Vietnam Era Music
Take your song and analyze the lyrics. Go line by line and connect the song to what was going on in the War at the time. Explain whether your song was a pro-war or anti-war tune. Give me your opinion of how this may affect American public opinion.
Elton John-- Daniel "Do you still feel the pain of the scars that wont heal, your eyes have died. You see more than i. " Everything that he saw is now on his mind all the time, you cant take memories like that back. His eyes have seen so much bad that there dead now, but he still has seen more then Elton.
Good! What kind of psychological effect did this war have on veterans? Was it different than other wars? Also, was there anything else you could pull out of this song to connect to this class?
"Two days past eighteen, He was waiting for the bus in his army green" The draft. "For a list of local Vietnam dead" number of troops dead during the war. "A soldier's coming home" soldiers surviving the events during the war. My song was anti-war and this affected peoples families and relationships. People were scared of losing loved ones.
For the part about local Vietnam dead, it makes me think of the body count that was shown to Americans on a daily basis. What kind of effect did you think the media had on most Americans?
Imagine By John Lennon "You, you may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one -Not everyone was accepting Lennon's message of peace but he wanted peace even though it seemed like a dream
I hope some day you'll join us And the world will be as one" -Lennon hopes that one day, the opposition will join in; John extends a warm welcome to his critics. He believes the war should not happen.
I really like this song and i had no idea it was about Vietnam. But now that i read the lyrics and your own analysis of it I can see the connections. I like the analysis's you made to the song and i agree with them.
"Shagism, Dragism, Madism, RagismAnnotate, Tagism This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism" - Lennon is talking about ideologies and how everyone is arguing over their separate beliefs and opinions. This division among the community is depriving the world from obtaining peace.
"All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance" -Lennon is anti-war and believes in a peaceful negotiation to end the war.
"Everybody's talking about Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters" -Ministers-Lennon is talking about religion and how people of different religions have different views on the war. Ministers are religious leaders who are against the war. Sinister- A sinister is someone evil who supports war or someone involved in the war. Lennon may be referring to the U.S. government or the enemy as being the sinister. Canisters- Canisters refer to part of the weapons used in the war that caused destruction. The shells, full of explosives, chemicals, or shrapnel, were used to attack large groups of people at once. They are also a crowd dispersal tool used by police to break up protests.
"Revolution, Evolution," -He knows its happened in the past and he is hoping that we will evolve into a peaceful country.
I feel like John Lennon was on a whole other level when he wrote his songs. I also analyzed a John Lennon song and he puts so much meaning into a song its crazy.
Orange Crush - REM "I've had my fun and now it's time to serve your conscience overseas"- I've had my fun but now it's time to serve in war "I've got my orange crush" - Agent Orange "Coming in fast over me" -The helicopters or planes deploying the Orange are flying quickly above him, on the way to strike.
What was the overall meaning of this song? Can you tell if it is pro-war or anti-war? It seems like the lyrics are very real about this man's experiences in the war!
Those are the definite connections to the war through the lyrics but. Were there anymore connections to where you had to dig deeper and Find it had multiple deep meanings. But it brought to my attention that this song was about the war and prior to this i didn't know that.
Born in the U.S.A.- By Bruce Springsteen "Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand, Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man" ---What I can conclude, from these lyrics is that he got drafted, so they sent him to the military and sent him overseas to fight the Vietminh and Vietcongs "Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong, They're still there he's all gone." ---Mr.Springsteen said that he met a Virginia man, and he had a brother in one of the major cities, and he died due to the enemy. "He had a woman he loved in Saigon, I got a picture of him in her arms now" ---Saying that every person that had entered the war and fought or contributed died. -Meaning- People think that this is a very patriotic song when its actually very sarcastic. Saying that being "Born in the U.S.A." isnt all that great.
I really like your insight on this song. I never thought that Born in the U.S.A. was anything but a patriotic song. My eyes are clearly opened now though.
In the song War Pigs by Black Sabbath, the artist shows content of not supporting war. The lyrics read "Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight? They leave that all to the poor, yeah!". What these lyrics translate to is "Politicians trigger wars amongst other countries, the citizens actually fight them." I think people after listening to this song back in the old days really made them open up and see the the government never loses, only the people.
Relating to Vietnam, but I believe the song speaks of more than just Vietnam, more or less just war in general. Another song with similar views that came much later is BYOB by System of a Down.
Now, you analyze this one stanza of lyrics when there are a full four stanzas and twenty-seven lines. Yes, the analysis of these lyrics is accurate, as you describe that these politicians are only provoking war among others, and then summon the common populace to fight in their place. But what about the first two lines? "Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses." This is comparing a general of an army to a witch, and at the time, witchcraft was still frowned upon by the world. Black Sabbath also calls these generals "Sorcerers of death's construction." These two names, which are blatant insults at the time, were things that the war veterans might as well have been called upon their return. This is especially related to the American involvement in the Vietnamese War (seeing as how Black Sabbath is an English band). When the American soldiers returned from Vietnam, they were called "baby killers" and "murderers." The generals that ordered them were often disgraced the most. "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath is, as a matter of fact, just about a generality of war, with few points relating exactly to Vietnam. There are many ways to interpret this song, but every interpretation always comes out with a like conclusion. "Black Sabbath has a view on war on par with those that are protesting the wars themselves, but they do it in a way that provides a form of entertainment for the masses instead of impeding upon daily procedures."
the 8th of november - big and rich "dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble" - someone got to Vietnam. helicopters would be going by all the time. one of the most popular was the huey.
"with the fire rainin down and the hell all around" - this is talking about the napalm they used in the war. they dropped fire bombs from planes. Vietnam was a very chaotic place, especially during battles.
"but the battle still plays in his head" - Vietnam was so traumatic for the people who were there is was extremely common for people to have ptsd. this was the worst people had ever gotten after a war
"19 and green with a new M16" - the M16 was on of the most used weapons by american soldiers during the time
"bout the shrapnel they left in his leg" - a lot of artillery was used in the war. American soldiers were frequently under mortar fire
Song- Gimme shelter by Rolling Stones Gimme shelter connects with the war by saying you need to get into shelter or know where you’re going to go if a war breaks out. “It’s just a shot away” meaning if a country fires, a war will break out at anytime. You need to be prepared. “Threatening my very life today” meaning it threatens everyone in the country, not just the soldiers fighting. Be prepared. This song was definitely anti-war.
“Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor” -Many politicians did not work to stop the war even though we were losing. The majority of our soldiers were minors and the lower class. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. Few, if any, politicians fought in the Vietnam War.
How do you think this realization affected American public opinion about its own government? Is it fair that the politicians make the decisions and the citizens are the ones that fight for them?
"Television children fed" The Vietnam war is known as the TV war "Unborn living, living, dead" Their lives end before they even begin "Make a grave for the unknown soldier" Tomb of the Unknowns is a cemetery for soldiers who died in war that cant be identified "And, it's all over The war is over It's all over The war is over" When the soldier dies everything ends for him, not only the war but his whole life
This song can relate specifically to the Vietnam war because children were sitting at home watching people they didn't even know die on TV (unknown soldiers). The broadcasting of a war is something that only happened in this specific war. The overall meaning of this song is talking about how we sat back and watched as soldiers, people we don't even know were dying.
All young people knew at this time was war. It was constantly on TV and young people were drafted into it before they had a chance to do something with their lives. I agree with your overall interpretation of the song. We just watched as people died.
Paint It Black, Rolling Stones; "I see a red door and I want it painted black" "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black" "I look inside myself and see my heart is black" "No colors any more, I want them to turn black" "Black as night, black as coal" -This signifies the person feeling nothing and not feeling any happiness. this relates a lot to returning veterans who seen so much war and suffer from depression.
I want you to think deeper. This song is a tough one. You picked out the right lyrics, but you did not connect each one. Please go back and dig deeper.
In my opinion this part of the lyrics is talking about how solders in Vietnam we trying to flight the enemy who is represented as black and in turn it changed us into the very thing we were trying to fight
Paint it Black – Rolling Stones “No colors anymore I want them to turn black”
I think this part of the song kind of relates to the veterans who had fought during the war because they were suffering through depression from coming back to the war and seeing brutal things happening. Some veterans probably came back completely changed after seeing what they had seen and just had been depressed from all the deaths in the war. I feel like this song does talk directly about if it for war or against it, but more about the depression people felt about it and how nothing else really mattered to them anymore.
Soldiers in Vietnam go quick and unnoticed; there are so many that they aren’t remembered (or cared about by the govt.) They are just a number, a fighter – an unknown soldier.
“Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Bullet strikes the helmet's head”
The war was practically pumped into civilians’ minds – they saw it, read it, watched it, listened to it. Children, even – but some people may not have grasped the situation for what it was. If people kept dying, and it was constantly surrounding you, it would become normal, and you wouldn’t know or care who those bullets were striking. It was everyday life.
“Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Comp'nee Halt Preeee-zent! Arms!”
This little break in the song is like an army chant – it’s very literal. They’re marching along, and then snap – that’s it. It’s almost comical, but it’s attempting to make the listener reach that type of situation in Vietnam.
“Make a grave for the unknown soldier Nestled in your hollow shoulder The unknown soldier”
This is after the chant; the unknown soldier has been killed, and it’s going to sit with you, with all the other dead unknown soldiers.
Bad moon on the rise- Creedence clearwater revival
“I see a bad moon arising, I see trouble on the way.” - The moon is bright so the light makes it so they can see where you are which makes you an easier target-
‘‘Don’t go around tonight, well its bound to take your life” - You will get killed if you go outside, they are afraid-
“Hope you are quit prepared to die” -Close to 58,000 men died in the Vietnam war-
‘’ I know the end is coming soon” - they are afraid. The are preparing for the end-
"I hear the voice of rage and ruin'' - the voice of ruin could mean that they hear the gun shots and explosions that are killing so many people-
“There's something happening here But what it is ain't exactly clear” -The government is sheltering the truth of the war. “There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware” -Soldiers are telling the new recruits they have to watch out.
“I think it's time we stop Children, what's that sound?” - Telling the people to see what’s going on. “Everybody look - what's going down?” -Look what’s really going on.
“There's battle lines being drawn” -The plans for the war. “Nobody's right if everybody's wrong” -The right thing is wrong to other people, doves and hawks. “Young people speaking' their minds” -People against the war are speaking their thoughts. “Getting so much resistance from behind” - Not getting any help from home
It's time we stop Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
“What a field day for the heat A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly saying, "hooray for our side" -People protesting the war.
It's time we stop Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
“Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you're always afraid” -Soldiers were always afraid during the Vietnam war because of the jungle. Step out of line, the men come and take you away
We better stop Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop Now, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop Children, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?
The reoccurring theme with these statements is, no matter what kind of background you are from, you don't escape the war. It brings people of all kinds together and unites them against one enemy.
"It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no" "It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no"
This shows how the singer feels scorned by the war, and how he says "I ain't no fortunate son" makes me think that he possibly lost his father to the war, or as a son of liberty, feels the war is un-American.
At first I didn't see how this song could've possibly been about the Vietnam War but after you thoroughly broke the lyrics down it was actually pretty easy to understand.
Run Through The Jungle- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Whoa, thought it was a nightmare, Lo, it's all so true, They told me, "Don't go walkin' slow 'Cause Devil's on the loose." (Devil refers to the Vietcong, the enemy waiting in the jungle.)
[CHORUS:] Better run through the jungle, Better run through the jungle, Better run through the jungle, Woa, Don't look back to see. (Americans’ lifespan in the jungles of Vietnam were short, and soldiers were aware that every step could be their last. Most of the fighting took place in the jungle, giving the Vietcong an advantage.)
Thought I heard a rumblin' Callin' to my name, Two hundred million guns are loaded Satan cries, "Take aim!" (The Vietcong used their knowledge of the territory against the US. They launched many surprise attacks, and hid wisely.)
[CHORUS]
Over on the mountain (Some regions in Vietnam are mountainous) Thunder magic spoke, "Let the people know my wisdom, Fill the land with smoke." (I feel like smoke refers to napalm, because smoke is a common bomb reference. The US attacked swamps with napalm to clear the territory, and harmed many soldiers and civilians in the process.)
[CHORUS]
This song basically describes the fear and technique used in the jungle. US soldiers entered the jungle knowing they were constantly in danger. Vietcong members were waiting. A strategy the US used to cope with this situation was destroying jungles and swamps with Napalm and Agent Orange.
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye "Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying" - This is referring to all of the soldiers who have died during the war and all of the mothers crying due to their loss.
"Father, father We don't need to escalate You see, war is not the answer For only love can conquer hate" - Love can solve problems, War destroy's everything.
This song is anti-war because it is expressing how war is tearing everyone apart. The message is that war is not the answer.
• He wants his eyes sown shut because of all the destruction • He is in a box because he is dying • He is a beaten dog, getting his nose shoved in spit, he knows what is wrong and he keeps getting harassed for it • Why don’t you save me, save me, he is asking for help • He is buried in his pit, he can’t get out • He asked to be saved
Daniel is traveling tonight on a plane I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain And I can see Daniel waving goodbye God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
They say Spain is pretty though I've never been And Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen He should know, he's been there enough Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much, oh
Daniel my brother you are older than me Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal? Your eyes have died but you see more than I Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky
I think this song not only talks about how hard the beginning and the middle of the war was, but also how tough it was after the war. Veterans returned with mental instability and pain that no one else could understand. It was very hard for them and also the people around them. People in America who hadn't been to Vietnam didn't know what it was like and is was hard for them to understand or relate to the pain the veterans were going through. Overall, this is an anti-war song that talks about how war mentally and emotionally hurts people and tears families apart.
The overall meaning for this song is to show the story of people fighting in Vietnam and for the people back home who just waited and hoped that they would return. This also pays tribute to the people who fought in Vietnam. But mainly, in my case, if you never went through this, this song shows how people felt during this wartime.
First Stanza: This boy got recruited into the war and was feeling lonely, and then he went to a café and made friends with a girl who he would later fall in love with. Connection: about 10 million men were drafted through the selective service for this war
Second Stanza: It talks about when they went to the pier and hung out and got to know each other. There he asked her if he could write to her because he didn’t have anyone else to write to. Connection: This makes me think of the people who fought for America but had nobody who cared for them and it makes me pretty sad to think that they have no one.
Chorus: In this the girl was mourning because she had lost the man she loved and she is saying that she can never love again because he was her true love and now he was gone, and how she will never get that letter saying that her soldier was coming home. Connection: This may seem to be dramatic to some but I get it. She lost the love of her life and the other part of her heartbreak may be from the fact that he didn't have anyone but her.
Third Stanza: He was telling her in his letters all that he was going through and how he felt about the war and about her and how when he was scared he would think about her then he would feel better. Then he told her not to worry because he wouldn’t be able to write to her for a while. He said that so she wouldn’t think that he had died when he wasn’t able to write her, and because he loved her and he didn’t want to make her sad.
Fourth Stanza: In this the girl was at a football game and a man read the list of local people who had died in Vietnam. It brings in a part of a girl in the band crying under the stands when he is reading the names, either because she is worried for a loved one over there or because one of the names read was one she didn’t want to hear. Then it said that another name was read but nobody cared except the girl because it was her soldier’s name. This shows that he really didn’t have anyone except for her. Connection: There were about 3.8 million deaths from the war.
This song was anti-war because it showed how painful it was to lose a loved one. This effected every American who cared for someone in the war, they all know how hard it was to know that their friend/family member may not make it back and that is a truly horrible thing that they had to go through and think of. This song in particular would make Americans want to pull their loved ones out of the war even more than they already may have been wanting to.
“Travelin’ Soldier” by the Dixie Chicks Two days past eighteen He was waiting for the bus in his army greens- --- He has just turned 18 and he was being sent to boot camp. He most likely was drafted if he immediately is going to the army after turning 18.
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while And talking to me, I'm feeling a little low ---It hints more that he was drafted into the army and that he is not to pleased about it.
I got no one to send a letter to ---It hints that he is part of the working class. He most likely couldn’t afford college because he has no family. He couldn’t escape the draft by going to college.
So the letters came from an army camp In California then Vietnam ---The soldier immediately was shipped over seas. He didn’t have any leave time; the war must be in full swing at this point.
it's getting kinda rough over here ---The soldier is most likely in deep in the jungle, fighting it in major battles.
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile ---He probably is in a battle like the one in We Were Soldiers.
For a list of local Vietnam dead Crying all alone under the stands Was a piccolo player in the marching band And one name read but nobody really cared But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair ---The soldier died; nobody cared but the girl, most likely because he had no family. The list of the dead was a daily part of life.
Good interpretation of this song. You made some good connections to what we have talked about; like how to escape the draft you had to go to college. It is sad that he need up dying in the war and that he was only 18 when he went to boot camp. It's sad he lived such a short life and that in his last few years and he died doing something he didn't want to do.
This song talks about what a “fortunate son” has and not have, what a “fortunate one” is a not is and that everyone has their problems no matter how fortunate they are. It says that a “senator’s son” can be “red, white and blue” and therefore very patriotic, but “when the band plays ‘Hail to the chief’, they point the cannon at you, lord”, so they sometimes don’t believe in what they are supposed to. Even though a “millionaire’s son” might be “born silver spoon in hand” and seems to have everything, he can still have money problems and “the house looks like a rummage sale.” The “military son”, having inherited “star spangled eyes, can “send you down to war”. That seems to be a very easy work, but they always need “More! More! More!”, because there were not enough people at the frontline. I think this song is more anti-war, showing that even the people that are lucky and don’t actually have to go to war still have their problems. With not even really speaking about the problems of those who are in the war, this song made the statement that the war is too hard for everybody.
Ain't found a way to kill me yet Eyes burn with stinging sweat Seems every path leads me to nowhere Wife and kids household pet Army green was no safe bet The bullets scream to me from somewhere
Here they come to snuff the rooster Yeah here come the rooster, yeah [2x] You know he ain't gonna die No, no, no, ya know he ain't gonna die
Walkin' tall machine gun man They spit on me in my home land Gloria sent me pictures of my boy Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death My buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath Oh god please won't you help me make it through
Here they come to snuff the rooster Yeah here come the rooster, yeah You know he ain't gonna die No, no, no ya know he ain't gonna die
“Ain't found a way to kill me yet, Eyes burn with stinging sweat” - Im still alive, from a long battle and they are stuck in one place, and they are hot and sweating.
