Talking Vietnam Blues (LP版)

Talking Vietnam Blues (LP版) - Phil Ochs

Sailing over to vietnam

Southeast asian birmingham

Well training is the word we use

Nice word to have in case we lose

Training a million vietnamese

To fight for the wrong government and the american way

Well they put me in a barracks house

Just across the way from laos

They said you're pretty safe when the troops deploy

But don't turn your back on your house boy

When they ring the gong

Watch out for the viet-cong

Well the sergeant said it's time to train

So I climbed aboard my helicopter plane

We flew above the battle ground

A sniper tried to shoot us down

He must have forgotten we're only trainees

Them commies never fight fair

Friends the very next day we trained some more

We burned some villages down to the floor

Yes we burned out the jungles far and wide

Made sure those red apes had no place left to hide

Threw all the people in relocation camps

Under lock and key made damn sure they're free

Well I walked through the jungle and around the bend

Who should I meet but the ghost president diem

Said you're fighting to keep vietnam free

For good old democracy

That means rule by one family

And 15 000 american troops give or take a few

Thousand

American

Troops

He said I was a fine old christian man

Ruling this backward buddhist land

Well it ain't much but what the heck

It sure beats hell out of chiang kai-shek

I'm the power elite

Me and the 7th fleet

He said meet my sister madam nhu

The sweetheart of dien bien phu

He said meet my brothers meet my aunts

With the government that doesn't take a chance

Families that slay together

Stay together

Said if you want to stay you'll have to pay

Over a million dollars a day but it's worth it all don't you see

If you lose the country you'll still have me

Me and syngman rhee chiang kai-shek madam nhu

Like I said on 'meet the press'

I regret that I have but one country to give for my life

Well now old dien is gone and dead

All the new leaders are anti-red

Yes they're pro-american freedom sensations

Against red china the united nations

Now all the news commentators and the cia

Are saying thank god for coincidence