Agent Orange

Annotation

Thrash Metal group, formed in 1984, in Frankfurt, Germany, and disbanded in 1991. Members included Adrian Hahn (vocals, bass), Andy Ergün (guitar), Lario (guitar), Stefan Arnold (drums), Andi Reichert (bass) David Hoffman (bass, guitar). The song "Agent Orange" (No Remorse Records # NRR 1007) combined the issues of the the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long tern negative health effects, and the My Lai massacre - the mass murder of between 300-500 civilians in the South Vietnamese area known as "Pinkville", containing the hamlets, known as My Lai 4 and My Khe 4, and throughout the area of Song My, by US forces on 16 March 1968. The vivid lyrics conjured the familiar images used to portray the Vietnam conflict, including the helicopters and jungles: "caged into the chopper, crossing the green". It recalled the reasons for fighting: "patriotic to fight for stars and stripes, heroic left his home to invade a land". However, there are no more "war games", as they are in the "hell of Vietnam". The soldier is then "trying to forget Operation My Lai", and noted "it's been hard to watch 'em die", also the narrator also expressed a cold side: "didn't really mind to hear some Viet Cong's women cry". Back in the US, the veteran cannot hide from the crimes committed: "cruelties censored, war can't be ignored". He wanted to be "out of sight again... where mortality's unseen".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Caged into the chopper / Crossing the green / Camouflage confusing his eyes / His company down under / Shots from nowhere / Loyalty'll be denied in time / Followed the call of pride / Patriotic to fight for stars and stripes / Heroic left his home / To invade a land / Where he doesn't belong / Agent orange cleared his sight now / A different face stared at him somehow / Gas changed the conflict / Sort of deranged / Hope and honour / Have fallen with the green / Deprived of the green filter / No more cruelties censored / War can't be ignored any longer / Wishes he was out of sight again / The green is gone / Shelter's slain / The hidden heroes / Delivered to the pain / It's in his face / Where they run, where they fall / It's in his mind / Unable to close the scar / Heroic image uncovered / Escaping from it's challenging disguise / Into the green / Into the green / Where mortality's unseen / Into the green / Where war games are so / Easy to play / Soon it was done / The hell of Vietnam / Unveiled it's violated grace / His company down under / Strategic demands / Raged like a tropic disease / It's been hard to watch 'em die / Trying to forget Operation My Lai / Though he didn't really mind / To hear some Viet Cong's women cry / Agent orange cleared his sight now / Loyalty was kicked away somehow / Turned the chopper / Left the violence / Into the green / Where war is as once / Deprived of the green filter / No more cruelties censored / War can't be ignored any longer…

About the artist

Thrash Metal group, formed in 1984 in Frankfurt, Germany, disbanded 1991. Members included Adrian Hahn (vocals, bass), Andy Ergün (guitar), Lario (guitar), Stefan Arnold (drums), Andi Reichert (bass), David Hoffman (bass, guitar).

Themes

Agent Orange · My Lai · Helicopter · Jungle · Vet · Flag · Calley-Chaos · Anti-Calley · Combat

In collections

European Songs · Metal Songs · My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs