Lyrics
Sailing over to Vietnam
Southeast Asia, Birmingham
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
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 the house boy"
When they ring the gong
Watch out for the Vietcong
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've forgot we're only trainees
Them commies never fight fair
The very next day we trained some more
We burned some villages down to the floor
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
Walked through the jungle around the bend
Who should I meet but the ghost of President Diem
He said, "You're fighting to keep Vietnam free
For good old Diem-ocracy"
That means rule by one family and 15,000 American troops
Give or take a few thousand
He said, "I was a fine old Christian man
Ruling this backward Buddhist land
Well, it ain't much, but what the heck,
Sure beats hell out of Chiang Kai Chek
I'm the power elite
Me and the Seventh Fleet"
He said, "Meet my sister, Madame Nhu
The sweetheart of Dienbienphu
Meet my brothers, meet my aunts
We're the government that doesn't take a chance
Families that slay together
Stay together"
He said, "If you want to stay well, you have to pay
Over a million dollars a day
But it's worth it all, now don't you see?
If you lose the country -- you still have me
Me and Sygman Rhee, Chiang Kai Chek, Madame Nhu
Like I said on Meet the Press: I regret that I have but one country to give for my life"
Now old Diem is gone and dead
All the new leaders are anti-Red
They're pro-American freedom sensations
Against Red China in the United Nations
And now all the news commentators and the CIA are sayin'
Thank God for coincidence
Notes
(C) Copyright 1963, 1964 by Appleseed Music Inc.