“Wife and kids household pet, Army green was no safe bet, The bullets scream to me from somewhere” -he has a family at home, being in the U.S army is not safe for him or his family, bullets ricashea and fly past him.
“snuff the rooster” - This song was written by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father Jerry Cantrell Sr., who went by the nickname "Rooster" while serving with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Jerry Cantrell has stated that his father, Cantrell, Sr., had this family nickname "Rooster" since childhood due to the way his hair stood up on end as a child. The "Rooster" nickname is also often mistakenly attributed to a reference to men carrying the M60 machine gun the muzzle flash from which makes an outline or pattern reminiscent of a rooster's tail. snuff the rooster means to fight back with greater force
“ They spit on me in my home land” - they insulted the United states and U.S citizens
That The Vietnam War was a living hell for the united states Troops.
we talked today about how American veterans were treated badly when they got back home. It was hard to believe that people spit on troops when they returned.
Said goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota To fight for the red, white and blue He was 19 and green with a new M-16 Just doing what he had to do ----This tells about a young boy who just turned 19 and now he has to fight for the U.S with his new M-16 gun. He had to leave his mom and his teenage freedom.
He was dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble With the smell of napalm in the air And the sergeant said...look up ahead Like a dark evil cloud, 1,200 came down on him and 29 more They fought for their lives but most of them died in the 173rd Airborne ----The boy is now in the jungles of South Vietnam and the war has begun. It seems like bombs were coming down and many of his combat unit fought but couldn't survive the horrible napalm. The 173rd Airborn was the first U.S. army combat unit committed to fight in the war.
[Chorus:] On the 8th of November the angels were crying As they carried his brothers away ---Many of the combat members died and went to heaven With the fire raining down and the hell all around There were few men left standing that day ---"the fire raining down" refers to napalm falling and burning everyone Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky 1965, the 8th of November --the eagle represents America and 1965, the 8th of November is when that happened
Now he's 58 and his pony tail's gray But the battle still plays in his head ----Now the boy is in post war and is older but he will never forget the battle in Vietnam He limps when he walks but he's strong when he talks About the Shrapnel they left in his leg -----He tells about the clear memories of him getting shrapnel in his leg from the battle which has led to his limp leg. He puts on a gray suit over his Airborne tattoo And he ties it on one time a year ----He doesn't dress up very often but it seems like he does on Veterans Day And remembers the fallen as he orders a tall one And swallows it down with his tears ----He ordered a beer because he need to take a break from his tough memories
[Chorus]
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky 1965... On the 8th of November the angels were crying As they carried his brother away With the fire raining down and the hell all around There were few men left standing that day
[Chorus]
Said goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota TO fight for the red, white and blue He was nineteen and green with a new M-16 Just doing what he had to do
This to me would be anti-war because it shows how the trauma of such a jurassic matter will always be carried along with you. This also shows that the Vietnam war was very destructive and too many young men lost their lives.
The overall meaning of this song is telling a story of a 19 yr. old boy who has to leave his mother to go fight in the war for America. It goes through his struggles in the jungle and talks about his other combat members that didn't survive (including his brother). Then in the second half it talks about how now the man is a veteran of the war and on one day, Veterans Day, he dresses nice and goes to have a drink to forget all of his combat members who died.
This song can effect America's public opinion of the war as a not-so-great thing. I believe many people would have tear jerking and heart wrenching moments when this song is heard. Many people would probably be against the war when they hear this song.
Us and Them (The allies and the enemies of the war) And after all we're only ordinary men (No one was truly bad or good in the war and we knew that out of war the people we were fighting were just like us, they had jobs and probably children.) God only knows it's not what we would choose to do (Most people were drafted into the war without a choice and overall no one really wanted to be in war.) Forward he cried from the rear (A man leading on his troop of men.) and the front rank died (the men fighting in the front were always more than likely the ones to get killed first.) And who knows which is which and who is who (It didn’t matter if you were an enemy of an ally because at then end of the day you were all just ordinary men.) Listen son, said the man with the gun There's room for you inside (An older man in the war telling a child that he can join the war too. *In a way to get more people to join the war*) And who'll deny that's what the fightings all about (The Vietnam and The Cold war were both going on about the same time.) Get out of the way, it's a busy day (For those that weren’t fighting they had other things to do.) And I've got things on my mind (People were not only worrying about the war but about themselves and their problems as well.)
The song was more anti-war because of the way it said we were all just ordinary men and at the end were it said "and I've got things on my mind. Everyone knew that and felt that.
Those are great connections to the Vietnam War. I agree about this being an anti-war song, they talked a lot about how there were just ordinary men on both sides just trying to serve their country. There were a lot of non supporters of the war who just wanted it to end too.
"Got on a plane in 'Frisco And got off in Vietnam I walked into a different world The past forever gone" -in Vietnam it was not peaceful like america and he could never turn back
"I could have gone to Canada Or I could have stayed in school But I was brought up differently I couldn't break the rules" -he could have skipped out on going to the military and left the country or gone to school but he knew it was not right and he had to go.
"Thirteen months and fifteen days The last ones were the worst One minute I'd kneel down and pray And the next I'd stand and curse" -The last days he was over in Vietnam were horrible, it would be calm enough to pray but then boom another bomb or something happened.
"No place to run to Where I did not feel that war When I got home I stayed alone And checked behind each door" -When he got back from the war he still felt like he was in it and he had PTSD and was scared to be in his townhouse or around people.
Cuz I'm still in Saigon Still in Saigon I am still in Saigon In my mind" -His mind will never fully leave the war he will always be scared and have flashbacks
"The ground at home was covered in snow And I was covered in sweat My younger brother calls me a killer And my daddy calls me a vet" -Even when it is freezing he is having the scared sweats and his dad is proud of hi but his brother thinks he killed and thats all he did.
"Everybody says I'm someone else And I'm sick and there's no cure Damned if I know who I am There was only one place I was sure" -People see that he has PTSD and that is something you can take medicine for you have to work through it psychologically. He for sure knew who he was in the war fighting and staying alive.
"Every summer when it rains I smell the jungle, I hear the planes I can't tell no one, I feel ashamed Afraid some day I'll go insane" -When it rains his PTSD kicks in and he is afraid if he tells anyone they will think he is crazy.
"That's been ten long years ago And time has gone on by Now and then I catch myself Eyes searching through the sky" -He is recovering from the war after 10 long years but he still looks up in the sky just incase.
"All the sounds of long ago Will be forever in my head Mingled with the wounded cries And the silence of the dead" -He will always hear the sounds of war lingering in the back of his mind.
My song is Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival. 1. “I see the bad moon arising. I see trouble on the way. I see earthquakes and lightnin’. I see bad times today.” A soldier is predicting the bad things that are about to happen during the Vietnam War. He knows what lies ahead of him. I believe that the earthquakes and lightning symbolize the troubles and dangers of the Vietnam War. 2. “Don't go around tonight. Well, it's bound to take your life, There's a bad moon on the rise.” This is a warning to the Vietnam soldiers. If you were to go out, then you would most likely die from stepping on a land mine, or from being hit with napalm or Agent Orange. You never knew which step would be your last. 3. “I hear hurricanes ablowing. I know the end is coming soon. I fear rivers over flowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin.” Many soldiers in the Vietnam War lost their lives. When the lyrics say, “the end is coming soon,” this doesn’t mean that the war is ending, it means that the solider sees his life ending very soon. This was a frightening time for all of the Vietnam soldiers. They were very aware of the dangers that they had to face, but they had to be brave enough to face the dangers and threats anyways. 4. “Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die. Looks like we're in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye.” This is saying how soldiers knew that they would most likely die in the Vietnam War. The “nasty weather” refers to napalm, Agent Orange, and other deathly weapons that the soldiers would encounter. “One eye for an eye” means that the soldiers were willing to fight their enemies. The overall meaning of this song is that the Vietnam War was extremely dangerous and life threatening. Most soldiers had to accept that they would most likely die. The “bad moon” symbolizes the daily threats and dangers that a soldier would encounter.
I think your interpretation on the song is very clarifying and really exposes the meaning of the lyrics. I like how you are able to tie napalm and agent orange to the lyrics.
Gimme Shelter- The Rolling Stones “Oh, a storm is threat'ning My very life today If I don't get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away” Lives in Vietnam were always threatened- those fighting in the war and normal civilians. If they didn’t find a place where they were safe, it could be their last day alive.
“Ooh, see the fire is sweepin' Our very street today Burns like a red coal carpet Mad bull lost its way” Napalm in Vietnam destroyed anything that was in its way. Villages were completely destroyed
“Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away” Soldiers were told to shoot anything that moved. Many people were killed in the war.
This song is anti-war. It talks about horrible things that happened in the Vietnam War.
I agree with your connections there were some really harsh and awful things that happened there and to think that when our soldiers got back they were treated like the bad ones is so sad because the song actually makes you realize what these men went through.
1.“ He was 19 and green with a new M-16 just what he had to do” He was young and he got drafted into the war and they just handed him a gun and told him to kill. It was his duty as an American to fight.
2.“Like a dark evil cloud, 1200 came down on him and 29 more. They fought for their lives but most of them died” The skies were covered in smoke and dust from all the weapons being fired. Hundreds of ammunition was shot upon them and most of them did even though they fought hard.
3.“Now he’s 58 and his ponytail’s great but the battle still plays in his head” He survived the war and is old now but the memories of the war still stains his mind and left an invisible scar on his soul because of all the deaths he saw.
Over all I feel like this song is saying we went in blind didn’t know what we were in for. We lost more then just the war, we lost a sense of ourselves and that impacted us not only physically but mentally as well.
"We met as soulmates On Parris Inland We left as inmates From an asylum And we were sharp As sharp as knives And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives."
The soldiers met and went to Vietnam. They were all ready to fight for their country and thought they were very well trained.
"We came in spastic Like tameless horses We left in plastic As numbered corpses And we learned fast To travel light Our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight"
When the soldiers came, they were crazy and out of control. They were not moving like a good military should. Then the death count started going up. Then the soldiers had to adapt. So they weren’t just fighting Vietnam, but they were fighting to stay alive.
"We had no homefront We had no soft soap They sent us playboy They gave us bob hope We dug in deep And shot on sight And prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might."
There wasn’t a homefront, because everyone back home didn’t approve of the war. But their family members sent them things to try to make them feel better. But they prayed to God that they would make it out alive.
"We had no cameras To shoot the landscape We passed the hash pipe And played our Doors tapes And it was dark. So dark at night And we held onto each other Like brother to brother We promised our mothers we'd write"
There weren’t cameras to shoot the intense landscape of Vietnam. They smoked their drugs and listened to music. They also wrote to their family memebers. There wasn’t much hope, but they stood together like brothers.
"And we would all go down together We said we'd all go down together Yes we would all go down together."
They are saying that if one of them goes down, then they will all go down together.
"Remember Charlie? Remember Baker? They left their childhood On every acre And who was wrong, And who was right? It didn't matter in the thick of the fight"
The war took 18 year old boys and turned them into men. Their childhoods were lost after every acre they fought on. They didn’t know who the enemy was and who the good guy was, but it didn’t matter when they were fighting each other.
"We, held the day In the palm of our hands They, ruled the night And the night, seemed to last as long as six weeks On Parris Island We held the coastline They held the highland And they were sharp As sharp as knives They heard the hum of the mortars They counted the rotors And waited for us to arrive"
The U.S. military was “winning” during the day. But then the Viet Cong attacked the U.S. in the Tet Offensive. They fought all night and the soldiers say it felt like it lasted forever. Then the soldiers realized that the Viet Cong were really good. And when America came to Vietnam, they were there waiting for them and were more equipped in fighting than the U.S. was.
"And we would all go down together We said we'd all go down together Yes we would all go down together."
But they all would go down together as one, because they were all for one and one for all.
Overall Meaning: America was ready to go fight the spread of communism, but as the war progressed the soldiers had to not fight to win over communism, but to just survive. All they had was each other and if they were going down, they would all go down together.
I really like the part about it turning 18 year olds into men. It really turns your world upside down, being drafted. One second your biggest concern is school and barely becoming an adult, then you're off fighting in the war with guns and killing people.
“War Pigs” Black Sabbath Anti-War song, quite obviously. With this song, “War Pigs,” Ozzy Osborne clearly states a detestment for war in a generality, as well as those that declare war. He compares generals to that of witches preparing for a “black mass” with a plot for death and destruction with the lyrics “Generals gathered in their masses, Just like witches at black masses, Evil minds that plot destruction,” showing that he feels that any general has a plan to oversee the death and destruction brought on by war, and that is very similar to what the US generals were forced to do during the Vietnam War. All they could really do was watch as many young men died for the cause. He calls these generals “Sorcerers of death’s construction,” and that they are working “In the fields of bodies burning.” He seems to be saying that there were some generals that just watched as Napalm strikes burned entire fields of soldiers, both American and Vietnamese. He then states “Death and hatred to mankind Poisoning their brainwashed minds,” to show that propaganda wants Americans to fight for these “War Pigs” against the Vietnamese, and others, as if they were nothing but natural born soldiers and killers. The entire stanza: “Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor,” shows that Ozzy and company think that the Politicians that started this war only to watch it happen and develop, not to fight in it. He feels that they are cowering in their offices while the real men are out dying for the political leaders. He also emphasises that the political powers also had a large some of money, because he states “Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor.” Most of the drafted men, in truth, were low on money. It makes it seem that the draft only picked who it wanted to, such as the poor or minorities.
"Some folks inherit star spangled eyes Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask them, 'How much should we give?' Ooh, they only answer More! more! more!"
This talks about how the draft just took more and more Americans to Vietnam. Also it explains how some really prideful Americans didn't want America to look weak so they wanted more troops in Vietnam.
American public opinion was affected by thinking that America would be thought as weak if we did not send more troops to the effort in Vietnam.
Fortunate Son: “I ain't no senator's son” “I ain't no millionaire's son” “I ain't no military son” These lines in the song state that some people were fortunate to not have to go to war (senator’s son and millionaire’s son). Some people were able to dodge the draft from being richer than others.
“Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ooh, they're red, white and blue” This is saying that some people are for the war and support because it’s their country. Yet some people feel that the war isn’t necessary and don’t want to find for their country.
The overall meaning of this song is that some people were more fortunate than others and weren’t drafted in the war. It also means that some people were against the war and didn’t want to fight.
“Two days past eighteen He was waiting for the bus in his army green”
--This is referring to the draft. The “travelin soldier” was selected to be apart of the war.
“So the letters came from an army camp In California then Vietnam”
--The “travelin soldier” trained in California and then was deported to Vietnam. My brother-in-law also trained in California.
“One Friday night at a football game The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang A man said folks would you bow your heads For a list of local Vietnam dead”
--After reading this I wondered if they actually called out people’s names like this at a football game. I found out that this is something they actually did. I also found out that in Life Magazine they did a spread of dead Vietnam soldiers that occurred Memorial Day week. It took 10 pages to show all of the dead soldiers.
OVERALL MEANING I think the overall meaning is to illustrate for people how children’s lives were being took from them at such an early age. Being 18 and drafted then killed soon after takes away a lot of life experiences, like falling in love. The song makes you sympathize with the boy who finally found someone, but didn’t ever get to really be with her.
“Two days past eighteen He was waiting for the bus in his army green” -He was just old enough to be drafted in to war and was waiting to leave.
“He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care I got no one to send a letter to Would you mind if I sent one back here to you” - He is talking about writing to her from war.
“ Waiting for the love of the traveling solider” - The girl is waiting for him to come home and it’s hard for her.
“So the letters came from an army camp In California then Vietnam” - He was sending letters from boot camp.
This song just shows any guy can be put in to war and you can lose him just like that.
“All we are saying is give peace a chance” They are tired of the war and to try to make peace and leave the war.
“Ev'rybody's talking about Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and canisters Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes, And bye bye, bye byes.” They are talking about the people in the world and how they are fighting the war and dying. The government is taking anyone they can get and it does not matter what religion you are if you can fight then you fight.
“Ev'rybody's talking about Revolution, evolution…Flagellation, regulation, integrations, Meditations, United Nations,” He talks about how the people are constantly talking about the war and that it is constantly around them.
You made good connections to the Vietnam War! I liked how you stated that the people just wanted to end the war because it was always on their minds. It was probably a very stressful time!
Music Analysis Nicholas Gresham 2B War: by Edwin Starr
“War, huh, good God What is it good for Absolutely nothing” -He is saying that war is good for nothing, so why fight one.
“Ohhh, war, I despise Because it means destruction Of innocent lives” - He states that war is just a disaster that takes lives.
“War means tears To thousands of mothers eyes When their sons go to fight And lose their lives” - He is saying this because many mothers lost their sons in battle.
“War, it ain't nothing But a heartbreaker War, friend only to the undertaker” - He says that no one likes war, but the undertaker.
“It's an enemy to all mankind The point of war blows my mind” - He states again that he doesn’t understand why we fight wars.
“War has caused unrest Within the younger generation Induction then destruction” - The younger generation is getting destroyed because of war.
“Many a young mans dreams Made him disabled, bitter and mean” - He is saying war changes people. “Life is much to short and precious To spend fighting wars these days War can't give life It can only take it away” - He says that life is to valuable to fight and war doesn’t give you anything it just takes everything away.
“Peace, love and understanding Tell me, is there no place for them today They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way” -He believes there is a better way to fight for freedom.
- Overall this song is about all of the negative outcomes of war.
“Wait until the war is over And we're both a little older The unknown soldier”
The war lasted from 1959 to 1975. It was the longest war in American history.
“Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Unborn living, living, dead Bullet strikes the helmet's head”
Families watched the news in the mornings. The news showed footage of what was happening in Vietnam. The footage showed people dying in Vietnam.
“And it's all over For the unknown soldier It's all over For the unknown soldier”
In mere seconds, a soldier could be dead.
“Make a grave for the unknown soldier Nestled in your hollow shoulder The unknown soldier”
Respect should be given to a fallen soldier. Many people didn’t believe in the Vietnam War, and took their anger out on soldiers just doing their duty.
