a favour just believe that I feel what I say / Life is hard enough / So gimme shelter, so gimme shelter / So gimme shelter Uncle Sam, I'm a lonely boy / I have just killed someone / So gimme shelter Uncle Sam, I'm a lonely boy / I have just killed someone

About the artist

German krautrock band formed 1966 in West Berlin, Germany. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Soldier's Perspective · Civilian Casualties · My Lai-Type

In collections

European Songs · My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]