The War Correspondent

Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs

Eric Bogle, a contemporary folk artist born in Scotland, who then moved permanently to Australia in 1969. He is especially well-known as the composer of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", an anti-war track, which looked back at the Australian war experience in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 (World War One), while making a contemporary note about the younger generation, in reference to the Vietnam War. A recording of this song featured on this album. Also on this album was the track "The War Correspondent" (Larrikin Records # LRF 041) which looked at the perspective of an Australian war journalist. It started with the news anchor introduction: "our special correspondent in Saigon, says three Australian soldiers have died in Vietnam". The lyrics were somewhat critical of the journalist for not taking a moral stand: "objectively you watch the war... not being paid to moralize". Soldiers were dying, yet the newspersons were presenting a program: "see the show, T.V. soldiers in a row... watch them run, see them die", as the reporter learned "how to live with death, suffering and fear". But the narrator pondered on the actual impact: "the man that was before Vietnam can never be…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Eric Bogle - contemporary folk singer-songwriter born 23 September 1944 in Peebles, Scotland; settled in Australia in 1969; writer of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda".

Themes

Journalist · TV War · Saigon · ANZUS · Combat

In collections

Australian & New Zealand Songs