The Vietnam War was a long war, with many deaths of unidentified soldiers, “faceless” soldiers.
We had the same song, and we have similar connections. I like that you mentioned citizens taking their anger out on returning soldiers - I didn't think of that. You also gave good facts in your responses. I focused more on the interpretation. The last sentence is a good tie-in.
"Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses Evil minds that plot destruction Sorcerers of death's construction"
States that generals are just people who sacrifice other people up at war
"In the fields the bodies burning As the war machine keeps turning Death and hatred to mankind Poisoning their brainwashed minds... Oh Lord yeah!"
The napalm was burning people as the people in charge just kept on making it worse and pretending it was going well or for a good cause
"Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor, yeah"
This says how politicians declare war but get to keep their good life and fancy job, while the young men of their nation who barely have anything go out and do the dirty work
"I see a line of cars and they're all painted black." - Talking about a huge funeral for all the soldiers that had died at war (approx. 3.8 million deaths) "I look inside myself and see my heart is black" - He is depressed from everything he saw during the war "No colors anymore, I want them to turn black" - Depression was setting in everywhere and a lot of people died. Black represents the deaths of the people while also representing depression. Everything that the soldiers saw in Vietnam was horrific sight to see and affected them the rest of their lives. When they returned from Vietnam most soldiers weren't the same. I think this song talks in an underlying tone against the war. It is all about the depression setting in, and how it had such a horrible impact on the lives of the soldiers and their family and friends.
Machine gun, tearing my body all apart- Machine guns are actually tearing threw bodies but not his.
Evil man make me kill ya- Vietnamese people are making American soldiers kill them
Even though we're only- families apart Vietnamese soldiers are going out into battle when they might be right next to relatives. No Bullets- No more war or fighting (Same with no guns and no bombs) Don't you shoot him down He's about to leave here Don't you shoot him down He's got to stay here He ain't going nowhere He's been shot down to the ground Oh where he can't survive no no_ He is in a soldiers point of view thinking to him self saying “Don’t kill my friend, he is about to go home.” But he got shoot down anyways.
In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refuse to shine People tell me there ain't no use in trying Now my girl you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true You'll be dead before your time is due I know Watch my daddy in bed and tired Watch his hair been turning gray He's been working and slaving his life away Oh yes, I know it He's been working so hard I've been working too babe Every night and day Yeah yeah yeah yeah We gotta get out of this place If its the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place 'Cause girl, there's a better life For me and you Now my girl you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true, yeah You'll be dead before your time is due I know it Watch my daddy in bed and tired Watch his hair been turning gray He's been working and slaving his life away I know He's been working so hard I've been working too babe Every day baby Yeah yeah yeah yeah We gotta get out of this place If its the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place Girl, there's a better life For me and you Somewhere baby Somehow I know it baby We gotta get out of this place If its the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place Girl, there's a better life for me and you Believe me baby I know it baby You know it too
"In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refuse to shine" – probably lived in poor conditions with little income in a big city "We gotta get out of this place" – new that there was a better life waiting "Now my girl you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true, yeah You'll be dead before your time is due" - Maybe he is scared of the outcome of the war This song doesn't directly talk about the war but I would say that it is an anti-war song. It talks about getting out of the city, this could be because they don't have much money and live in poor conditions or because they could be scared of attack in big cities. The American public could view this song as a song about a boy who is trying to protect the girl he loves or they could view as a boy who is stressed about the future of our country. This would in turn could change the American public's opinion about the war and the future of our country.
“Feed my eyes. Can you sew them shut?” I believe this is referencing the public who wants to be taken care of our government, and hide us from danger. Credibility Gap.
“He who tries will be wasted.” This is saying that those such as Martin Luther King Jr., who stood up against the government, will be killed in order to ensure that the government keep it’s power.
“Feed my eyes now you’ve sewn them shut.” This is referencing the public who is being taken care of the government so much that they are unaware of everything that is happening. They now can’t function without the help of our government.
“Jesus Christ. Deny your maker.” This tells how those in high power believe that they don’t have to answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want and get away with it with no consequences.
Good interpretation. Although I think "He who tries will be wasted" was referring to people more against the GOVERNMENT (MLK was more against racism in general)
“Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky”
This means he envisions a place where people weren’t killed constantly so ruthlessly in Vietnam, because we wouldn’t have anything to look forward too after death.
“Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace..”
This means he envisions a world where there isn’t any conflict or war between countries. If we all had no religion, we would have less stuff to fight over.
“You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one”
This means he wants to have a world without war, during this time other people also believed in this idea of peace. If the world joined as one, we wouldn’t have wars like the Vietnam War.
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world...
This means he imagines a world where people didn’t have materialistic needs in life and we all just shared and enjoyed the earth for what it is.
“Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man”
He got in trouble so they sent him to go serve in the war against North Vietnam. America were sending troops and drafting more and more people.
“Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there he's all gone”
Someone lost their life fighting against the Vietcong, yet they’re still attacking.
“Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says "son if it was up to me" Went down to see my V.A. man He said "son don't you understand now’”
When he came back home from war, people were treating him different and couldn’t get his job back. Veterans weren’t seen or treated as heroes after the war.
This song shows that American’s weren’t too happy with the war and were growing tired. They didn’t trust the government and saw that we were losing more and more people. When troops came back from Vietnam, they weren’t seen as war heroes. Many think that this song is patriotic, however, Springsteen saw that being “born in the USA” was not a great thing during this time period.
“I see a red door and I want to paint it black, no colors anymore I want them to turn black”
-With this set of lyrics the Rolling Stones try to paint a picture of how and American citizen, maybe a soldier, wants to “paint” or cover his feelings, emotions and passions, the “red door” to the color of black, a color of negativity yet one of protection because of an event he witnessed or lived through, such as war or the death of someone close.
“I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until the darkness goes”
-In this section of lyrics the Stones tell of how this young man has to defer away from the fun going on around him because there is darkness still around. This darkness could be referring to the Vietnam War, death of a close one or maybe even both.
“I see people turn their heads and quickly look away, like a new born baby it just happens everyday”
-By telling of people turning their heads and looking away the Rolling Stones relate to how people shunned the war and did not support the efforts of the fighting and the soldier who fight and die everyday.
“I see my red door and must have it painted black, maybe then ill fade away and not have to face the facts”
-Once again by painting his heart “black” he will be protected and not have to worry about feeling the sadness and depression of loss from war or just death
“No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue, I could not foresee this thing happening to you.”
-The green sea turning to a deeper blue represents a change in happiness, not necessarily bad but a change from safety to more stability, but this change will not happen anymore as something has happened to a loved one which has changed the characters view on life to one of a more depressed vision.
Overview:
Overall the some “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones is about a young person, most likely male, who is depressed because of the loss of some one close to him, maybe a friend or loved one. Whether it was the war that took this individuals life or other causes it has put this character into a deepened sadness to where he wants everything to be painted “black” a color of negativity, a color that represents his mood towards the world.
I believe that most of your interpretations are good, but I think that the first interpretation, as well as others were a little vague, and a little more information would be nice.
"Born down in a dead man town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up"
This refers to how people are being "beat down" in the US- aka the government isn't taking the people into enough consideration.
"Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a. I was born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a.
Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man"
This line refers to the propaganda that the US enforced. We were greatly encouraged to join the war effort and kill the Vietnamese.
"Born in the U.S.A...
Come back home to the refinery Hiring man said son if it was up to me Went down to see my v.a. man He said son, don't you understand"
I believe this refers to the difficulty vets had getting jobs and occupations.
"I had a brother at Khe Sahn Fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon"
These lyrics are referring to the failure of the war in Vietnam. Evidently, this is referencing how some men fell in love while overseas. It also mentions how he was forced to leave.
"I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I'm ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run aint got nowhere to go"
These specific lyrics are talking about the effects of death in Vietnam. Every death was very personal to somebody- these lyrics demonstrate this.
"Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a. Born in the u.s.a., I'm a long gone daddy in the u.s.a. Born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a. Born in the u.s.a., I'm a cool rocking daddy in the u.s.a."
Overall, this song is illustrating that the American dream is gone and that the war is tearing us apart.
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everyone is focusing is on bagging and ragging on countries that aren’t ours. We should try and fix our country first with our problems first.
(C'mon) Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters, Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop Eyes, Bye bye, Bye byes All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance (Let me tell you now)
Our focus is too focused on religion and who’s is better. Lennon is trying to say maybe we should put our attention towards something else other than religion.
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation, Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
John is talking about the war we are facing now and how people view it and what the focus is all on. Revolution, social media, the United Nations, popular topic at the time. His main course is saying all he wants is for people to step back for a moment and get a different outlook.
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna Hare Hare Krishna All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
He begins to name off the more poplar artist that are like him and protest peace. He claims they are like him and want peace too, not war.
Machine Gun – Jimmy Hendrix "Happy new year first of all. I hope we'll have A million or two million more of them... if we Can get over this summer, he he he. right I'd Like to dedicate this one to the draggin' scene That's goin' on all the soldiers that are fightin' In chicago, milwaukee and new york... oh yeas, and All the soldiers fightin' in vietnam. like to do A thing called 'machine gun'." (The people from the US going over seas to Vietnam) Machine gun Tearing my body all apart (guns killing people) Machine gun Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya Evil man make you kill me Evil man make me kill you Even though we're only families apart (Like our civil war, everyone who is a native of either Vietnams were somewhat close) Well I pick up my axe and fight lik a bomber you know what I mean Hey and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now Yeah but you still blast me down to the ground (they (south) try and fight back but are not very successful) The same way you shoot me down baby You'll be going just the same Three times the pain And your own self to blame Hey machine gun
Oooooooooo
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe I ain't afraid no more After a while your your cheap talk don't ever cause me pain So let your bullets fly like rain (The war had had many types of warfare, and the bullets came like rain) 'cause I know all the time you're wrong baby And you'll be goin' just the same Yeah machine gun Tearing my family apart Yeah yeah alright Tearing my family apart (the people from here in the US shouldn’t being dying over there, so its like taking family members and messing everything up) Don't you shoot him down He's about to leave here Don't you shoot him down He's got to stay here He ain't going nowhere He's been shot down to the ground Oh where he can't survive no no (like kicking the enemy while there down) Yeah that's what we don't wanna hear any more, alright No bullets At least here, huh huh No guns, no bombs Huh huh No nothin', just let's all live and live You know instead of killin' (asking for peace among everyone so family has to pay any price)
“Imagine there’s no heaven”- He is saying that the war is so brutal and there is so much death that it is basically hell on earth. “It’s easy if you try”- He is saying that with all the pictures, videos, and knowledge of what is happening, it’s easy to imagine how terrible the war was. “Imagine all the people, Living for today”- He is saying to imagine all the Vietnamese and the soldiers that are over fighting in Vietnam. That they probably won’t live to see tomorrow. “Imagine there’s no countries”- Imagine that everyone is united and that there are no boundaries. “Nothing to kill or die for”- If there are no countries and everyone is united, then there is no reason to fight and go to war. “And no religion too”- People fight over religion so it’s best if there was none. “Living life in peace”- Everyone should just become united and not fight. The world is at peace. “You may say I’m a dreamer”- He dreams of world peace and an end to the war. “But I’m not the only one”- There are many others. There are a lot of people who want peace throughout the world. “I hope someday you’ll join us”- He hopes that someday everyone will believe in peace and an end to the war. “And the world will be as one”- Everyone will live in peace and there will be no more wars. “Imagine no possessions”- No one owns a certain county/piece of land. Everything is open and equal. “No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man”- If there are no possessions, then no one will need any thing and since everyone is united and at peace, then no one will need to be greedy.
I've heard this song before and I never realized it related to Vietnam. A lot of the lines do connect, but I'm not sure how religion interfered because it didn't really contribute to the conflicts of this war. Or maybe it did, but wasn't as common. But this is a good song and you explained it very well!
"Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying" - this is saying there is too many soldiers dieing and that hes tired of seeing mothers crying over their children.
"Picket lines and picket signs Don't punish me with brutality Talk to me, so you can see" - this is saying use peace instead of being violent to people and just communicate with them.
"Father, father We don't need to escalate You see, war is not the answer" - this is saying to use peace again and that war wouldnt be the answer.
“In the fields the bodies burring as the war machine keep turning”
I think this is talking about how the bombs that were dropped kept burring the bodies but the people fighting don’t seem to bother because they keep fighting.
“Death and Hatred to mankind poisoning there brainwashed minds.”
Here they are talking about the United States dropping the bomb on Vietnam, since they are communist we think they are brain washed.
“Politicians hid themselves away, they only started the way, why should they go out to fight they leave that role for the poor”
Talking about how the government are the ones who declare war but they aren’t the ones who have to fight or risk there life’s, out on the battle field, that they leave that for the poor people. Which is true, why don’t the politicians go out and fight if they think the war is really worth it,
“We met as soul mates, on Parris Island, we left as inmates, from an asylum, and we were sharp, sharp as knives” the friendships formed on how someone meets before Vietnam and they are drafted. “As numbered corpses and we learned fast,” the song describes the hardships and what happened in Vietnam and how they learned that death was most likely the outcome of being in Vietnam. “We held the coastline, they held the highlands, and they were sharp, as sharp as knives,” the song tells us how the American Society rejected the veterans when they came back. The song has a deep meaning when Billy sings, “we were so gung ho to lay down our lives” referring to that they were going out to defend and possibly lose their lives for the country.
“Paint it Black” is a song by The Rolling Stones with an anti-communism back meaning, even though it was also about a man whose lover died. Red represented communism and at the beginning of the song it said, “I see a red door and I want it painted black”. When it means is that when someone sees anything red they usually think of communism. Communism was one of the biggest worries at the time so America didn’t want anything to do with it, so the red door had to be replaced or a different color. The line “it’s not easy facing up when your whole world is black” talks about how dark the world is now that they’re in war and how hard it is to live, forget, or be away from the war. It also describes the depression soldiers went through while they were in war and how they felt. Tour of Duty and Full Metal Jacket used the song in the ending credits or beginning theme, which is another reason why the song was thought to be about the Vietnam War.
"I could have gone to Canada Or I could have stayed in school But I was brought up differently I couldn't break the rules"
—There were many ways to avoid going into the war, but he was taught to do what’s right.
"No place to run to Where I did not feel that war When I got home I stayed alone And checked behind each door"
—He couldn’t hide from what he’d witnessed Even back at home he was still on edge
"Cuz I'm still in Saigon Still in Saigon I am still in Saigon In my mind"
—He still remembers what it was like in Saigon. He cant forget the war.
"My younger brother calls me a killer And my daddy calls me a vet"
—His brother thinks he did something bad, but his dad thinks he did something great.
"Everybody says I'm someone else And I'm sick and there's no cure Damned if I know who I am There was only one place I was sure"
—Going to war changed the way he is He's scarred by what he experienced and nothing can change that. He doesn't know who he is anymore, The only thing he was sure of was the war
"All the sounds of long ago Will be forever in my head Mingled with the wounded cries And the silence of the dead"
—He can’t forget what happened back in Vietnam, He still hears the sounds of war. He hears his fellow soldiers crying in pain. The silence afterwards when they were dead still haunts him.
Overall, this song describes what is was like for this Vietnam vet after he went back home. He suffered from PTSD after the war and it haunted him for years. After the war, he wasn't the same because he couldn't forget the horrible things he witnessed in Vietnam.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no He isn’t fortunate because he was probably drafted for the war.
Some folks are born made to wave the flag Some people want to go fight in the war but he isn’t one of those people and you know that when you hear the lyrics- It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask them, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! Yoh I think this is saying how the president wanted to win the war by any means necessary so the commanders and such always wanted more from their men.
Honors US History: Disposable Heroes by Metallica Brianna Kruse
“Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end.” I see this as dead bodies everywhere so basically there was to many bodies to put them anywhere. “No one to play soldier…” Basically citizens think it’s pointless and they sent so many soldiers out and they died. “Running blind through killing fields…” I am thinking of agent orange and napalm in the jungle that had blinded them and can kill them. “Bred to kill..” I am thinking about the baby boom so more people can be drafted. “Barking of machinegun fire..” The sound of the bullet going out of the gun. “More a man, more stripes you wear…” More freedom you get.
"Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned?" How long are we going to allow being bombed before someone says enough
"Yes, how many years can some people exist Before they're allowed to be free" How long do they have to stay in war? How long do they have to fight for us before they can finally come home? When will it be over?
"Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died?" How many people have to die for our country before we say its enough and its not worth it.
1 Two days past eighteen: This explains how men were drafted in the selective service at age 18. Saying he was only two days older than 18 shows how desperately our military needed more soldiers to go fight in the Vietnam war since our men were dying rapidly.
2 He was waiting for the bus in his army green: He was waiting to be picked up and shipped off to fight against North Vietnam and the Vietcong.
3 Sat down in a booth in a cafe there 4 Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair 5 He's a little shy so she gives him a smile 6 And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while 7 And talking to me,
8 I'm feeling a little low: He was depressed that he had to go fight since most soldiers only lasted a very short time before suffering death. Many soldiers (typically war vets) suffered from depression and other mental instabilities due to the traumatic experiences of war.
9 She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go 10 So they went down and they sat on the pier 11 He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
12 I got no one to send a letter to: Soldiers sometimes sent letters back to America while on duty so that they could keep in touch, and for a little enjoyment while receiving support.
13 Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
14 Chorus: I cried 15 Never gonna hold the hand of another guy 16 Too young for him they told her 17 Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier 18 Our love will never end 19 Waitin' for the soldier to come back again 20 Never more to be alone when the letter said 21 A soldier's coming home Summary of Chorus: The girl is heartbroken waiting for her lover to return. She constantly worries for his safety.
22 So the letters came from an army camp: (See description of line 12) men on duty send letters to loved ones.
23 In California then Vietnam: He started training in California and preparing for the trip to Vietnam. Then, the letters came from Vietnam meaning he was fighting.
24 And he told her of his heart
25 It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of: He was horrified of dying in war, yet he is still alive. This line may even suggest that he finds pride in defending his country.
26 He said when it's getting kinda rough over here: They go through spells of horrific, terrible war. Then it settles down a little. This describes a rough spell in close combat.
