The people of Vietnam regained independence and broke away from China in AD 938 after their victory at the battle of Bạch Đằng River. Successive dynasties flourished along with geographic and political expansion deeper into Southeast Asia, until it was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th century, leaving a nation divided politically into two countries. Fighting between the two sides continued during the Vietnam War, ending with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.
Emerging from this prolonged military engagement, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. The government’s centrally planned economic decisions hindered post-war reconstruction and its treatment of the losing side engendered more resentment than reconciliation. In 1986, it instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth had been among the highest in the world in the past decade. These efforts culminated in Vietnam joining the World Trade Organization in 2007 and its successful bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2008.
Goodnight Saigon
Billy Joel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 tameless 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 homefront
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 onto each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
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
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together
The lyrics of Billy Joel's song "Goodnight Saigon" are a poignant portrayal of the experiences that American soldiers went through during the Vietnam War. The song narrates the story of soldiers who meet as "soulmates" on Parris Island and then leave as "inmates" from an asylum.
As they head to war, they are "sharp as knives" and "gung ho" to lay down their lives for their country. But the reality of war soon hits them as they fight fiercely and lose friends in battle. They come in "spastic like tameless horses" and leave as "numbered corpses." However, they learn to "travel light" and survive the harsh conditions of war that leave them with heavy arms and tight bellies.
The soldiers had to leave their homes without any proper support as they had "no homefront" and "no soft soap." They were sent "Playboy" and given "Bob Hope" as a distraction from the war. But they still "dug in deep" and fought "on sight" while praying to Jesus with all their might. They had no way to capture the memories of the land they were in as they had "no cameras" and resorted to smoking hash pipes and listening to music.
The song concludes with the soldiers reminiscing about the friends they have lost as they wait for rescue. Together, they promised their mothers that they would write, but they knew that they "would all go down together." The story is a reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers during wartime and serves as a tribute to those who lost their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
We met as soulmates
On Parris Island
We first came together as kindred spirits on Parris Island
We left as inmates
From an asylum
After leaving, we felt trapped and unable to escape from our trauma
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives
We felt ready to face anything, even death, with the resolve of a sharp blade
We came in spastic
Like tameless horses
We left in plastic
As numbered corpses
We arrived frenzied and untamed, but departed in plastic bags, like mere statistics
And we learned fast
To travel light
Our arms were heavy
But our bellies were tight
We quickly became accustomed to carrying only the bare necessities, even burdened with heavy weapons
We had no homefront
We had no soft soap
They sent us playboy
They gave us bob hope
We lacked the comforts of home, and were offered trivial distractions like magazines and entertainers
We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ
With all of our might
We fought fiercely, with no mercy shown, and turned to faith to cope with the horrors of war
We had no cameras
To shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe
And played our Doors tapes
Unable to capture the beauty of the land, we instead chose to indulge in drugs and music for escape
And it was dark
So dark at night
And we held onto each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
Night was a constant shroud of darkness that only the support of our fellow soldiers gave us hope through; we made plans to write home to ease our mother's worries
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together
We stood together in our perilous situation, ready to face death united as brothers in arms
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 remembered and honored our fallen comrades, knowing that in the midst of chaos it didn't matter who was right or wrong
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
We controlled the day, but they dominated the dark, seemingly endless nights; on Parris Island, we fought along the coastline while they held the mountainous highlands
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
Our opponents were keen and vigilant, hearing every engine and counting each rotor blade, anticipating our impending arrival
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together
We remained steadfast in our loyalty to each other, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the common cause
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cv990a4
What angers me, hugely, is we had this example of what not to do in Vietnam. The waste of so many men's lives, not just the dead in Vietnam, not just the dead Vietnamese, but the wasted lives of vets when they came home, some broken in body, some broken in spirit, and the useless billions of dollars spent.
And then, guess what? Our idiotic leaders, having grown up with this example of what not to do, went and damn well did it again in Iraq and Afghanistan. And more men and women coming back broken, some in body, some in spirit, and billions of dollars spent.
Richard Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush. But then also, Barack Obama, Joseph Biden who did not have the guts to bring to an end what their predecessors started.
AND FOR WHAT?
You take the best of America, men and women willing to serve their country, and you throw their lives away.
@gabrielramirez9877
My grandfather was a Marine Vietnam veteran. He passed away June 8th 2014 to colon cancer. Every memorial day he would drive to the cemetery and place flags at the graves of fellow soldiers all while his car radio was blaring this song aswell as a few others. He never spoke of his service but his brothers and sisters often spoke about how he had changed from before Vietnam as opposed to after. His little brother often got into fights because people would throw things at my grandpa shouting that he was a baby killer. My grandpa never retaliated nor did he speak I'll of anyone. It wasnt until I was 16 that I realized my grandpa would drive us to fireworks displays for the fourth but always stayed in the car. When I was 17 I sat with him and I watched as he flinched with every explosion that sounded off. I watched as his knuckles creaked and grew white from how hard he clenched the steering wheel. He was the greatest man I ever knew simply because he took his grandkids to something he knew would trigger his PTSD , never complained nor gave excuses, and never let us know so it wouldn't ruin our experience. I hope to one day be 1/10th the man he was. I miss him every day
@oscarosullivan4513
Sorry to hear
@babsywoman4212
❤
@maxb4754
great story, really heartwarming. rest in peace to your grandfather.
@pammym190
I never understood the hatred to these fine young men!! I’m 56 and still don’t understand it!!
Good for your grandfather!! I’m sure he still loved America! And realized that not everyone felt that way.. but, I get it… may he rest in peace!!!❤️🤍💙🌷
@rollothecat2010
❤️
@ellisehackshaw
This song honours the soldiers not the war. It is beautifully written.
@kevinzhang3313
Exactly. There were dumbass reporters who actually called this "obscene" for not taking a political side.
@Killsnapz
This is the war I watched as a child on TV every morning while eating my breakfast during the late 60's and early 70's. It is so strange to see these guys that were just ten years older than me in most cases now appear as old men when I see them talking about the experiences. As a kid it was the WWII vets that were mostly in the 50' and 60 that I saw as old and wise. The Vietnam vets will always be those young guys in their mid 20's and early 30's maybe. I know a few Vietnam war vets and most have never talked about Vietnam. Some of which I have known for 40 years. Only my old coworker and friend Vaughn Webb ever talked to me about his experiences and how it shaped his life. He is gone now too. Alcoholism ended his life to soon.
@nickreek3597
@Cody Melvin haven't a Scoobie have you?🙈