Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon lyrics

Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon lyrics

We met as soul-mates
On Parris Island
We left as inmates
From an asylum.
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives.

We came in spastic
Like tame-less horses
We left in plastic
As numbered corpses
And we learned fast
To travel light
Our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight

We had no home-front
We had no soft soap
They sent us Playboy
They gave us Bob Hope
We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might

We had no cameras
To shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe
And played our Doors tapes
And it was dark...
So dark at night
And we held on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write

[Chorus:]
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

Remember Charlie?
Remember Baker?
They left their childhood
On every acre
And who was wrong?
And who was right?
It didn't matter in the thick of the fight...

We, held the day,...
In the palm of our hands
They, ruled the night
And the night, seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island
We held the coastline
They held the highland
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of the motors
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive

(Repeat chorus)

Lyrics taken from /lyrics/b/billy_joel/goodnight_saigon.html

Songwriters: Billy Joel

Goodnight Saigon lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group

Corrected by welikeus

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+ 7
Unregistered 2016-02-18 23:27:52

I really like this song. My grandfather was in the war but he died about a year ago. I really loved him. Sharp as knives means that they had to quick in action. We will all go down together means that we will help the fallen. Nam was a really bad place to be.

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Unregistered 2012-08-29 20:09:27

The real tragedy is that too many focus on the loss of life instead of the value of the freedom it purchased, and that our men and women in uniform continue to purchase with their blood. The travesty is that men went to war idealistic and willing to give their lives for their countrymen, but their countrymen treated them as war criminals on their return. "a man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. " -john stuart mill - all these guys, living and dead, are heroes.

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+ 6
Unregistered 2012-08-20 13:33:16

All that I think of is the absolute futility and tragegy of war. This song has made a profound impression on me. We have to learn to speak to one-another and avoid senseless and meaningless combat that robs people of the world of their loved ones, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, lovers, children.
I still think that john lennon had a good idea when he wrote "imagine" ~ (although way before its' time - it speaks so much sense about tolerance).

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Unregistered 2012-08-14 13:47:27

"remember charlie... " my uncle, larry (charles laurence callahan iii, "chuck" to his friends in 1st cav) went down with his copilot and 2 door gunners after dropping off relief supplies to an isolated platoon. Their huey took a shot in the tail rotor and lost control on lift off. The pilots struggled the huey away from the troops on the ground before it dug itself into the ground. The infantry fought their way to the wreck, but only one man survived, and died before the medivac helo could make it. "charlie", or "chuck" left a wife and unborn daughter behind. So this song is personal.

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+ 5
Unregistered 2016-08-18 14:17:40

Billy Joel knows his history. The song captures the brotherhood of men fighting for the man next to him in the foxhole and shows that soldiers or marines can become "gung-ho to lay down their lives." My wife used this song to illustrate literary elements to her high school English students.

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Unregistered 2016-03-16 23:12:42

The lyrics of this song is a sad reminder of the thousands of brave young men & women in WW II, Korea, Vietnam & the Middle East Wars, who were & still are willing to lay down their lives, so that we can continue to live in this great nation of ours. We are fortunate to have those willing to sacrifice their lives in the defense of freedom. With all of it's warts, & problems there is no greater example of freedom than the USA. I know it's been said many times "but freedom is not free". There is always a cost, usually in blood & treasure. My personal thanks to all who have given all. Tom Spac.

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Unregistered 2012-07-18 21:11:25

The song was about marines, not soldiers. Parris island (island surrounded by swamp) is one of only two mcrd's (marine corps recruit depot, I. E. Boot camp) we have. I'm glad to have been at san diego. There is a special bond between marines that usually doesn't exist in the other branches and continues even as we get old and grey. Spastic and sharp as knives describes new recruits pretty well. Semper fi.

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