27 I think of that day sittin' down at the pier 28 And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
29 Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile: He is heading for even more dangerous warfare, so he can’t waste time writing. The environment he’s going to is extremely deadly. They might have been using Agent Orange or Napalm to attack.
30 One Friday night at a football game 31 The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang 32 A man said folks would you bow your heads
33 For a list of local Vietnam dead: They read off who all had died in the Vietnam war who were from that area so that people could know if their loved ones were still alive or not.
34 Crying all alone under the stands 35 Was a piccolo player in the marching band 36 And one name read but nobody really cared
37 But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair: Her lover died in the Vietnam war. He was young, only 18. Though he had fought diligently and loved her, the truth is that many people died fighting for America in that war against the Vietcong in South Vietnam along with communists from North Vietnam.
“What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground.” This is saying that if you found someone you knew who was killed in the shooting, what would your reaction be? Who would you blame?
“Gotta get down to it, soldiers are gunning us down.” Meaning we need to take action because we’re getting attacked. We can’t just sit and wait to die, we have to do something about the problems and conflicts we are faced with.
“Should’ve been done long ago.” The issue should have been taken care of a long time ago, many people could have been saved but we didn’t take action quick enough. We were scared and didn’t want to face the consequences.
In the opening of the video, the intro starts with flashes between interviews with (what I would guess are) Vietnam soldiers and different scenes from the war. This shows the bad sides of the war, as one scene shows an American soldier holding a pistol up to a child’s head.
In the first verse of the song, you hear “The bullets scream at me from nowhere.” This tells how no one could tell whom the enemy was not in Vietnam, nor could they see the enemy shooting at them. There were many effects of the battles, and this was one of the first wars where P.T.S.D. (post traumatic stress disorder) was extremely prevalent.
The chorus starts with “Here they come to snuff the rooster.” The NVA called the American soldiers “roosters” because of the bald eagles on their shoulders.
The second and last verse includes the line “They spit on me in my homeland.” This would be about how the American public was very anti-war. When soldiers came home from the war, they would basically be treated horribly.
In all, this song is about what a soldier might go through during the time of the Vietnam War. This is also an anti-war song.
1 (Follow me, don't follow me) 2 I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush 3 (Collar me, don't collar me) 5 (We are agents of the free) 6 I've had my fun and now it's time to serve your conscience overseas 7 (Over me, not over me) 8 Coming in fast, over me (oh, oh) 9 High on the booze 10 In a tent 11 Paved with blood 12 Nine inch howl 13 Brave the night 14 Chopper comin' in, you hope 15 We would circle and we'd circle and we'd circle 16 to stop and consider and centered on the pavement 17 stacked up all the trucks jacked up and our wheels 18 in slush and orange crush in pocket and all this here county, 19 hell, any county, 20 it's just like heaven here, 21 and I was remembering and I was just in a different county and all 22 then this whirlybird that I headed for I had my goggles pulled off; 23 I knew it all, 24 I knew every back road and every truck stop
1 A soldier would go in front of his troops, follow me is que to advance on his position and don’t follow me means to stop movement and observe. 2 Agent Orange affected many things in the Vietnam soldiers although they were told that it would have no affect on them, some children of the soldiers were born with Spina Bifida, and orange crush is referring to Agent Orange. 3 The deformation/spina bifida occcoring to the soldiers offspring made them sometimes have to wear collars/braces to help. 5 You could say the use of Agent as in agent orange representing them and the freedom they spread. 6 The young men have had their fun in the US and now its time to do their part overseas. 7 He wants the pilot to tdrop the Agent orange over him, as in further agead on the battlefield, instead of literally over his head. 8 The planes letting out the Agent Orange are flying quickly above him on the way to strike. 9 At night soldiers passed time by drinking, smoking, and gambling. 10-11 The tent they are sitting in is covered in blood most likely from a firefight earlier in the day. 12 The sounds of artillery firing, as when 9 inch artillery barrels fire, they are very loud, causing a constant howl. 13 The soldier is hoping to make it through the night because the Viet Cong set traps and ambushes. 14 He hopes the chopper is coming in to take him home because he doesn’t wanna fight anymore. 15 Walking in circles in the jungle because the American soldiers were unfamiliar with the environment and would get lost. 17 Many people don’t realize that a lot of a soldiers time is spent fixing vehicles, moving boxes, etc. 20 Vietnam was like heaven to many soldiers. Nice and sunny with beaches and nice scenery. 24 Had been in Vietnam so long that he knew every back road, short cut, or pathway.
I'm impressed with the effort you put into this. Good connections to Agent Orange. I like how you listed some of the diseases and deformities that resulted in the use of Agent Orange. Your song was kind of short, so you did a good job with finding the deeper meaning with what was given to you. Line 20 is kind of debatable.... I'm pretty sure most soldiers hated Vietnam.
"Rooster" Alice in Chains "Ain't found a way to kill me yet" - The US army hasn't found a way to kill communists. "Army green was no safe bet" - Fighting in the forest and jungle was something we weren't used to. "The bullets scream to me from somewhere" -Nobody knew where anyone was shooting from because they were hidden in the forests and jungles. "Here they've come to snuff the rooster" -The US army came to stop communism from spreading "You know he ain't gonna die" -We aren't going to win and communism is going to live on. "They spit on me in my home land" -America didn't support the vietnam war. "Oh god please won't you help me make it through" -Everyone was afraid that every breath they took would be their last.
Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon “All we are saying is give peace a chance” I am connecting this to the war and government and how I think the American people were tired of fighting, they wanted they’re kids home. The American people just wanted “peace” and for no more war. I can easily see people protesting to the government with these words.
Commando by The Ramones "They do their best, they do what they can They get them ready for vietnam"-The U.S. Military gives their troops(mostly drafted 18 year olds) a gun, teaches them how to use it, and destroys the jungle but still they barley know they're fighting or what they're fighting for.
"Third rule is, 'Don't talk to commies'"-The whole reason we got into the war was to destroy communism.
I think this song depicts what being a soldier in Vietnam is really like and does a really good job of showing the daily struggles of an average soldier for someone who doesn't know.
Your song was pretty short and didn't have much deeper meaning, good job stating the obvious facts. The shorter songs are the harder ones to work with in a way, but you succeeded in pulling out information, and reading between the lines.
1. Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try 2. No hell below us, above us only sky 3. Imagine all the people living for today 4. Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do 5. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too 6. Imagine all the people living in peace 7. You, you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one 8. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one 9. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can 10. No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man 11. Imagine all the people sharing all the world
***Then chorus repeats***
1. In lines 1-3 above Lennon is asking the listener to imagine the world without Hell and Heaven and to think of the people who have to live for today. The people that don’t get to live to go to heaven, they have to live for today knowing it very well may be their last. 2. Again, in lines 4-6 Lennon is asking to imagine a world without countries, religion and is asking us to just love one another. 3. In line 7, Lennon is just stating that he is not the only one to dream these things even though the Vietnam War was a sensitive topic to everyone. 4. In line 8 Lennon is saying that he is hoping including everyone who is against how he believes will come together as one in the world. 5. In line 9 Lennon is saying imagine living with the things you love the most like phones, money, family or anything like that because that is what all the soldiers had to do, just get up and leave. 6. In lines 10-11 Lennon is just re-stating his belief on how he feels the world should come together as one.
The Ballad of the Green Beret – Lyrics - Fighting soldiers from the sky - they jumped out of airplanes, etc. Fearless men who jump and die – Had 15 minutes after drop off to live Men who mean just what they say The brave men of the Green Beret Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men will test today But only three win the Green Beret – America’s elite Special Forces team Trained to live off nature's land – Trained to find food and shelter during the war Trained in combat, hand-to-hand - Could fight even without a gun, probably in the underground system Men who fight by night and day -They fought all the time Courage peak from the Green Berets Silver wings upon their chest – Like a special certification for being the best These are men, America's best - America’s special forces One hundred men will test today But only three win the Green Beret Back at home a young wife waits Her Green Beret has met his fate He has died for those oppressed – he died because of the bad guys Leaving his last request – His last words Put silver wings on my son's chest - make his son a Green Beret
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day – His son will join the army
Have him win the Green Beret.
The Green Berets are the United States Armies Special Forces. The Ballad was one of the only pro-war songs during the time period. I don't think it had much affect because there was so many anti-war songs and all the protests.
I think that Satan is a reference to the American Government, and that the devil is the U.S. Presidents. The thunder and smoke is a reference to the American bombings and napalm strikes. I think that in the song the band is trying to ask why we are in this war, and show us all of the bad that’s coming out of it.
“They told me don't go walking slow The devil's on the loose” – Devil = American Government
“Two hundred million guns are loaded Satan cries ’take aim’ " – referring to the president sending troops to Vietnam.
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke Let the people know my wisdom Fill the land with smoke” – may be referring to the battle of Khe Sanh, in which more than 24,000 tactical and 2700 B-52 strike dropped 110,000 tons of ordnance in attacks that averaged over 300 stories per day
This song is a well-known protest song against the war. The chorus, “I think it’s time we stop. Children, what’s that sound? Everybody look- what’s going down,” definitely proves that. They just wanted the war to be finished. The line, “Young people speaking their minds, Getting so much resistance from behind,” is kind of what we’ve been talking about in that people in college have began to protest and violence has started to be a problem. “Paranoia strikes deep, Into you life it will creep.” This line makes me think of all the emotional damage it has done to the people. The length of the war and then the “shoot anything that moves” aspect adds on to the issues of the veterans.
The overall meaning is the people of the U.S. want the war to stop. The war still going on is causing the U.S. to go crazy and it is not a good idea to keep going if nothing good is coming from it. Once the war stops, there will be less conflict between people and everything will go back to normal. There will be fewer lives lossed on the U.S. side and Vietnam will fight their own battles.
What We're Fighting For This song is anti-war because there is a line in it that says "there is not a soldier in this foreign land, who likes this war". This may help the American people understand part of the reason why America was fighting in the war. "My dearest mama, they just gave us time to write" He is writing a letter to his mom and he his telling her that they gave them some to write. Soldiers got to write back home while they were fighting. "I miss you and there's something on my mind." He misses his mom and he has something on his mind. Many soldiers missed loved ones back home. "At mail call, I received your letter." He received her letter at mail call. Loved ones were able to send letters to those fighting. "But I don't understand the things you say." He doesn't understand what his mom is saying. The soldiers had no idea what was going on back home. "You tell me there are people marching in our streets." He is confused at why people are marching in their streets. He didn't know about the protests back home. "The signs they carry say that we don't fight for peace." He is confused why the signs say what they say. Again because he didn't know about the protests back home. "There's not a soldier in this foreign land, who likes this war." There is no soldier that likes the war. No soldier or American really likes the war. "Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for." He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for. "Tell them that we're fighting for the old red, white, and blue." He wanted his mom to tell people that they are fighting for America. The soldiers were fighting for America even if they didn't want to be over there fighting. "Did they forget Pearl Harbor and Korea too." He wonders if the Americans forgot about Pearl Harbor and Korea. The way the Americans are acting some wondered if they forgot about Pearl Harbor and Korea and why they fought those wars. "Another flag must never fly above our nation's door." He saying that another country may never take over the US. The soldiers didn't want another country to think badly about them and think they can take over the US so that is another reason they are fighting the war. "Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for." He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for. "From Maine to California, there are many noble men." The US has noble men all across the country. Men from all over the US fought in the war. Especially because of the draft. "Who know the price of war and pray, we'd never fight again." They know the price of war and they pray that they never have to fight again. The soldiers knew the price of the war and they would hope and pray that they never have to fight in a war again. "But the world must learn, that we will protect our shore." He thinks that the world needs to learn that the US will fight to protect their country, people, and what they believe in. The US fought this war to fight for what they believe in. They wanted to stop the spread of communism. repeated 3 times: "Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for." He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for.
Eve of destruction was a anti war song because When he says "You are old enough for killing but not for voting." This means young teenagers were going into the war to fight and couldn't even vote still. Which mad a lot of people angry and made people protest. Getting young teens in the war mad a lot of people go against the war and hate the government.
I agree with what you took out of the song and analyzed because that statement is true. So people that are not old enough to vote should not be old enough to be drafted and be put into a war.
Great point! That was something that a lot of protesters really held on to when protesting the draft. What else could have been pulled from this song???
Born down in a dead man's town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand 1,728,344 soldiers were drafted 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam 981,574 soldier in the war were volunteers Last man drafted June 30, 1973
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man 58,209 soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man He said "son don't you understand now" Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there he's all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon 17,539 married men were killed I got a picture of him in her arms now Down in the shadow of penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I'm ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.
This song sounds patriotic but it really isn't. It was produced in the mid. 80s and it talks about the whole war.
The overall meaning of this song “ Orange Crush” by REM is to look into a soldiers point of view when Agent Orange was dropped down. Soldiers did not want to fight anymore, because the chemical was strong. People were told that it would not effect them in anyway, but when they were sent home they couldn’t even have a family anymore, or cancer would form in their bodies. I personally think this song is so that people can know how soliders and families were effected due to agent orange. “Follow me, don't follow me” - he is using a cue that was used in the war to tell when the soldiers should follow each other or not. “I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush” - as in I got my strength, that I’m okay and that this chemical has not affected me at all that I can go home to my family and everything will be ok. “Chopper comin' in, you hope” - soliders are wishing for a helicopter to take them home because they do not want to fight this war anymore.
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do -Talking about how people don’t want to go to war but they don’t have a choice because they were drafted
Forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died -As the troops moved forward the front men died first and fast
And the General sat, as the lines on the map moved from side to side -Thinking about his next move, but as he is looking at his map he is over stressed thinking of his troops and the lines seem to move back and forth as if they knew who was in control of what land where. The lines could also move because of the shake from an exploding bomb
And who knows which is which and who is who -As a solider you never knew who was on your side especially when walking through the trees and such so you were always on the look and shot on sight even if you thought they were on your side
And I've got things on my mind for want of the price of tea and a slice -All the man wants to do is go home and eat a nice meal paying for anything would be better that what he was experiencing
The overall meaning of this song seems to be that Its not the mans choice to go to war and when her gets there its very hard on him, not knowing who is friend and who is foe is very hard on the man and after all he has been through he never comes home.
We'll meet again, Don't know where,don't know when, But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day. Keep smiling through, Just like you always do, Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away. So will you please say hello, To the folks that I know, Tell them I won't be long, (i wont be long) They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go I was singing this song.
We'll meet again, Don't know where,don't know when, But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day. We'll meet again, Don't know where, don't know when, But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day. Keep smiling through, Just like you always do, Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.
this song is trying to get people to feel more comfortable about letting there family members joining the military and going to war. its telling them that they'll see them again some where someday. its giving the families of soldiers hope
Stuck in Saigon - Charlie Daniels "I walked into a different world The past forever gone" Vietnam was way different than America, he couldnt go back to the past. He was stuck there. "I could have gone to Canada Or I could have stayed in school But I was brought up differently I couldn't break the rules" Hes talking about ways he could have ditched the draft, but he couldnt do it. "No place to run to Where I did not feel that war When I got home I stayed alone And checked behind each door" There were bombs and shootings everywhere, he felt it all. When he went home, he thought there were people everywhere so he had to check. "I smell the jungle, I hear the planes I can't tell no one, I feel ashamed" He cant tell anyone because it was a horrible thing. This was an Anti-war because he talks about how its stuck in his head and he cant get out. This would change Americas opinion because they see how it effects the soldiers minds and everyday life even after the war.
Elton John-- Daniel
ReplyDelete"Do you still feel the pain of the scars that wont heal, your eyes have died. You see more than i. "
Everything that he saw is now on his mind all the time, you cant take memories like that back. His eyes have seen so much bad that there dead now, but he still has seen more then Elton.
Good! What kind of psychological effect did this war have on veterans? Was it different than other wars? Also, was there anything else you could pull out of this song to connect to this class?
Delete"Two days past eighteen, He was waiting for the bus in his army green" The draft.
ReplyDelete"For a list of local Vietnam dead" number of troops dead during the war.
"A soldier's coming home" soldiers surviving the events during the war.
My song was anti-war and this affected peoples families and relationships. People were scared of losing loved ones.
For the part about local Vietnam dead, it makes me think of the body count that was shown to Americans on a daily basis. What kind of effect did you think the media had on most Americans?
DeleteImagine By John Lennon
ReplyDelete"You, you may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
-Not everyone was accepting Lennon's message of peace but he wanted peace even though it seemed like a dream
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one"
-Lennon hopes that one day, the opposition will join in; John extends a warm welcome to his critics. He believes the war should not happen.
I really like this song and i had no idea it was about Vietnam. But now that i read the lyrics and your own analysis of it I can see the connections. I like the analysis's you made to the song and i agree with them.
Delete"Shagism, Dragism, Madism, RagismAnnotate, Tagism
ReplyDeleteThis-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism"
- Lennon is talking about ideologies and how everyone is arguing over their separate beliefs and opinions. This division among the community is depriving the world from obtaining peace.
"All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance"
-Lennon is anti-war and believes in a peaceful negotiation to end the war.
"Everybody's talking about
Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters"
-Ministers-Lennon is talking about religion and how people of different religions have different views on the war. Ministers are religious leaders who are against the war.
Sinister- A sinister is someone evil who supports war or someone involved in the war. Lennon may be referring to the U.S. government or the enemy as being the sinister.
Canisters- Canisters refer to part of the weapons used in the war that caused destruction. The shells, full of explosives, chemicals, or shrapnel, were used to attack large groups of people at once. They are also a crowd dispersal tool used by police to break up protests.
"Revolution, Evolution,"
-He knows its happened in the past and he is hoping that we will evolve into a peaceful country.
John Lennon--- Give Peace A Chance
DeleteI feel like John Lennon was on a whole other level when he wrote his songs. I also analyzed a John Lennon song and he puts so much meaning into a song its crazy.
DeleteOrange Crush - REM
ReplyDelete"I've had my fun and now it's time to serve your conscience overseas"- I've had my fun but now it's time to serve in war
"I've got my orange crush" - Agent Orange
"Coming in fast over me" -The helicopters or planes deploying the Orange are flying quickly above him, on the way to strike.
What was the overall meaning of this song? Can you tell if it is pro-war or anti-war? It seems like the lyrics are very real about this man's experiences in the war!
