USA's Song of the Day - The First Vietnamese War - The Black Angels

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It's been quite a bit since I've done one these. I will probably just do these whenever I feel like. Anyways! Today's song is "The First Vietnamese War" by the Black Angels.

The song starts off quite strong. The song begins off with muted guitar strums sounding like a guitar. Then, you can hear the marching of boots represented by a guitar and a drum, where it then breaks into song. A organ can be heard, making a repeating pattern. The drums are strong and angry.

"You gave a gift to me, at my young age.

You sent me overseas, and put the fear in me.

And I ask what for now?

Why me, why war?

I ask what for now?

Vietnam War?

...I spend my time there, by the shore!"

There's quite a few to unpack here.

I interpret these verses to be about, a kid being drafted to Vietnam. He's angry that he got drafted. He was given a gift, this gift being a draft notice. He's scared, and he's wondering before he's deployed. Why? Why me? Why war?

We'll get to the 'I spend my time there, by the shore' later.

"Oh, we got off that boat, Charlies everywhere.

A lotta killing and dying, and no one seems to care.

And I ask what for now?

We say hell no!

And I ask what for?

Why me, why war?

And I spend my time there, by the shore!"

Our kid is now in Vietnam. He gets off the boat, and he sees what Vietnam really is. Useless killing, and dying. Back home, no one cares. There, no one cares either. And so he ponders his questions again. He said hell no, protesting the draft... But he's still here? Why me? Why war?

Spending his time by the shore, I see it as his body, he never got off the beach. So he spends his time there, by the shore of Vietnam, as a corpse.

"Sixty-thousand men died

while you were here.

You came into our home, and you took our kid,

and you ask for more now?

For this new war?

And you ask more now?

Vietnam War?

I spend my time there, by the shore!"

About sixty-thousand men did die in Vietnam. It's one of the deadliest wars in American history. We're left to the parents, wondering why the government took their child? Why are they taking more kids? This new war? And so, the parents reflect on the shore of their homeland. They spend their time on the shore, like their kid's corpse.

A dark song, politically charged and anti-war, but it's a great song with meaning. I recommend you check out the whole album "Passover" by them.