Khe Sahn lyrics by Cold Chisel, 8 meanings. Khe Sahn explained, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Cold Chisel – Khe Sahn lyrics
I left my heart to the sappers 'round Khe Sahn
And I sold my soul with my cigarettes, to a black market man
I've had to Vietnam cold turkey, from the ocean to the silver city
And it's only other vets could understa-and
'Bout the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-day heroes in nineteen seventy-three
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour, I saw an old friend but I couldn't kiss her
And she was lined, and I was home to the lucky
land
She was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, until they'd found there chosen one
And their legs were often open but their minds were always
closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long paypackets lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
The carparks made me jumpy and I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine
So I worked across the country from end to end
I tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
I held a job on an oil-rig, a-flyin' choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend
And I've travelled round the world from year to year-ear-ear
And each one found me aimless, one more year the worse for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia, you know the answer sure ain't there
But I'm driftin' north to check things out agai-ai-ain

Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost go-one
And only seven flyin' hours, till I'll be landin' in Hong Kong
And there ain't nothin' like the kisses from a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night lo-ong
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone-aca
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Khe Sahn meanings Post my meaning

  • c
    + 45
    cletrac
    Words of Khe Sanh were never offensive. If you listen to the lyrics, it tells the story of the Vietnam War, and life after returning to Australia Reference to Silver City, in the lyrics, was the B Wing igloo accommadation barracks at Kapooka, nsw. Reference to "Last Plane Out of Sydney is almost gone". At midnight every wednesday night, was a Qantas 707, bound for Siagon, Vietnam, via Darwin and Singapore, with replacement troops for support units in Vietnam. How do I know. I did my recruit training at Kapooka, and lived in Silver City. Flew out of Sydney midnight, 23 August 1970, bound for Nui Dat, posted to 104 Sig Sqn, on that Qantas flight, sailed into Sydney Harbour aboard hmas Sydney, November 1971.
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  • U
    + 29
    Unregistered
    I think even more than that the song shares the writers disgust at the way the vietnam war vets were treated upon their return to australia. Best summed up in the line "there were no v-day heroes in 1973". It talks about how societies attitude had changed to war showing a lack of appreciation to what those men had done or tried to do (regardless of what ur particular attitude to war is) and how vets had to struggle with their own war experiences without the support of society, resorting to drugs and prositution to deal with the memories and loneliness.
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  • U
    + 13
    Unregistered
    To the person that posted on april 14th, geography not your strong suit? Khe sahn is in vietnam, close to the laos border. It was the scene of the battle of khe sahn between us marines and the peoples army of north vietnam. Despite it being a great song, hardly any aussies were actually there other than raaf who flew in support of the us. The song is about the vietnam war, nothing to do with jimmy going on a holiday to thailand, and was written and released not long after vietnam finished.
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  • U
    + 11
    Unregistered
    By kimberly darby:.
    To me, this song represents the trauma that the soldiers who fought in vietnam experienced. The message that the singer is trying to get across is that war is not spending a few months/years over in a different country and fighting for glory and peace it is simply a way to show how strong a country is by how many towns it can destroy, how many families can be destroyed and how many men are willing to sacrafice their lives in a world where no one can win.
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  • U
    + 7
    Unregistered
    Australia epitomised, wish I lived there. Be thankful for what you've got, great surf, great people, great climate and tooheys, what more could you ask for? The song is a classic australian anthem- a reminder of what can go wrong when the powers that be think they know what's best for a generation (a lesson that is still being ignored by numerous governments around the world). God bless cold chisel.
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  • U
    + 5
    Unregistered
    Hey there everyone, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your stories and perspective of it. Its really handy as in today's schooling as we are learning about this and I am currently learning about the music of it. I first didn't really understand the song but through what you guys have said its given me a new insight (I'm not from Aussie so I don't always understand some of the words and their meanings). So I want to thank you again for giving insight of this song to the public/world and the newer generations learning about the Vietnam War. God Bless x
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  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered
    @cletrac - if you mean offensive in the sense of sexual or drug explication, then it would be definitely deemed so. Just look at the last lines of the last verse: "and there ain't nothin' like the kisses from a jaded chinese princess.
    I'm gonna hit some hong kong mattress all night lo-ong". This is clearly allusion to prostitution, which was indeed a substantial part of many wars when the men went on leave.
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  • U
    - 40
    Unregistered
    This is about when jimmy barnes was planning to go on a holiday to thailand (to the city of khe sahn). He's really looking forward to going, but in the end he is running late to his plane ("the last plane out of sydney's almost gone") and in the end he misses out, and he never did make it to khe sahn. A song that is full of emotion and passion.
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    • c
      + 45
      cletrac
      Words of Khe Sanh were never offensive. If you listen to the lyrics, it tells the story of the... Read more →
    • U
      + 29
      Unregistered
      I think even more than that the song shares the writers disgust at the way the vietnam war vets... Read more →

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