DeleteThose are the definite connections to the war through the lyrics but. Were there anymore connections to where you had to dig deeper and Find it had multiple deep meanings. But it brought to my attention that this song was about the war and prior to this i didn't know that.
DeleteBorn in the U.S.A.- By Bruce Springsteen
ReplyDelete"Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand,
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man"
---What I can conclude, from these lyrics is that he got drafted, so they sent him to the military and sent him overseas to fight the Vietminh and Vietcongs
"Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong,
They're still there he's all gone."
---Mr.Springsteen said that he met a Virginia man, and he had a brother in one of the major cities, and he died due to the enemy.
"He had a woman he loved in Saigon,
I got a picture of him in her arms now"
---Saying that every person that had entered the war and fought or contributed died.
-Meaning- People think that this is a very patriotic song when its actually very sarcastic. Saying that being "Born in the U.S.A." isnt all that great.
I really like your insight on this song. I never thought that Born in the U.S.A. was anything but a patriotic song. My eyes are clearly opened now though.
DeleteIn the song War Pigs by Black Sabbath, the artist shows content of not supporting war. The lyrics read "Politicians hide themselves away
ReplyDeleteThey only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that all to the poor, yeah!". What these lyrics translate to is "Politicians trigger wars amongst other countries, the citizens actually fight them." I think people after listening to this song back in the old days really made them open up and see the the government never loses, only the people.
Relating to Vietnam, but I believe the song speaks of more than just Vietnam, more or less just war in general. Another song with similar views that came much later is BYOB by System of a Down.
DeleteNow, you analyze this one stanza of lyrics when there are a full four stanzas and twenty-seven lines. Yes, the analysis of these lyrics is accurate, as you describe that these politicians are only provoking war among others, and then summon the common populace to fight in their place. But what about the first two lines? "Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses." This is comparing a general of an army to a witch, and at the time, witchcraft was still frowned upon by the world. Black Sabbath also calls these generals "Sorcerers of death's construction." These two names, which are blatant insults at the time, were things that the war veterans might as well have been called upon their return. This is especially related to the American involvement in the Vietnamese War (seeing as how Black Sabbath is an English band). When the American soldiers returned from Vietnam, they were called "baby killers" and "murderers." The generals that ordered them were often disgraced the most. "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath is, as a matter of fact, just about a generality of war, with few points relating exactly to Vietnam. There are many ways to interpret this song, but every interpretation always comes out with a like conclusion. "Black Sabbath has a view on war on par with those that are protesting the wars themselves, but they do it in a way that provides a form of entertainment for the masses instead of impeding upon daily procedures."
Deletethe 8th of november - big and rich
ReplyDelete"dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble"
- someone got to Vietnam. helicopters would be going by all the time. one of the most popular was the huey.
"with the fire rainin down and the hell all around"
- this is talking about the napalm they used in the war. they dropped fire bombs from planes. Vietnam was a very chaotic place, especially during battles.
"but the battle still plays in his head"
- Vietnam was so traumatic for the people who were there is was extremely common for people to have ptsd. this was the worst people had ever gotten after a war
"19 and green with a new M16"
- the M16 was on of the most used weapons by american soldiers during the time
"bout the shrapnel they left in his leg"
- a lot of artillery was used in the war. American soldiers were frequently under mortar fire
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGreat job pulling out lyrics! What do you think was the overall message of this song? Do you think it was a pro-war or anti-war song?
DeleteYou went into details with each of the lyrics, and i could easily understand it. The message seems to be that the war was for sure not a good thing.
DeleteGood job analyzing the song. You did a good job at finding meaning in the lyrics that talk about something without directly talking about it.
DeleteSong- Gimme shelter by Rolling Stones
ReplyDeleteGimme shelter connects with the war by saying you need to get into shelter or know where you’re going to go if a war breaks out. “It’s just a shot away” meaning if a country fires, a war will break out at anytime. You need to be prepared. “Threatening my very life today” meaning it threatens everyone in the country, not just the soldiers fighting. Be prepared. This song was definitely anti-war.
“Politicians hide themselves away
ReplyDeleteThey only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor”
-Many politicians did not work to stop the war even though we were losing. The majority of our soldiers were minors and the lower class. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. Few, if any, politicians fought in the Vietnam War.
How do you think this realization affected American public opinion about its own government? Is it fair that the politicians make the decisions and the citizens are the ones that fight for them?
DeleteMACHINE GUN- JIMI HENDRIX
ReplyDelete“Evil man made me kill your baby” The soldiers had to kill everything they seen, even if it was a small child.
“Let your bullets fly like rain” There were a lot of bullets coming from the machine guns like when it rains.
“Yeah, machine gun tearing my family apart.” 58,000 men died in the Vietnam war and didn’t return home to their families.
The overall reason for this song was to protest the war.
Nice statistic!
Delete"Television children fed" The Vietnam war is known as the TV war
ReplyDelete"Unborn living, living, dead" Their lives end before they even begin
"Make a grave for the unknown soldier" Tomb of the Unknowns is a cemetery for soldiers who died in war that cant be identified
"And, it's all over The war is over It's all over The war is over" When the soldier dies everything ends for him, not only the war but his whole life
This song can relate specifically to the Vietnam war because children were sitting at home watching people they didn't even know die on TV (unknown soldiers). The broadcasting of a war is something that only happened in this specific war. The overall meaning of this song is talking about how we sat back and watched as soldiers, people we don't even know were dying.
All young people knew at this time was war. It was constantly on TV and young people were drafted into it before they had a chance to do something with their lives. I agree with your overall interpretation of the song. We just watched as people died.
DeletePaint It Black, Rolling Stones;
ReplyDelete"I see a red door and I want it painted black"
"I see a line of cars and they're all painted black"
"I look inside myself and see my heart is black"
"No colors any more, I want them to turn black"
"Black as night, black as coal"
-This signifies the person feeling nothing and not feeling any happiness. this relates a lot to returning veterans who seen so much war and suffer from depression.
I want you to think deeper. This song is a tough one. You picked out the right lyrics, but you did not connect each one. Please go back and dig deeper.
DeleteIn my opinion this part of the lyrics is talking about how solders in Vietnam we trying to flight the enemy who is represented as black and in turn it changed us into the very thing we were trying to fight
DeletePaint it Black – Rolling Stones
ReplyDelete“No colors anymore I want them to turn black”
I think this part of the song kind of relates to the veterans who had fought during the war because they were suffering through depression from coming back to the war and seeing brutal things happening. Some veterans probably came back completely changed after seeing what they had seen and just had been depressed from all the deaths in the war. I feel like this song does talk directly about if it for war or against it, but more about the depression people felt about it and how nothing else really mattered to them anymore.
The Doors – Unknown Soldier
ReplyDelete“And it's all over
For the unknown soldier”
Soldiers in Vietnam go quick and unnoticed; there are so many that they aren’t remembered (or cared about by the govt.) They are just a number, a fighter – an unknown soldier.
“Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Bullet strikes the helmet's head”
The war was practically pumped into civilians’ minds – they saw it, read it, watched it, listened to it. Children, even – but some people may not have grasped the situation for what it was. If people kept dying, and it was constantly surrounding you, it would become normal, and you wouldn’t know or care who those bullets were striking. It was everyday life.
“Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Comp'nee
Halt
Preeee-zent!
Arms!”
This little break in the song is like an army chant – it’s very literal. They’re marching along, and then snap – that’s it. It’s almost comical, but it’s attempting to make the listener reach that type of situation in Vietnam.
“Make a grave for the unknown soldier
Nestled in your hollow shoulder
The unknown soldier”
This is after the chant; the unknown soldier has been killed, and it’s going to sit with you, with all the other dead unknown soldiers.
Bad moon on the rise- Creedence clearwater revival
ReplyDelete“I see a bad moon arising, I see trouble on the way.”
- The moon is bright so the light makes it so they can see where you are which makes you an easier target-
‘‘Don’t go around tonight, well its bound to take your life”
- You will get killed if you go outside, they are afraid-
“Hope you are quit prepared to die”
-Close to 58,000 men died in the Vietnam war-
‘’ I know the end is coming soon”
- they are afraid. The are preparing for the end-
"I hear the voice of rage and ruin''
- the voice of ruin could mean that they hear the gun shots and explosions that are killing so many people-
You did a really good job figuring out what the lines in the song meant and using real facts, not making up feelings of the soldiers.
Delete"For What It's Worth"
ReplyDeleteBy: Buffalo Springfield
“There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear”
-The government is sheltering the truth of the war.
“There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware”
-Soldiers are telling the new recruits they have to watch out.
“I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?”
- Telling the people to see what’s going on.
“Everybody look - what's going down?”
-Look what’s really going on.
“There's battle lines being drawn”
-The plans for the war.
“Nobody's right if everybody's wrong”
-The right thing is wrong to other people, doves and hawks.
“Young people speaking' their minds”
-People against the war are speaking their thoughts.
“Getting so much resistance from behind”
- Not getting any help from home
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
“What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"
-People protesting the war.
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
“Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid”
-Soldiers were always afraid during the Vietnam war because of the jungle.
Step out of line, the men come and take you away
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop
Now, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
We better stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?
"Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
ReplyDelete"Some folks are born made to wave the flag"
"Some folks are born silver spoon in hand"
"Some folks inherit star spangled eyes"
The reoccurring theme with these statements is, no matter what kind of background you are from, you don't escape the war. It brings people of all kinds together and unites them against one enemy.
"It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no"
"It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no"
This shows how the singer feels scorned by the war, and how he says "I ain't no fortunate son" makes me think that he possibly lost his father to the war, or as a son of liberty, feels the war is un-American.
At first I didn't see how this song could've possibly been about the Vietnam War but after you thoroughly broke the lyrics down it was actually pretty easy to understand.
DeleteUs and Them by Pink floyd
ReplyDelete"Us and Them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me, and you
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do..."
"...And the front rank died..."
Talks about how normal "ordinary" people went into the war to fight and die for the US, to support a cause most disagreed with.
Run Through The Jungle- Creedence Clearwater Revival
ReplyDeleteWhoa, thought it was a nightmare,
Lo, it's all so true,
They told me, "Don't go walkin' slow
'Cause Devil's on the loose." (Devil refers to the Vietcong, the enemy waiting in the jungle.)
[CHORUS:]
Better run through the jungle,
Better run through the jungle,
Better run through the jungle,
Woa, Don't look back to see.
(Americans’ lifespan in the jungles of Vietnam were short, and soldiers were aware that every step could be their last. Most of the fighting took place in the jungle, giving the Vietcong an advantage.)
Thought I heard a rumblin'
Callin' to my name,
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries, "Take aim!"
(The Vietcong used their knowledge of the territory against the US. They launched many surprise attacks, and hid wisely.)
[CHORUS]
Over on the mountain (Some regions in Vietnam are mountainous)
Thunder magic spoke,
"Let the people know my wisdom,
Fill the land with smoke." (I feel like smoke refers to napalm, because smoke is a common bomb reference. The US attacked swamps with napalm to clear the territory, and harmed many soldiers and civilians in the process.)
[CHORUS]
This song basically describes the fear and technique used in the jungle. US soldiers entered the jungle knowing they were constantly in danger. Vietcong members were waiting. A strategy the US used to cope with this situation was destroying jungles and swamps with Napalm and Agent Orange.
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
ReplyDelete"Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying"
- This is referring to all of the soldiers who have died during the war and all of the mothers crying due to their loss.
"Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate"
- Love can solve problems, War destroy's everything.
This song is anti-war because it is expressing how war is tearing everyone apart. The message is that war is not the answer.
I can see this as anti-war as well. it didn't really surprise me that the song was related to Vietnam with a seemingly dark appearance to the lyrics.
DeleteBob Dylan “ Blowing in the wind”
ReplyDelete“Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?”
how many wars must be fought to see that violence is not the answer.
“Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?”
How long must there be slavery and denial of civil rights? were the African americans not long enough in america to have earned it to be free?
Man in the Box- Alice in Chains
ReplyDelete• He wants his eyes sown shut because of all the destruction
• He is in a box because he is dying
• He is a beaten dog, getting his nose shoved in spit, he knows what is wrong and he keeps getting harassed for it
• Why don’t you save me, save me, he is asking for help
• He is buried in his pit, he can’t get out
• He asked to be saved
8th of November – Big & Rich
ReplyDelete“Like a dark evil cloud, 1,200 came down on him and 29 more”
1,200 PLAF come down the hill in the morning attacking C Company.
“They fought for their lives but most of them died in the 173rd Airborne”
48 paratroopers dead, many wounded, 403 PLAF dead.
“But the battle still plays in his head”
PTSD form being in the Vietnam War at 19.
“He was nineteen and green with a new M-16”
He was drafted at 19 and he was new to war.
“With the smell of napalm in the air”
The place he had just been dropped off had been recently hit with napalm.
"Daniel" - Elton John
ReplyDeleteDaniel is traveling tonight on a plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain
And I can see Daniel waving goodbye
God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
They say Spain is pretty though I've never been
And Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen
He should know, he's been there enough
Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much, oh
Daniel my brother you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?
Your eyes have died but you see more than I
Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky
I think this song not only talks about how hard the beginning and the middle of the war was, but also how tough it was after the war. Veterans returned with mental instability and pain that no one else could understand. It was very hard for them and also the people around them. People in America who hadn't been to Vietnam didn't know what it was like and is was hard for them to understand or relate to the pain the veterans were going through. Overall, this is an anti-war song that talks about how war mentally and emotionally hurts people and tears families apart.
Traveling Soldier--Dixie Chicks
ReplyDeleteThe overall meaning for this song is to show the story of people fighting in Vietnam and for the people back home who just waited and hoped that they would return. This also pays tribute to the people who fought in Vietnam. But mainly, in my case, if you never went through this, this song shows how people felt during this wartime.
First Stanza:
This boy got recruited into the war and was feeling lonely, and then he went to a café and made friends with a girl who he would later fall in love with.
Connection: about 10 million men were drafted through the selective service for this war
Second Stanza:
It talks about when they went to the pier and hung out and got to know each other. There he asked her if he could write to her because he didn’t have anyone else to write to.
Connection: This makes me think of the people who fought for America but had nobody who cared for them and it makes me pretty sad to think that they have no one.
Chorus:
In this the girl was mourning because she had lost the man she loved and she is saying that she can never love again because he was her true love and now he was gone, and how she will never get that letter saying that her soldier was coming home.
Connection: This may seem to be dramatic to some but I get it. She lost the love of her life and the other part of her heartbreak may be from the fact that he didn't have anyone but her.
Third Stanza:
He was telling her in his letters all that he was going through and how he felt about the war and about her and how when he was scared he would think about her then he would feel better. Then he told her not to worry because he wouldn’t be able to write to her for a while. He said that so she wouldn’t think that he had died when he wasn’t able to write her, and because he loved her and he didn’t want to make her sad.
Fourth Stanza:
In this the girl was at a football game and a man read the list of local people who had died in Vietnam. It brings in a part of a girl in the band crying under the stands when he is reading the names, either because she is worried for a loved one over there or because one of the names read was one she didn’t want to hear. Then it said that another name was read but nobody cared except the girl because it was her soldier’s name. This shows that he really didn’t have anyone except for her.
Connection: There were about 3.8 million deaths from the war.
This song was anti-war because it showed how painful it was to lose a loved one. This effected every American who cared for someone in the war, they all know how hard it was to know that their friend/family member may not make it back and that is a truly horrible thing that they had to go through and think of. This song in particular would make Americans want to pull their loved ones out of the war even more than they already may have been wanting to.
“Travelin’ Soldier” by the Dixie Chicks
ReplyDeleteTwo days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army greens-
--- He has just turned 18 and he was being sent to boot camp. He most likely was drafted if he immediately is going to the army after turning 18.
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,
I'm feeling a little low
---It hints more that he was drafted into the army and that he is not to pleased about it.
I got no one to send a letter to
---It hints that he is part of the working class. He most likely couldn’t afford college because he has no family. He couldn’t escape the draft by going to college.
So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
---The soldier immediately was shipped over seas. He didn’t have any leave time; the war must be in full swing at this point.
it's getting kinda rough over here
---The soldier is most likely in deep in the jungle, fighting it in major battles.
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile
---He probably is in a battle like the one in We Were Soldiers.
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read but nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
---The soldier died; nobody cared but the girl, most likely because he had no family. The list of the dead was a daily part of life.
Good interpretation of this song. You made some good connections to what we have talked about; like how to escape the draft you had to go to college. It is sad that he need up dying in the war and that he was only 18 when he went to boot camp. It's sad he lived such a short life and that in his last few years and he died doing something he didn't want to do.
DeleteFortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
ReplyDeleteThis song talks about what a “fortunate son” has and not have, what a “fortunate one” is a not is and that everyone has their problems no matter how fortunate they are. It says that a “senator’s son” can be “red, white and blue” and therefore very patriotic, but “when the band plays ‘Hail to the chief’, they point the cannon at you, lord”, so they sometimes don’t believe in what they are supposed to. Even though a “millionaire’s son” might be “born silver spoon in hand” and seems to have everything, he can still have money problems and “the house looks like a rummage sale.” The “military son”, having inherited “star spangled eyes, can “send you down to war”. That seems to be a very easy work, but they always need “More! More! More!”, because there were not enough people at the frontline.
I think this song is more anti-war, showing that even the people that are lucky and don’t actually have to go to war still have their problems. With not even really speaking about the problems of those who are in the war, this song made the statement that the war is too hard for everybody.
"Rooster"
ReplyDeleteAin't found a way to kill me yet
Eyes burn with stinging sweat
Seems every path leads me to nowhere
Wife and kids household pet
Army green was no safe bet
The bullets scream to me from somewhere
Here they come to snuff the rooster
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah [2x]
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no, ya know he ain't gonna die
Walkin' tall machine gun man
They spit on me in my home land
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy
Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death
My buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath
Oh god please won't you help me make it through
Here they come to snuff the rooster
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no ya know he ain't gonna die
“Ain't found a way to kill me yet, Eyes burn with stinging sweat”
- Im still alive, from a long battle and they are stuck in one place, and they are hot and sweating.
“Wife and kids household pet, Army green was no safe bet, The bullets scream to me from somewhere”
-he has a family at home, being in the U.S army is not safe for him or his family, bullets ricashea and fly past him.
