SanDiegoPaul

Do ya think we are feeling something new? It goes down the ages. Here are lyrics to songs that were about when I was of draft age: (2 songs)

Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire

The eastern world, it is explodin’.
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’

But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
Take a look around you boy
It’s bound to scare you boy

And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
You can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’

And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drum, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say prayers

And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Note: For those of you who are too young to know.
During the Viet Nam Conflict, 18 year olds were not
allowed to vote. But they could be drafted to go
fight for their country. Many felt (including me)
that this wasn't fair. They were not allowed to
vote for the members of Congress who were sending
them off to die? This is the reason for the one line
in the song referencing they can't vote but they can die.
So Barry McGuire inserted his political statement in this song.
----------
Green Berets (Who sung this one?)

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret
CHORUS: Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret
Trained to live off nature’s land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

Repeat the CHORUS
Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request
“Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret”

------------

No War is not a new problem nor are the feelings we have now new. In the 60s we sang songs like this to PROTEST war. Now the stakes are different. I WANT IT! We are fighting a noble fight, folks. If Saddam can't stand the heat he needs to leave the kitchen.

/OFF RANT
Paul in San Diego

Rolling Thunder

Staff Sgt Barry Sadler


------------
Dave
:flag

SanDiegoPaul

Whoda thunk?? Two BARRY's ???? :nopity

JB

Gee, Dave, why don't you just stand up and holler "I'm old"!! :D I'm betting no one under the age of 50 would know that!

JB

VetteNut72

Remember this one?

Come on all you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Viet Nam
So put down your books and pick up your gun
We're gonna have a whole lot of fun

<chorus>
For it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for
Don't ask me I don't give a damn
Next stop is Viet Nam
And it's five, six, seven, open them pearly gates
Oh I don't have time to wonder why
Whoopie we're all gonna die

"Country Joe and the Fish" - Woodstock




[Modified by VetteNut72, 8:57 AM 2/21/2003]

Rolling Thunder

JB - Man don't I know it. (now where is the smilie with the old dude and a cane?) :lol: I remember singing that song every morning as a running cadance at Camp McCall during SF Training. That was nearly 35 years ago. :eek:

Dave

Shark Racer

I knew about Barry Sandler... I have MP3 on my computer.

-Steve

Clink69

I did and I'm NOT.... :lol: I also have that 45 :crazy: think I can sell it on Ebay for $100 ?? :lol:

randy72

31 and I knew all three (though I thought the last was Arlo Guthrie??)

vettfixr

I don't know whether to laugh :lol: or cry :cry . I was a youngster when those songs came out. i think I'm slowly petrifying. :eek:

SanDiegoPaul

I don't know whether to laugh or cry . I was a youngster

yea me too ... but man am I feeling this one! I had friends that never came back from Nam. My own brother went over there for a couple of tours and never told the folks because he didn't wanna worry them. THey thought he was in Germany.

Back then it was about Communism. Now it is about a terror-wielding murderer - and it's not only about what HE has done, but that he has given his own son free reign to rape and pillage as he feels. There is no stopping Saddam's son short of a couple of bullets into his pee brain. He is a product of his father and his environment.

They both need to die. And in short order too.

zwede

I'm 32 and knew all the songs. I hope we have learned fro the past and do not repeat our mistakes, but I have a feeling many @ the pentagon have not. Don't get me wrong, Saddam is a monster and deserves to die, but this has the potential of creating much nastiness.

I just hope this part of history won't repeat:

Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it.
Soldiers are cutting us down.
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.

Gotta get down to it.
Soldiers are cutting us down.
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.

[Crosby stills and nash - Four dead in Ohio] Soldiers were used for stopping anti war protest.

joe73vette

I may be older, but I still believe that war isn't the answer. (Neither is duct tape)... Joe
PS I hope this conflict inspires another generation of musicians to write protest songs. The current commercial fluff is just too saccharine for me.

he who doesn't study history is bound to repeat it

Rolling Thunder

I was a soldier not a politician. I was active duty regular Army when Kent State went down. It was not the Army, but rather the National Guard that was used to stop the protestors. They were sent in by the Governor of Ohio, not the pentagon. The entire incident was insane and regretable with plenty of fault going to both sides. It is not the pentagon's lesson to learn, but rather for the politicians and the citizens.

Kent State was a bad deal.... and Nam was a bad deal and I've got enough scars to say that with or without attitude. What made it a bad deal was that the hippie drug culture, played to by liberals in politcal power and leftist wanna be's like Jane Fonda subverted to ability of the military to conduct war. The real slap in the face or knife in the back to the "Soldiers", came from spoiled brats in my generation who didn't have the slightest idea what patriotism is. Many (Bill Clinton comes to mind) who said "hell no, we won't go" did so not out of conviction, but out of cowardous.

When combat starts, the only demonstrations I can stomach are the ones of support and gratitude for those who put their lives between us and those who threaten to destroy us.

Just my .02
Dave
:flag

BlueL36

"Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag" was the title. Here's the rest:

Come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one that's dead
You know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

[Chorus]

Come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
Supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

[Chorus]

Come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send your sons off before it's too late.
You can be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

Mack

Man... If you can remember the sixties.... You weren't there. :p: :lolg:

1979toy

:lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :thumbs:

Denmech

I don't know how people think.....Do they really consider the facts? It's bad enough Iraq may have chemical and biological weapons to use on it's neighbors and our troops, but do we really want to wait for them to become nuclear capable?

Rolling Thunder, while I was not of age during the Viet Nam war, I have worked with Vets and I will tell you the deepest scars they bear were caused by what they had to go through when they returned to this country...It was and is still not right!

Marc80

Well Said Dave.
:flag

joe73vette

here's how I think: ever notice that sadam isn't sharing his weapons with anyone and our troops are only in danger when they are on his soil? what about going after the 9/11 people, or did that become too hard? what about korea? they have nukes and aren't shy about waving them about. sadam isn't a danger to anyone except his own people, sort of like the former romainan dictator. He hates bin Laden and everyone else in the mideast. Dubya only wants an easy target so he can get reelected. Make sense? Joe


[Modified by joe73vette, 10:36 PM 2/21/2003]