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| Silverfiddle Rant! |
Goodnight Saigon has been playing in my head these past few weeks...
I first heard the song at the 123 Club at Ft Clayton, where I'd get drunk with the other young guys and then get in fights with them.
When the song came on, a huge mob of soldiers jumped up to the front, threw their arms around each other and belted out the chorus. That always stuck with me (I know, the song is about Marines, not soldiers, in Vietnam, way before our time, but I guess that didn't stop them from strongly identifying with the song). A year later, many of those young men would be taking down Noriega's forces in the invasion...
Every generation gets its turn...
Enjoy the long weekend!
Hands down the best Billy Joel song. After all these years, I still have the lyrics memorized. I can only say that about a small handful of songs.
ReplyDeleteGreat pick.
From the Wiki entry, Billy remarking: "It doesn't end until these guys are absorbed into the mainstream and we deal with our feelings about it."
The more things change, the more they stay the same.....as the saying goes......
"way before our time,"
ReplyDeleteYoungster.
:)
It was before our time, but perhaps not 'way.' I ain't no youngster anymore... The Panama invasion was over 30 years ago!
Delete3 Thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteGreat song. The chorus stands up the hair on the back of the neck of a man who served in diesel submarines. That "we would all go down together" was an ever present threat.
ReplyDeleteWe made several trips to take Marines on training missions, and I developed a deep admiration and fondness for them.
...meanwhile there are much bigger problem problems that the Authorities have long promised to "solve"(aka-ignore) which speaks volumes as to their "abilities".
ReplyDeleteA case in point.
ReplyDeleteIf you were hired to solve a problem would you guarantee your own unemployment?
ReplyDeleteThey don't have enough unfulfilled promises on their plates?
DeleteThe unemployment office is never hiring....
Delete...yet they all draw nice salaries.
DeleteIt takes less and less people to keeps the wheels of industry turning. The vast majority of the working population is totally redundant and drawing 'surplus' salaries.