“snuff the rooster”
- This song was written by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father Jerry Cantrell Sr., who went by the nickname "Rooster" while serving with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Jerry Cantrell has stated that his father, Cantrell, Sr., had this family nickname "Rooster" since childhood due to the way his hair stood up on end as a child. The "Rooster" nickname is also often mistakenly attributed to a reference to men carrying the M60 machine gun the muzzle flash from which makes an outline or pattern reminiscent of a rooster's tail. snuff the rooster means to fight back with greater force
“ They spit on me in my home land”
- they insulted the United states and U.S citizens
That The Vietnam War was a living hell for the united states Troops.
Nice connection with Jerry Cantrell and the M60.
Deletewe talked today about how American veterans were treated badly when they got back home. It was hard to believe that people spit on troops when they returned.
DeleteThe 8th of November-Big and Rich
ReplyDeleteSaid goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota
To fight for the red, white and blue
He was 19 and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do
----This tells about a young boy who just turned 19 and now he has to fight for the U.S with his new M-16 gun. He had to leave his mom and his teenage freedom.
He was dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble
With the smell of napalm in the air
And the sergeant said...look up ahead
Like a dark evil cloud, 1,200 came down on him and 29 more
They fought for their lives but most of them died in the 173rd Airborne
----The boy is now in the jungles of South Vietnam and the war has begun. It seems like bombs were coming down and many of his combat unit fought but couldn't survive the horrible napalm. The 173rd Airborn was the first U.S. army combat unit committed to fight in the war.
[Chorus:]
On the 8th of November the angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away
---Many of the combat members died and went to heaven
With the fire raining down and the hell all around
There were few men left standing that day
---"the fire raining down" refers to napalm falling and burning everyone
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
--the eagle represents America and 1965, the 8th of November is when that happened
Now he's 58 and his pony tail's gray
But the battle still plays in his head
----Now the boy is in post war and is older but he will never forget the battle in Vietnam
He limps when he walks but he's strong when he talks
About the Shrapnel they left in his leg
-----He tells about the clear memories of him getting shrapnel in his leg from the battle which has led to his limp leg.
He puts on a gray suit over his Airborne tattoo
And he ties it on one time a year
----He doesn't dress up very often but it seems like he does on Veterans Day
And remembers the fallen as he orders a tall one
And swallows it down with his tears
----He ordered a beer because he need to take a break from his tough memories
[Chorus]
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
1965...
On the 8th of November the angels were crying
As they carried his brother away
With the fire raining down and the hell all around
There were few men left standing that day
[Chorus]
Said goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota
TO fight for the red, white and blue
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do
This to me would be anti-war because it shows how the trauma of such a jurassic matter will always be carried along with you. This also shows that the Vietnam war was very destructive and too many young men lost their lives.
The overall meaning of this song is telling a story of a 19 yr. old boy who has to leave his mother to go fight in the war for America. It goes through his struggles in the jungle and talks about his other combat members that didn't survive (including his brother). Then in the second half it talks about how now the man is a veteran of the war and on one day, Veterans Day, he dresses nice and goes to have a drink to forget all of his combat members who died.
This song can effect America's public opinion of the war as a not-so-great thing. I believe many people would have tear jerking and heart wrenching moments when this song is heard. Many people would probably be against the war when they hear this song.
"Us And Them" - Pink Floyd
ReplyDeleteUs and Them (The allies and the enemies of the war)
And after all we're only ordinary men (No one was truly bad or good in the war and we knew that out of war the people we were fighting were just like us, they had jobs and probably children.)
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do (Most people were drafted into the war without a choice and overall no one really wanted to be in war.)
Forward he cried from the rear (A man leading on his troop of men.)
and the front rank died (the men fighting in the front were always more than likely the ones to get killed first.)
And who knows which is which and who is who (It didn’t matter if you were an enemy of an ally because at then end of the day you were all just ordinary men.)
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside (An older man in the war telling a child that he can join the war too. *In a way to get more people to join the war*)
And who'll deny that's what the fightings all about (The Vietnam and The Cold war were both going on about the same time.)
Get out of the way, it's a busy day (For those that weren’t fighting they had other things to do.)
And I've got things on my mind (People were not only worrying about the war but about themselves and their problems as well.)
The song was more anti-war because of the way it said we were all just ordinary men and at the end were it said "and I've got things on my mind. Everyone knew that and felt that.
Those are great connections to the Vietnam War. I agree about this being an anti-war song, they talked a lot about how there were just ordinary men on both sides just trying to serve their country. There were a lot of non supporters of the war who just wanted it to end too.
Delete"Still in Saigon" by Charlie Daniels
ReplyDelete"Got on a plane in 'Frisco
And got off in Vietnam
I walked into a different world
The past forever gone"
-in Vietnam it was not peaceful like america and he could never turn back
"I could have gone to Canada
Or I could have stayed in school
But I was brought up differently
I couldn't break the rules"
-he could have skipped out on going to the military and left the country or gone to school but he knew it was not right and he had to go.
"Thirteen months and fifteen days
The last ones were the worst
One minute I'd kneel down and pray
And the next I'd stand and curse"
-The last days he was over in Vietnam were horrible, it would be calm enough to pray but then boom another bomb or something happened.
"No place to run to
Where I did not feel that war
When I got home I stayed alone
And checked behind each door"
-When he got back from the war he still felt like he was in it and he had PTSD and was scared to be in his townhouse or around people.
Cuz I'm still in Saigon
Still in Saigon
I am still in Saigon
In my mind"
-His mind will never fully leave the war he will always be scared and have flashbacks
"The ground at home was covered in snow
And I was covered in sweat
My younger brother calls me a killer
And my daddy calls me a vet"
-Even when it is freezing he is having the scared sweats and his dad is proud of hi but his brother thinks he killed and thats all he did.
"Everybody says I'm someone else
And I'm sick and there's no cure
Damned if I know who I am
There was only one place I was sure"
-People see that he has PTSD and that is something you can take medicine for you have to work through it psychologically. He for sure knew who he was in the war fighting and staying alive.
"Every summer when it rains
I smell the jungle, I hear the planes
I can't tell no one, I feel ashamed
Afraid some day I'll go insane"
-When it rains his PTSD kicks in and he is afraid if he tells anyone they will think he is crazy.
"That's been ten long years ago
And time has gone on by
Now and then I catch myself
Eyes searching through the sky"
-He is recovering from the war after 10 long years but he still looks up in the sky just incase.
"All the sounds of long ago
Will be forever in my head
Mingled with the wounded cries
And the silence of the dead"
-He will always hear the sounds of war lingering in the back of his mind.
My song is Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
ReplyDelete1. “I see the bad moon arising. I see trouble on the way. I see earthquakes and lightnin’. I see bad times today.”
A soldier is predicting the bad things that are about to happen during the Vietnam War. He knows what lies ahead of him. I believe that the earthquakes and lightning symbolize the troubles and dangers of the Vietnam War.
2. “Don't go around tonight. Well, it's bound to take your life, There's a bad moon on the rise.”
This is a warning to the Vietnam soldiers. If you were to go out, then you would most likely die from stepping on a land mine, or from being hit with napalm or Agent Orange. You never knew which step would be your last.
3. “I hear hurricanes ablowing. I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin.”
Many soldiers in the Vietnam War lost their lives. When the lyrics say, “the end is coming soon,” this doesn’t mean that the war is ending, it means that the solider sees his life ending very soon. This was a frightening time for all of the Vietnam soldiers. They were very aware of the dangers that they had to face, but they had to be brave enough to face the dangers and threats anyways.
4. “Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die. Looks like we're in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye.”
This is saying how soldiers knew that they would most likely die in the Vietnam War. The “nasty weather” refers to napalm, Agent Orange, and other deathly weapons that the soldiers would encounter. “One eye for an eye” means that the soldiers were willing to fight their enemies.
The overall meaning of this song is that the Vietnam War was extremely dangerous and life threatening. Most soldiers had to accept that they would most likely die. The “bad moon” symbolizes the daily threats and dangers that a soldier would encounter.
I think your interpretation on the song is very clarifying and really exposes the meaning of the lyrics. I like how you are able to tie napalm and agent orange to the lyrics.
DeleteGimme Shelter- The Rolling Stones
ReplyDelete“Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away”
Lives in Vietnam were always threatened- those fighting in the war and normal civilians. If they didn’t find a place where they were safe, it could be their last day alive.
“Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way”
Napalm in Vietnam destroyed anything that was in its way. Villages were completely destroyed
“Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away”
Soldiers were told to shoot anything that moved. Many people were killed in the war.
This song is anti-war. It talks about horrible things that happened in the Vietnam War.
I agree with your connections there were some really harsh and awful things that happened there and to think that when our soldiers got back they were treated like the bad ones is so sad because the song actually makes you realize what these men went through.
Delete8th Of November
ReplyDelete1.“ He was 19 and green with a new M-16 just what he had to do”
He was young and he got drafted into the war and they just handed him a gun and told him to kill. It was his duty as an American to fight.
2.“Like a dark evil cloud, 1200 came down on him and 29 more. They fought for their lives but most of them died”
The skies were covered in smoke and dust from all the weapons being fired. Hundreds of ammunition was shot upon them and most of them did even though they fought hard.
3.“Now he’s 58 and his ponytail’s great but the battle still plays in his head”
He survived the war and is old now but the memories of the war still stains his mind and left an invisible scar on his soul because of all the deaths he saw.
Over all I feel like this song is saying we went in blind didn’t know what we were in for. We lost more then just the war, we lost a sense of ourselves and that impacted us not only physically but mentally as well.
I like how you state that he has an "invisible scar", it really shows that the war left a mark on people that you can't even know.
DeleteBilly Joel- “Goodnight Saigon”
ReplyDelete"We met as soulmates
On Parris Inland
We left as inmates
From an asylum
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives."
The soldiers met and went to Vietnam. They were all ready to fight for their country and thought they were very well trained.
"We came in spastic
Like tameless horses
We left in plastic
As numbered corpses
And we learned fast
To travel light
Our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight"
When the soldiers came, they were crazy and out of control. They were not moving like a good military should. Then the death count started going up. Then the soldiers had to adapt. So they weren’t just fighting Vietnam, but they were fighting to stay alive.
"We had no homefront
We had no soft soap
They sent us playboy
They gave us bob hope
We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might."
There wasn’t a homefront, because everyone back home didn’t approve of the war. But their family members sent them things to try to make them feel better. But they prayed to God that they would make it out alive.
"We had no cameras
To shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe
And played our Doors tapes
And it was dark.
So dark at night
And we held onto each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write"
There weren’t cameras to shoot the intense landscape of Vietnam. They smoked their drugs and listened to music. They also wrote to their family memebers. There wasn’t much hope, but they stood together like brothers.
"And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together."
They are saying that if one of them goes down, then they will all go down together.
"Remember Charlie?
Remember Baker?
They left their childhood
On every acre
And who was wrong,
And who was right?
It didn't matter in the thick of the fight"
The war took 18 year old boys and turned them into men. Their childhoods were lost after every acre they fought on. They didn’t know who the enemy was and who the good guy was, but it didn’t matter when they were fighting each other.
"We, held the day
In the palm of our hands
They, ruled the night
And the night, seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island
We held the coastline
They held the highland
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of the mortars
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive"
The U.S. military was “winning” during the day. But then the Viet Cong attacked the U.S. in the Tet Offensive. They fought all night and the soldiers say it felt like it lasted forever. Then the soldiers realized that the Viet Cong were really good. And when America came to Vietnam, they were there waiting for them and were more equipped in fighting than the U.S. was.
"And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together."
But they all would go down together as one, because they were all for one and one for all.
Overall Meaning:
America was ready to go fight the spread of communism, but as the war progressed the soldiers had to not fight to win over communism, but to just survive. All they had was each other and if they were going down, they would all go down together.
I really like the part about it turning 18 year olds into men. It really turns your world upside down, being drafted. One second your biggest concern is school and barely becoming an adult, then you're off fighting in the war with guns and killing people.
Delete“War Pigs” Black Sabbath
ReplyDeleteAnti-War song, quite obviously. With this song, “War Pigs,” Ozzy Osborne clearly states a detestment for war in a generality, as well as those that declare war. He compares generals to that of witches preparing for a “black mass” with a plot for death and destruction with the lyrics “Generals gathered in their masses,
Just like witches at black masses, Evil minds that plot destruction,” showing that he feels that any general has a plan to oversee the death and destruction brought on by war, and that is very similar to what the US generals were forced to do during the Vietnam War. All they could really do was watch as many young men died for the cause. He calls these generals “Sorcerers of death’s construction,” and that they are working “In the fields of bodies burning.” He seems to be saying that there were some generals that just watched as Napalm strikes burned entire fields of soldiers, both American and Vietnamese. He then states “Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds,” to show that propaganda wants Americans to fight for these “War Pigs” against the Vietnamese, and others, as if they were nothing but natural born soldiers and killers. The entire stanza: “Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor,” shows that Ozzy and company think that the Politicians that started this war only to watch it happen and develop, not to fight in it. He feels that they are cowering in their offices while the real men are out dying for the political leaders. He also emphasises that the political powers also had a large some of money, because he states “Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor.” Most of the drafted men, in truth, were low on money. It makes it seem that the draft only picked who it wanted to, such as the poor or minorities.
"A storm is threat'ning
ReplyDeleteMy very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away"
The bombing and Napalm mean death, If they aren't safe, they're going to die.
"War, children, it's just a shot away"
The destruction could happen at any moment.
"Oh, see the fire is sweepin'
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost your way"
The bombs create chaos in the streets, the lights and fire drown the sites. It's destructive like a bull.
Good connection to the bombing and Napalm.
DeleteGood statistics.
"Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
ReplyDeleteOoh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, 'How much should we give?'
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more!"
This talks about how the draft just took more and more Americans to Vietnam. Also it explains how some really prideful Americans didn't want America to look weak so they wanted more troops in Vietnam.
American public opinion was affected by thinking that America would be thought as weak if we did not send more troops to the effort in Vietnam.
Fortunate Son:
ReplyDelete“I ain't no senator's son”
“I ain't no millionaire's son”
“I ain't no military son”
These lines in the song state that some people were fortunate to not have to go to war (senator’s son and millionaire’s son). Some people were able to dodge the draft from being richer than others.
“Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue”
This is saying that some people are for the war and support because it’s their country. Yet some people feel that the war isn’t necessary and don’t want to find for their country.
The overall meaning of this song is that some people were more fortunate than others and weren’t drafted in the war. It also means that some people were against the war and didn’t want to fight.
Travelin’ Soldier- Dixie Chicks
ReplyDelete“Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green”
--This is referring to the draft. The “travelin soldier” was selected to be apart of the war.
“So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam”
--The “travelin soldier” trained in California and then was deported to Vietnam. My brother-in-law also trained in California.
“One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead”
--After reading this I wondered if they actually called out people’s names like this at a football game. I found out that this is something they actually did. I also found out that in Life Magazine they did a spread of dead Vietnam soldiers that occurred Memorial Day week. It took 10 pages to show all of the dead soldiers.
OVERALL MEANING
I think the overall meaning is to illustrate for people how children’s lives were being took from them at such an early age. Being 18 and drafted then killed soon after takes away a lot of life experiences, like falling in love. The song makes you sympathize with the boy who finally found someone, but didn’t ever get to really be with her.
Landon Patterson 3A
ReplyDeleteTraveling Solider By: Dixie Chicks.
“Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green”
-He was just old enough to be drafted in to war and was waiting to leave.
“He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you”
- He is talking about writing to her from war.
“ Waiting for the love of the traveling solider”
- The girl is waiting for him to come home and it’s hard for her.
“So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam”
- He was sending letters from boot camp.
This song just shows any guy can be put in to war and you can lose him just like that.
I like how even tho he just turned 18 he was immediately drafted and shipped off to the war.
DeleteGive Peace a Chance- John Lennon
ReplyDelete“All we are saying is give peace a chance” They are tired of the war and to try to make peace and leave the war.
“Ev'rybody's talking about Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and canisters Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes, And bye bye, bye byes.” They are talking about the people in the world and how they are fighting the war and dying. The government is taking anyone they can get and it does not matter what religion you are if you can fight then you fight.
“Ev'rybody's talking about Revolution, evolution…Flagellation, regulation, integrations, Meditations, United Nations,” He talks about how the people are constantly talking about the war and that it is constantly around them.
You made good connections to the Vietnam War! I liked how you stated that the people just wanted to end the war because it was always on their minds. It was probably a very stressful time!
DeleteMusic Analysis
ReplyDeleteNicholas Gresham
2B
War: by Edwin Starr
“War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing”
-He is saying that war is good for nothing, so why fight one.
“Ohhh, war, I despise
Because it means destruction
Of innocent lives”
- He states that war is just a disaster that takes lives.
“War means tears
To thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go to fight
And lose their lives”
- He is saying this because many mothers lost their sons in battle.
“War, it ain't nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker”
- He says that no one likes war, but the undertaker.
“It's an enemy to all mankind
The point of war blows my mind”
- He states again that he doesn’t understand why we fight wars.
“War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction then destruction”
- The younger generation is getting destroyed because of war.
“Many a young mans dreams
Made him disabled, bitter and mean”
- He is saying war changes people.
“Life is much to short and precious
To spend fighting wars these days
War can't give life
It can only take it away”
- He says that life is to valuable to fight and war doesn’t give you anything it just takes everything away.
“Peace, love and understanding
Tell me, is there no place for them today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way”
-He believes there is a better way to fight for freedom.
- Overall this song is about all of the negative outcomes of war.
What do you think a better way to fight for freedom is? Other than that, I agree with all of your analysis.
DeleteThe Unknown Soldier
ReplyDeleteBy: The Doors
“Wait until the war is over
And we're both a little older
The unknown soldier”
The war lasted from 1959 to 1975.
It was the longest war in American history.
“Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head”
Families watched the news in the mornings.
The news showed footage of what was happening in Vietnam.
The footage showed people dying in Vietnam.
“And it's all over
For the unknown soldier
It's all over
For the unknown soldier”
In mere seconds, a soldier could be dead.
“Make a grave for the unknown soldier
Nestled in your hollow shoulder
The unknown soldier”
Respect should be given to a fallen soldier.
Many people didn’t believe in the Vietnam War, and took their anger out on soldiers just doing their duty.
The Vietnam War was a long war, with many deaths of unidentified soldiers, “faceless” soldiers.
We had the same song, and we have similar connections. I like that you mentioned citizens taking their anger out on returning soldiers - I didn't think of that. You also gave good facts in your responses. I focused more on the interpretation. The last sentence is a good tie-in.
DeleteBlack Sabbath - War Pigs
ReplyDelete"Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction"
States that generals are just people who sacrifice other people up at war
"In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds... Oh Lord yeah!"
The napalm was burning people as the people in charge just kept on making it worse and pretending it was going well or for a good cause
"Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah"
This says how politicians declare war but get to keep their good life and fancy job, while the young men of their nation who barely have anything go out and do the dirty work
Paint It Black
ReplyDeleteBy: The Rolling Stones
"I see a line of cars and they're all painted black."
- Talking about a huge funeral for all the soldiers that had died at war
(approx. 3.8 million deaths)
"I look inside myself and see my heart is black"
- He is depressed from everything he saw during the war
"No colors anymore, I want them to turn black"
- Depression was setting in everywhere and a lot of people died. Black represents the deaths of the people while also representing depression. Everything that the soldiers saw in Vietnam was horrific sight to see and affected them the rest of their lives. When they returned from Vietnam most soldiers weren't the same.
I think this song talks in an underlying tone against the war. It is all about the depression setting in, and how it had such a horrible impact on the lives of the soldiers and their family and friends.
Great interpretations! I finally understand what this means now, i was confused with the purpose un till now.
DeleteMachine Gun-Jimi Hendrix
ReplyDeleteMachine gun, tearing my body all apart-
Machine guns are actually tearing threw bodies but not his.
Evil man make me kill ya-
Vietnamese people are making American soldiers kill them
Even though we're only-
families apart
Vietnamese soldiers are going out into battle when they might be right next to relatives.
No Bullets-
No more war or fighting
(Same with no guns and no bombs)
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no no_
He is in a soldiers point of view thinking to him self saying “Don’t kill my friend, he is about to go home.” But he got shoot down anyways.
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place"
ReplyDeleteIn this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refuse to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in trying
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due
I know
Watch my daddy in bed and tired
Watch his hair been turning gray
He's been working and slaving his life away
Oh yes, I know it
He's been working so hard
I've been working too babe
Every night and day
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
We gotta get out of this place
If its the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'Cause girl, there's a better life
For me and you
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due
I know it
Watch my daddy in bed and tired
Watch his hair been turning gray
He's been working and slaving his life away
I know
He's been working so hard
I've been working too babe
Every day baby
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
We gotta get out of this place
If its the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life
For me and you
Somewhere baby
Somehow I know it baby
We gotta get out of this place
If its the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too
"In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refuse to shine" – probably lived in poor conditions with little income in a big city
"We gotta get out of this place" – new that there was a better life waiting
"Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due" - Maybe he is scared of the outcome of the war
This song doesn't directly talk about the war but I would say that it is an anti-war song. It talks about getting out of the city, this could be because they don't have much money and live in poor conditions or because they could be scared of attack in big cities. The American public could view this song as a song about a boy who is trying to protect the girl he loves or they could view as a boy who is stressed about the future of our country. This would in turn could change the American public's opinion about the war and the future of our country.
Alice In Chains: Man In The Box
ReplyDeleteJames Blake
“Feed my eyes. Can you sew them shut?” I believe this is referencing the public who wants to be taken care of our government, and hide us from danger. Credibility Gap.
“He who tries will be wasted.” This is saying that those such as Martin Luther King Jr., who stood up against the government, will be killed in order to ensure that the government keep it’s power.
“Feed my eyes now you’ve sewn them shut.” This is referencing the public who is being taken care of the government so much that they are unaware of everything that is happening. They now can’t function without the help of our government.
“Jesus Christ. Deny your maker.” This tells how those in high power believe that they don’t have to answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want and get away with it with no consequences.
Good interpretation. Although I think "He who tries will be wasted" was referring to people more against the GOVERNMENT (MLK was more against racism in general)
Delete“Imagine there's no heaven
ReplyDeleteIt's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky”
This means he envisions a place where people weren’t killed constantly so ruthlessly in Vietnam, because we wouldn’t have anything to look forward too after death.
“Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace..”
This means he envisions a world where there isn’t any conflict or war between countries. If we all had no religion, we would have less stuff to fight over.
“You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one”
This means he wants to have a world without war, during this time other people also believed in this idea of peace. If the world joined as one, we wouldn’t have wars like the Vietnam War.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
This means he imagines a world where people didn’t have materialistic needs in life and we all just shared and enjoyed the earth for what it is.
Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen
ReplyDelete“Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man”
He got in trouble so they sent him to go serve in the war against North Vietnam. America were sending troops and drafting more and more people.
“Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there he's all gone”
Someone lost their life fighting against the Vietcong, yet they’re still attacking.
“Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "son don't you understand now’”
When he came back home from war, people were treating him different and couldn’t get his job back. Veterans weren’t seen or treated as heroes after the war.
This song shows that American’s weren’t too happy with the war and were growing tired. They didn’t trust the government and saw that we were losing more and more people. When troops came back from Vietnam, they weren’t seen as war heroes. Many think that this song is patriotic, however, Springsteen saw that being “born in the USA” was not a great thing during this time period.
i agree with all of your interpretations and i think you did very well on interpreting them by yourself. you made very good points.
DeletePaint it Black By the Rolling Stones
ReplyDelete“I see a red door and I want to paint it black, no colors anymore I want them to turn black”
-With this set of lyrics the Rolling Stones try to paint a picture of how and American citizen, maybe a soldier, wants to “paint” or cover his feelings, emotions and passions, the “red door” to the color of black, a color of negativity yet one of protection because of an event he witnessed or lived through, such as war or the death of someone close.
“I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until the darkness goes”
-In this section of lyrics the Stones tell of how this young man has to defer away from the fun going on around him because there is darkness still around. This darkness could be referring to the Vietnam War, death of a close one or maybe even both.
“I see people turn their heads and quickly look away, like a new born baby it just happens everyday”
-By telling of people turning their heads and looking away the Rolling Stones relate to how people shunned the war and did not support the efforts of the fighting and the soldier who fight and die everyday.
“I see my red door and must have it painted black, maybe then ill fade away and not have to face the facts”
-Once again by painting his heart “black” he will be protected and not have to worry about feeling the sadness and depression of loss from war or just death
“No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue, I could not foresee this thing happening to you.”
-The green sea turning to a deeper blue represents a change in happiness, not necessarily bad but a change from safety to more stability, but this change will not happen anymore as something has happened to a loved one which has changed the characters view on life to one of a more depressed vision.
Overview:
Overall the some “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones is about a young person, most likely male, who is depressed because of the loss of some one close to him, maybe a friend or loved one. Whether it was the war that took this individuals life or other causes it has put this character into a deepened sadness to where he wants everything to be painted “black” a color of negativity, a color that represents his mood towards the world.
I believe that most of your interpretations are good, but I think that the first interpretation, as well as others were a little vague, and a little more information would be nice.
DeleteMy song was "Born in the USA".
ReplyDelete"Born down in a dead man town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up"
This refers to how people are being "beat down" in the US- aka the government isn't taking the people into enough consideration.
"Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a.
I was born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a.
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man"
This line refers to the propaganda that the US enforced. We were greatly encouraged to join the war effort and kill the Vietnamese.
"Born in the U.S.A...
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man said son if it was up to me
Went down to see my v.a. man
He said son, don't you understand"
I believe this refers to the difficulty vets had getting jobs and occupations.
"I had a brother at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon"
These lyrics are referring to the failure of the war in Vietnam. Evidently, this is referencing how some men fell in love while overseas. It also mentions how he was forced to leave.
"I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run aint got nowhere to go"
These specific lyrics are talking about the effects of death in Vietnam. Every death was very personal to somebody- these lyrics demonstrate this.
"Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., I'm a long gone daddy in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., I'm a cool rocking daddy in the u.s.a."
Overall, this song is illustrating that the American dream is gone and that the war is tearing us apart.
Give Peace a Chance - John Lennon
ReplyDeleteEv'rybody's talkin' 'bout Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everyone is focusing is on bagging and ragging on countries that aren’t ours. We should try and fix our country first with our problems first.
(C'mon) Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters, Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop Eyes, Bye bye, Bye byes All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance (Let me tell you now)
Our focus is too focused on religion and who’s is better. Lennon is trying to say maybe we should put our attention towards something else other than religion.
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation, Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
John is talking about the war we are facing now and how people view it and what the focus is all on. Revolution, social media, the United Nations, popular topic at the time. His main course is saying all he wants is for people to step back for a moment and get a different outlook.
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna Hare Hare Krishna All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
He begins to name off the more poplar artist that are like him and protest peace. He claims they are like him and want peace too, not war.
Machine Gun – Jimmy Hendrix
ReplyDelete"Happy new year first of all. I hope we'll have
A million or two million more of them... if we
Can get over this summer, he he he. right I'd
Like to dedicate this one to the draggin' scene
That's goin' on all the soldiers that are fightin'
In chicago, milwaukee and new york... oh yeas, and
All the soldiers fightin' in vietnam. like to do
A thing called 'machine gun'."
(The people from the US going over seas to Vietnam)
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
(guns killing people)
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we're only families apart
(Like our civil war, everyone who is a native of either Vietnams were somewhat close)
Well I pick up my axe and fight lik a bomber
you know what I mean
Hey and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
Yeah but you still blast me down to the ground
(they (south) try and fight back but are not very successful)
The same way you shoot me down baby
You'll be going just the same
Three times the pain
And your own self to blame
Hey machine gun
Oooooooooo
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain't afraid no more
After a while your your cheap talk don't ever cause me pain
So let your bullets fly like rain
(The war had had many types of warfare, and the bullets came like rain)
'cause I know all the time you're wrong baby
And you'll be goin' just the same
Yeah machine gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah yeah alright
Tearing my family apart
(the people from here in the US shouldn’t being dying over there, so its like taking family members and messing everything up)
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no no
(like kicking the enemy while there down)
Yeah that's what we don't wanna hear any more, alright
No bullets
At least here, huh huh
No guns, no bombs
Huh huh
No nothin', just let's all live and live
You know instead of killin'
(asking for peace among everyone so family has to pay any price)
I agree with your connections.
DeleteImagine- John Lennon
ReplyDelete“Imagine there’s no heaven”- He is saying that the war is so brutal and there is so much death that it is basically hell on earth.
“It’s easy if you try”- He is saying that with all the pictures, videos, and knowledge of what is happening, it’s easy to imagine how terrible the war was.
“Imagine all the people, Living for today”- He is saying to imagine all the Vietnamese and the soldiers that are over fighting in Vietnam. That they probably won’t live to see tomorrow.
“Imagine there’s no countries”- Imagine that everyone is united and that there are no boundaries.
“Nothing to kill or die for”- If there are no countries and everyone is united, then there is no reason to fight and go to war.
“And no religion too”- People fight over religion so it’s best if there was none.
“Living life in peace”- Everyone should just become united and not fight. The world is at peace.
“You may say I’m a dreamer”- He dreams of world peace and an end to the war.
“But I’m not the only one”- There are many others. There are a lot of people who want peace throughout the world.
“I hope someday you’ll join us”- He hopes that someday everyone will believe in peace and an end to the war.
“And the world will be as one”- Everyone will live in peace and there will be no more wars.
“Imagine no possessions”- No one owns a certain county/piece of land. Everything is open and equal.
“No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man”- If there are no possessions, then no one will need any thing and since everyone is united and at peace, then no one will need to be greedy.
I've heard this song before and I never realized it related to Vietnam. A lot of the lines do connect, but I'm not sure how religion interfered because it didn't really contribute to the conflicts of this war. Or maybe it did, but wasn't as common. But this is a good song and you explained it very well!
DeleteWhat's Going On by Marvin Gaye
ReplyDelete"Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying" - this is saying there is too many soldiers dieing and that hes tired of seeing mothers crying over their children.
"Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see" - this is saying use peace instead of being violent to people and just communicate with them.
"Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer" - this is saying to use peace again and that war wouldnt be the answer.
War Pigs by Black Sabbath
ReplyDelete“In the fields the bodies burring as the war machine keep turning”
I think this is talking about how the bombs that were dropped kept burring the bodies but the people fighting don’t seem to bother because they keep fighting.
“Death and Hatred to mankind poisoning there brainwashed minds.”
Here they are talking about the United States dropping the bomb on Vietnam, since they are communist we think they are brain washed.
“Politicians hid themselves away, they only started the way, why should they go out to fight they leave that role for the poor”
Talking about how the government are the ones who declare war but they aren’t the ones who have to fight or risk there life’s, out on the battle field, that they leave that for the poor people. Which is true, why don’t the politicians go out and fight if they think the war is really worth it,
“Goodbye Saigon” by Billy Joel
ReplyDelete“We met as soul mates, on Parris Island, we left as inmates, from an asylum, and we were sharp, sharp as knives” the friendships formed on how someone meets before Vietnam and they are drafted. “As numbered corpses and we learned fast,” the song describes the hardships and what happened in Vietnam and how they learned that death was most likely the outcome of being in Vietnam.
“We held the coastline, they held the highlands, and they were sharp, as sharp as knives,” the song tells us how the American Society rejected the veterans when they came back.
The song has a deep meaning when Billy sings, “we were so gung ho to lay down our lives” referring to that they were going out to defend and possibly lose their lives for the country.
“Paint it Black” is a song by The Rolling Stones with an anti-communism back meaning, even though it was also about a man whose lover died. Red represented communism and at the beginning of the song it said, “I see a red door and I want it painted black”. When it means is that when someone sees anything red they usually think of communism. Communism was one of the biggest worries at the time so America didn’t want anything to do with it, so the red door had to be replaced or a different color. The line “it’s not easy facing up when your whole world is black” talks about how dark the world is now that they’re in war and how hard it is to live, forget, or be away from the war. It also describes the depression soldiers went through while they were in war and how they felt. Tour of Duty and Full Metal Jacket used the song in the ending credits or beginning theme, which is another reason why the song was thought to be about the Vietnam War.
ReplyDeleteStill In Saigon--Charlie Daniels
ReplyDelete"I could have gone to Canada
Or I could have stayed in school
But I was brought up differently
I couldn't break the rules"
—There were many ways to avoid going into the war,
but he was taught to do what’s right.
"No place to run to
Where I did not feel that war
When I got home I stayed alone
And checked behind each door"
—He couldn’t hide from what he’d witnessed
Even back at home he was still on edge
"Cuz I'm still in Saigon
Still in Saigon
I am still in Saigon
In my mind"
—He still remembers what it was like in Saigon.
He cant forget the war.
"My younger brother calls me a killer
And my daddy calls me a vet"
—His brother thinks he did something bad,
but his dad thinks he did something great.
"Everybody says I'm someone else
And I'm sick and there's no cure
Damned if I know who I am
There was only one place I was sure"
—Going to war changed the way he is
He's scarred by what he experienced and nothing can change that.
He doesn't know who he is anymore,
The only thing he was sure of was the war
"All the sounds of long ago
Will be forever in my head
Mingled with the wounded cries
And the silence of the dead"
—He can’t forget what happened back in Vietnam,
He still hears the sounds of war.
He hears his fellow soldiers crying in pain.
The silence afterwards when they were dead still haunts him.
Overall, this song describes what is was like for this Vietnam vet after he went back home. He suffered from PTSD after the war and it haunted him for years. After the war, he wasn't the same because he couldn't forget the horrible things he witnessed in Vietnam.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no
ReplyDeleteHe isn’t fortunate because he was probably drafted for the war.
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Some people want to go fight in the war but he isn’t one of those people and you know that when you hear the lyrics-
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! Yoh
I think this is saying how the president wanted to win the war by any means necessary so the commanders and such always wanted more from their men.
Honors US History: Disposable Heroes by Metallica
ReplyDeleteBrianna Kruse
“Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end.” I see this as dead bodies everywhere so basically there was to many bodies to put them anywhere.
“No one to play soldier…” Basically citizens think it’s pointless and they sent so many soldiers out and they died.
“Running blind through killing fields…” I am thinking of agent orange and napalm in the jungle that had blinded them and can kill them.
“Bred to kill..” I am thinking about the baby boom so more people can be drafted.
“Barking of machinegun fire..” The sound of the bullet going out of the gun.
“More a man, more stripes you wear…” More freedom you get.
Blowing in the wind- Bob Dylan
ReplyDelete"Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?"
How long are we going to allow being bombed before someone says enough
"Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free"
How long do they have to stay in war? How long do they have to fight for us before they can finally come home? When will it be over?
"Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?"
How many people have to die for our country before we say its enough and its not worth it.
Travlin’ Soldier—The Dixie Chicks
ReplyDelete1 Two days past eighteen: This explains how men were drafted in the selective service at age 18. Saying he was only two days older than 18 shows how desperately our military needed more soldiers to go fight in the Vietnam war since our men were dying rapidly.
2 He was waiting for the bus in his army green: He was waiting to be picked up and shipped off to fight against North Vietnam and the Vietcong.
3 Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
4 Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
5 He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
6 And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
7 And talking to me,
8 I'm feeling a little low: He was depressed that he had to go fight since most soldiers only lasted a very short time before suffering death. Many soldiers (typically war vets) suffered from depression and other mental instabilities due to the traumatic experiences of war.
9 She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
10 So they went down and they sat on the pier
11 He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
12 I got no one to send a letter to: Soldiers sometimes sent letters back to America while on duty so that they could keep in touch, and for a little enjoyment while receiving support.
13 Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
14 Chorus: I cried
15 Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
16 Too young for him they told her
17 Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
18 Our love will never end
19 Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
20 Never more to be alone when the letter said
21 A soldier's coming home
Summary of Chorus: The girl is heartbroken waiting for her lover to return. She constantly worries for his safety.
22 So the letters came from an army camp: (See description of line 12) men on duty send letters to loved ones.
23 In California then Vietnam: He started training in California and preparing for the trip to Vietnam. Then, the letters came from Vietnam meaning he was fighting.
24 And he told her of his heart
25 It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of: He was horrified of dying in war, yet he is still alive. This line may even suggest that he finds pride in defending his country.
26 He said when it's getting kinda rough over here: They go through spells of horrific, terrible war. Then it settles down a little. This describes a rough spell in close combat.
27 I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
28 And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
29 Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile: He is heading for even more dangerous warfare, so he can’t waste time writing. The environment he’s going to is extremely deadly. They might have been using Agent Orange or Napalm to attack.
30 One Friday night at a football game
31 The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
32 A man said folks would you bow your heads
33 For a list of local Vietnam dead: They read off who all had died in the Vietnam war who were from that area so that people could know if their loved ones were still alive or not.
34 Crying all alone under the stands
35 Was a piccolo player in the marching band
36 And one name read but nobody really cared
37 But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair: Her lover died in the Vietnam war. He was young, only 18. Though he had fought diligently and loved her, the truth is that many people died fighting for America in that war against the Vietcong in South Vietnam along with communists from North Vietnam.
Katie, great effort in analyzing this song! I appreciate your attention to song detail!
DeleteOhio by Neil Young
ReplyDelete“What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground.” This is saying that if you found someone you knew who was killed in the shooting, what would your reaction be? Who would you blame?
“Gotta get down to it, soldiers are gunning us down.” Meaning we need to take action because we’re getting attacked. We can’t just sit and wait to die, we have to do something about the problems and conflicts we are faced with.
“Should’ve been done long ago.”
The issue should have been taken care of a long time ago, many people could have been saved but we didn’t take action quick enough. We were scared and didn’t want to face the consequences.
Rooster, Alice In Chains Song Analysis
ReplyDeleteIn the opening of the video, the intro starts with flashes between interviews with (what I would guess are) Vietnam soldiers and different scenes from the war. This shows the bad sides of the war, as one scene shows an American soldier holding a pistol up to a child’s head.
In the first verse of the song, you hear “The bullets scream at me from nowhere.” This tells how no one could tell whom the enemy was not in Vietnam, nor could they see the enemy shooting at them. There were many effects of the battles, and this was one of the first wars where P.T.S.D. (post traumatic stress disorder) was extremely prevalent.
The chorus starts with “Here they come to snuff the rooster.” The NVA called the American soldiers “roosters” because of the bald eagles on their shoulders.
The second and last verse includes the line “They spit on me in my homeland.” This would be about how the American public was very anti-war. When soldiers came home from the war, they would basically be treated horribly.
In all, this song is about what a soldier might go through during the time of the Vietnam War. This is also an anti-war song.
"Orange Crush" by R.E.M.
ReplyDelete1 (Follow me, don't follow me)
2 I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush
3 (Collar me, don't collar me)
5 (We are agents of the free)
6 I've had my fun and now it's time to serve your conscience overseas
7 (Over me, not over me)
8 Coming in fast, over me (oh, oh)
9 High on the booze
10 In a tent
11 Paved with blood
12 Nine inch howl
13 Brave the night
14 Chopper comin' in, you hope
15 We would circle and we'd circle and we'd circle
16 to stop and consider and centered on the pavement
17 stacked up all the trucks jacked up and our wheels
18 in slush and orange crush in pocket and all this here county,
19 hell, any county,
20 it's just like heaven here,
21 and I was remembering and I was just in a different county and all 22 then this whirlybird that I headed for I had my goggles pulled off;
23 I knew it all,
24 I knew every back road and every truck stop
1 A soldier would go in front of his troops, follow me is que to advance on his position and don’t follow me means to stop movement and observe.
2 Agent Orange affected many things in the Vietnam soldiers although they were told that it would have no affect on them, some children of the soldiers were born with Spina Bifida, and orange crush is referring to Agent Orange.
3 The deformation/spina bifida occcoring to the soldiers offspring made them sometimes have to wear collars/braces to help.
5 You could say the use of Agent as in agent orange representing them and the freedom they spread.
6 The young men have had their fun in the US and now its time to do their part overseas.
7 He wants the pilot to tdrop the Agent orange over him, as in further agead on the battlefield, instead of literally over his head.
8 The planes letting out the Agent Orange are flying quickly above him on the way to strike.
9 At night soldiers passed time by drinking, smoking, and gambling.
10-11 The tent they are sitting in is covered in blood most likely from a firefight earlier in the day.
12 The sounds of artillery firing, as when 9 inch artillery barrels fire, they are very loud, causing a constant howl.
13 The soldier is hoping to make it through the night because the Viet Cong set traps and ambushes.
14 He hopes the chopper is coming in to take him home because he doesn’t wanna fight anymore.
15 Walking in circles in the jungle because the American soldiers were unfamiliar with the environment and would get lost.
17 Many people don’t realize that a lot of a soldiers time is spent fixing vehicles, moving boxes, etc.
20 Vietnam was like heaven to many soldiers. Nice and sunny with beaches and nice scenery.
24 Had been in Vietnam so long that he knew every back road, short cut, or pathway.
I'm impressed with the effort you put into this. Good connections to Agent Orange. I like how you listed some of the diseases and deformities that resulted in the use of Agent Orange. Your song was kind of short, so you did a good job with finding the deeper meaning with what was given to you. Line 20 is kind of debatable.... I'm pretty sure most soldiers hated Vietnam.
DeleteI feel like you did a good job connecting with the song. Good job finding the true meaning within each line.
DeleteYou made really good connections and tied in what we have learned about the Vietnam War really well.
DeleteI agree with Kaite. Nice work.
Delete"Rooster" Alice in Chains
ReplyDelete"Ain't found a way to kill me yet"
- The US army hasn't found a way to kill communists.
"Army green was no safe bet"
- Fighting in the forest and jungle was something we weren't used to.
"The bullets scream to me from somewhere"
-Nobody knew where anyone was shooting from because they were hidden in the forests and jungles.
"Here they've come to snuff the rooster"
-The US army came to stop communism from spreading
"You know he ain't gonna die"
-We aren't going to win and communism is going to live on.
"They spit on me in my home land"
-America didn't support the vietnam war.
"Oh god please won't you help me make it through"
-Everyone was afraid that every breath they took would be their last.
Nice interpretations of the lyrics. What was the overall meaning of the song? What do you you think the lyricist was trying to portray?
DeleteGive Peace a Chance by John Lennon
ReplyDelete“All we are saying is give peace a chance”
I am connecting this to the war and government and how I think the American people were tired of fighting, they wanted they’re kids home. The American people just wanted “peace” and for no more war. I can easily see people protesting to the government with these words.
I like the song you have chosen, everyone wanted peace during the Vietnam war. Good song, and ties in good with what the public wanted.
DeleteYes! Did you do any research with this song? It is pretty LOUD what John Lennon was doing with his style of protest. You should check it out.
DeleteCommando by The Ramones
ReplyDelete"They do their best, they do what they can
They get them ready for vietnam"-The U.S. Military gives their troops(mostly drafted 18 year olds) a gun, teaches them how to use it, and destroys the jungle but still they barley know they're fighting or what they're fighting for.
"Third rule is, 'Don't talk to commies'"-The whole reason we got into the war was to destroy communism.
I think this song depicts what being a soldier in Vietnam is really like and does a really good job of showing the daily struggles of an average soldier for someone who doesn't know.
Your song was pretty short and didn't have much deeper meaning, good job stating the obvious facts. The shorter songs are the harder ones to work with in a way, but you succeeded in pulling out information, and reading between the lines.
DeleteGood job with the connections. It does sound pretty straight forward but you made some good points and elaborated well
DeleteImagine-John Lennon
ReplyDeleteMcKenzie Olson
1. Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try
2. No hell below us, above us only sky
3. Imagine all the people living for today
4. Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do
5. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too
6. Imagine all the people living in peace
7. You, you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one
8. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one
9. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can
10. No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man
11. Imagine all the people sharing all the world
***Then chorus repeats***
1. In lines 1-3 above Lennon is asking the listener to imagine the world without Hell and Heaven and to think of the people who have to live for today. The people that don’t get to live to go to heaven, they have to live for today knowing it very well may be their last.
2. Again, in lines 4-6 Lennon is asking to imagine a world without countries, religion and is asking us to just love one another.
3. In line 7, Lennon is just stating that he is not the only one to dream these things even though the Vietnam War was a sensitive topic to everyone.
4. In line 8 Lennon is saying that he is hoping including everyone who is against how he believes will come together as one in the world.
5. In line 9 Lennon is saying imagine living with the things you love the most like phones, money, family or anything like that because that is what all the soldiers had to do, just get up and leave.
6. In lines 10-11 Lennon is just re-stating his belief on how he feels the world should come together as one.
Really good connections to the song!
DeleteGreat connections. What do you think the overall meaning was? What effect did this have on the American people who listened to it?
DeleteGood job! I really like the layout of how you chose to go about the assignment, very neat and organized. Also, good connections to the song.
ReplyDeleteThe Ballad of the Green Beret –
ReplyDeleteLyrics -
Fighting soldiers from the sky - they jumped out of airplanes, etc.
Fearless men who jump and die – Had 15 minutes after drop off to live
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret – America’s elite Special Forces team
Trained to live off nature's land – Trained to find food and shelter during the war
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand - Could fight even without a gun, probably in the underground system
Men who fight by night and day -They fought all the time
Courage peak from the Green Berets
Silver wings upon their chest – Like a special certification for being the best
These are men, America's best - America’s special forces
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret
Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed – he died because of the bad guys
Leaving his last request – His last words
Put silver wings on my son's chest - make his son a Green Beret
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day – His son will join the army
Have him win the Green Beret.
The Green Berets are the United States Armies Special Forces.
The Ballad was one of the only pro-war songs during the time period. I don't think it had much affect because there was so many anti-war songs and all the protests.
Natalie Greenig
Delete
ReplyDeleteI think that Satan is a reference to the American Government, and that the devil is the U.S. Presidents. The thunder and smoke is a reference to the American bombings and napalm strikes. I think that in the song the band is trying to ask why we are in this war, and show us all of the bad that’s coming out of it.
“They told me don't go walking slow
The devil's on the loose” – Devil = American Government
“Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries ’take aim’ " – referring to the president sending troops to Vietnam.
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke
Let the people know my wisdom
Fill the land with smoke” – may be referring to the battle of Khe Sanh, in which more than 24,000 tactical and 2700 B-52 strike dropped 110,000 tons of ordnance in attacks that averaged over 300 stories per day
I thought this was a well written post. You have a great statistic that definitely goes with that lyric.
DeleteWhat was your song title and artist? I missed that somewhere.
DeleteThanks!
For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield
ReplyDeleteThis song is a well-known protest song against the war. The chorus, “I think it’s time we stop. Children, what’s that sound? Everybody look- what’s going down,” definitely proves that. They just wanted the war to be finished. The line, “Young people speaking their minds, Getting so much resistance from behind,” is kind of what we’ve been talking about in that people in college have began to protest and violence has started to be a problem. “Paranoia strikes deep, Into you life it will creep.” This line makes me think of all the emotional damage it has done to the people. The length of the war and then the “shoot anything that moves” aspect adds on to the issues of the veterans.
The overall meaning is the people of the U.S. want the war to stop. The war still going on is causing the U.S. to go crazy and it is not a good idea to keep going if nothing good is coming from it. Once the war stops, there will be less conflict between people and everything will go back to normal. There will be fewer lives lossed on the U.S. side and Vietnam will fight their own battles.
What We're Fighting For
ReplyDeleteThis song is anti-war because there is a line in it that says "there is not a soldier in this foreign land, who likes this war". This may help the American people understand part of the reason why America was fighting in the war.
"My dearest mama, they just gave us time to write"
He is writing a letter to his mom and he his telling her that they gave them some to write. Soldiers got to write back home while they were fighting.
"I miss you and there's something on my mind."
He misses his mom and he has something on his mind. Many soldiers missed loved ones back home.
"At mail call, I received your letter."
He received her letter at mail call. Loved ones were able to send letters to those fighting.
"But I don't understand the things you say."
He doesn't understand what his mom is saying. The soldiers had no idea what was going on back home.
"You tell me there are people marching in our streets."
He is confused at why people are marching in their streets. He didn't know about the protests back home.
"The signs they carry say that we don't fight for peace."
He is confused why the signs say what they say. Again because he didn't know about the protests back home.
"There's not a soldier in this foreign land, who likes this war."
There is no soldier that likes the war. No soldier or American really likes the war.
"Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for."
He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for.
"Tell them that we're fighting for the old red, white, and blue."
He wanted his mom to tell people that they are fighting for America. The soldiers were fighting for America even if they didn't want to be over there fighting.
"Did they forget Pearl Harbor and Korea too."
He wonders if the Americans forgot about Pearl Harbor and Korea. The way the Americans are acting some wondered if they forgot about Pearl Harbor and Korea and why they fought those wars.
"Another flag must never fly above our nation's door."
He saying that another country may never take over the US. The soldiers didn't want another country to think badly about them and think they can take over the US so that is another reason they are fighting the war.
"Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for."
He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for.
"From Maine to California, there are many noble men."
The US has noble men all across the country. Men from all over the US fought in the war. Especially because of the draft.
"Who know the price of war and pray, we'd never fight again."
They know the price of war and they pray that they never have to fight again. The soldiers knew the price of the war and they would hope and pray that they never have to fight in a war again.
"But the world must learn, that we will protect our shore."
He thinks that the world needs to learn that the US will fight to protect their country, people, and what they believe in. The US fought this war to fight for what they believe in. They wanted to stop the spread of communism.
repeated 3 times: "Oh mama, tell them what we're fighting for."
He wants his mom to tell people back home what they are fighting for. The soldiers didn't want to be hated when they got back they wanted people to understand what they were fighting for.
Great job! I like your attention to detail in the song. What do you think the overall meaning of this song was?
DeleteEve of destruction was a anti war song because When he says
ReplyDelete"You are old enough for killing but not for voting."
This means young teenagers were going into the war to fight and couldn't even vote still. Which mad a lot of people angry and made people protest. Getting young teens in the war mad a lot of people go against the war and hate the government.
I agree with what you took out of the song and analyzed because that statement is true. So people that are not old enough to vote should not be old enough to be drafted and be put into a war.
DeleteGreat point! That was something that a lot of protesters really held on to when protesting the draft. What else could have been pulled from this song???
Delete
ReplyDelete"Born In The U.S.A."
Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
1,728,344 soldiers were drafted
2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam
981,574 soldier in the war were volunteers
Last man drafted June 30, 1973
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man
58,209 soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "son don't you understand now"
Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
17,539 married men were killed
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.
This song sounds patriotic but it really isn't. It was produced in the mid. 80s and it talks about the whole war.
How did you come to this conclusion? Explain what is not obvious with this song.
DeleteOrange Crush -
ReplyDelete"I've got my spine I've got my Orange Crush"
He's gathered his courage and is armed with Agent Orange.
"I've had my fun and now it's time to serve your conscience overseas"
I've had fun but now I have to serve my country
"Follow me, Don't follow me"
He's the leader of the group, walking in front of the others to let them know if it's safe to tread across that ground.
"We are agents of the free"
The soldiers are the people fighting for freedom and liberty
"Chopper comin' in you hope"
You hope that the helicopter is coming to take you out of the jungle because you don't want to fight anymore.
I think this song is pro-war because it talks of the soldiers like they're heroes, and are doing the most honorable thing that an American can do.
The overall meaning of this song “ Orange Crush” by REM is to look into a soldiers point of view when Agent Orange was dropped down. Soldiers did not want to fight anymore, because the chemical was strong. People were told that it would not effect them in anyway, but when they were sent home they couldn’t even have a family anymore, or cancer would form in their bodies. I personally think this song is so that people can know how soliders and families were effected due to agent orange.
ReplyDelete“Follow me, don't follow me”
- he is using a cue that was used in the war to tell when the soldiers should follow each other or not.
“I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush”
- as in I got my strength, that I’m okay and that this chemical has not affected me at all that I can go home to my family and everything will be ok.
“Chopper comin' in, you hope”
- soliders are wishing for a helicopter to take them home because they do not want to fight this war anymore.
Songs
ReplyDeleteUs and Them Pink Floyd
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do
-Talking about how people don’t want to go to war but they don’t have a choice because they were drafted
Forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died
-As the troops moved forward the front men died first and fast
And the General sat, as the lines on the map moved from side to side
-Thinking about his next move, but as he is looking at his map he is over stressed thinking of his troops and the lines seem to move back and forth as if they knew who was in control of what land where. The lines could also move because of the shake from an exploding bomb
And who knows which is which and who is who
-As a solider you never knew who was on your side especially when walking through the trees and such so you were always on the look and shot on sight even if you thought they were on your side
And I've got things on my mind for want of the price of tea and a slice
-All the man wants to do is go home and eat a nice meal paying for anything would be better that what he was experiencing
The overall meaning of this song seems to be that Its not the mans choice to go to war and when her gets there its very hard on him, not knowing who is friend and who is foe is very hard on the man and after all he has been through he never comes home.
We'll meet again,
ReplyDeleteDon't know where,don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.
Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.
So will you please say hello,
To the folks that I know,
Tell them I won't be long, (i wont be long)
They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go
I was singing this song.
We'll meet again,
Don't know where,don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.
We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.
Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.
this song is trying to get people to feel more comfortable about letting there family members joining the military and going to war. its telling them that they'll see them again some where someday. its giving the families of soldiers hope
Stuck in Saigon - Charlie Daniels
ReplyDelete"I walked into a different world
The past forever gone" Vietnam was way different than America, he couldnt go back to the past. He was stuck there.
"I could have gone to Canada
Or I could have stayed in school
But I was brought up differently
I couldn't break the rules" Hes talking about ways he could have ditched the draft, but he couldnt do it.
"No place to run to
Where I did not feel that war
When I got home I stayed alone
And checked behind each door" There were bombs and shootings everywhere, he felt it all. When he went home, he thought there were people everywhere so he had to check.
"I smell the jungle, I hear the planes
I can't tell no one, I feel ashamed" He cant tell anyone because it was a horrible thing.
This was an Anti-war because he talks about how its stuck in his head and he cant get out. This would change Americas opinion because they see how it effects the soldiers minds and everyday life even after the war.