Their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, was released in 2004. This album produced four straight Top 40 country hits, including the number 11 "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", plus collaborations with Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, and Martina McBride. Comin' to Your City was released in November 2005 followed by another Top 20 single the Vietnam War-inspired "8th of November", and two more Top 40 hits. Joining the duo on this album were Cowboy Troy, Wilson, and Kris Kristofferson. Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, released in 2007, produced their only No. 1 single, "Lost in This Moment". Both before and during the duo's hiatus, Rich has worked as a producer and songwriter for several other artists.
After this album, both members went on hiatus and released solo albums in 2009 — Big Kenny's The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy and Rich's Son of a Preacher Man. These also produced the duo's first Top 40 solo entries — Big Kenny with "Long After I'm Gone" and Rich with "Shuttin' Detroit Down". In 2010, Big Kenny released his second solo country album, Big Kenny's Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show Mix Tape, Vol. 1 and in 2011, Rich released the extended plays For the Kids and Rich Rocks, the latter of which included the Top 40 country single "Country Done Come to Town". Big & Rich reunited in May 2011 to release "Fake ID", a cut from the soundtrack to the 2011 film Footloose. A year later, the duo released their fourth album, Hillbilly Jedi, which produced the Top 20 hit "That's Why I Pray. In July 2013, Rich announced that the duo had begun work on their fifth studio album, Gravity, which was released independently. Another independent album, Did it For the Party, was announced in 2017 for release in September, led by the single "California.
8th of November
Big & Rich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To fight for the red, white and blue
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do
He was dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble
With the smell of napalm in the air
And the sergeant said look up ahead
Like a dark evil cloud
Twelve-hundred came down on him and twenty-nine more
They fought for their lives but most of them died
In the one-seventythird Airborne
On the eighth of November the angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire raining down and the hell all around
There were few men left standing that day
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
1965, the eighth of November
Now he's fifty-eight and his pony tail's gray
But the battle still plays in his head
He limps when he walks but he's strong when he talks
About the Shrapnel they left in his leg
He puts on a gray suit over his Airborne tattoo
And he ties it on one time a year
And remembers the fallen as he orders a tall one
And swallows it down with his tears
On the eighth of November the angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire raining down and the hell all around
There were few men left standing that day
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
The eighth of November
The eighth of November (eighth of November)
Said goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota
To fight for the red, white, and blue
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do
The song "8th of November" by Big & Rich is a powerful tribute to the brave soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. The song tells the story of one soldier's experience in the war, from leaving his home in South Dakota, to fighting in the jungle, to surviving a brutal battle on November 8th. The soldier is now an older man who still carries the memories of his fallen brothers with him, and every year he takes a moment to remember them with a drink and a prayer.
The lyrics describe the intense physical and emotional toll of war, as well as the camaraderie and brotherhood shared by soldiers who fought together. The line "With the fire raining down and the hell all around" paints a vivid picture of the chaotic and terrifying conditions that soldiers faced in battle. The imagery of the angels crying as they carry away the fallen soldiers is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, as it suggests that the soldiers are now in a place of peace and rest.
Line by Line Meaning
Said goodbye to his momma as he left South Dakota
He bid farewell to his mother and left his hometown in South Dakota.
To fight for the red, white and blue
He aimed to serve his country and defend its national colors.
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
He was a young and inexperienced soldier, clutching his brand new M-16 rifle.
Just doing what he had to do
He did what he deemed necessary for his country's sake.
He was dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble
He was parachuted into a dense, tropical forest where helicopters flew above.
With the smell of napalm in the air
He could sense the odor of napalm, a flammable chemical used in warfare, in the atmosphere.
And the sergeant said look up ahead
His sergeant informed him to pay attention to what was coming ahead of them.
Like a dark evil cloud
The opponent formed an ominous dark mass that descended upon them like a malice force.
Twelve-hundred came down on him and twenty-nine more
A massive enemy contingent numbering twelve hundred fighters attacked his team, which had only twenty-nine men.
They fought for their lives but most of them died
They fiercely struggled for survival, but most of them perished in battle.
In the one-seventythird Airborne
He belonged to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, a combat unit that specialized in parachute operations.
On the eighth of November the angels were crying
It was the eighth of November when the tragedy happened, and the skies seemed to weep in sorrow.
As they carried his brothers away
As his comrades, who were like brothers to him, were taken away.
With the fire raining down and the hell all around
Under relentless enemy fire, and in a warzone that resembled hell on earth.
There were few men left standing that day
Only a handful of soldiers survived the enemy onslaught.
Saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
While the battle raged, he noticed an eagle soaring high above in a cloudless sky.
1965, the eighth of November
It was on November 8th, 1965, when the battle occurred.
Now he's fifty-eight and his ponytail's gray
Today, at the age of fifty-eight, his hair is gray and he wears a ponytail.
But the battle still plays in his head
He still replays the tragic event over and over again in his mind.
He limps when he walks but he's strong when he talks
He suffers a limp but is still forceful when conveying his thoughts.
About the shrapnel they left in his leg
He talks about the pieces of metal left embedded in his leg by enemy shrapnel.
He puts on a gray suit over his Airborne tattoo
He dons a gray suit, as he covers his tattoo bearing the symbol of the Airborne Brigade.
And he ties it on one time a year
Every year, he puts on his suit once and retells the story of his lost comrades.
And remembers the fallen as he orders a tall one
He fondly recalls his lost comrades, as he orders a drink of alcohol from the bar.
And swallows it down with his tears
While sipping the drink, he chokes up and cries with unrelenting grief.
The eighth of November
It was the eighth day of November when the tragedy occurred.
The eighth of November
The eighth of November is the day the author wants to etch in our memories, as a day of loss.
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: KENNY ALPHIN, JOHN D. RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kevinfox500
@Boomers On a Ferris Wheel All I'm gonna say.is this. Sometimes we have to do the wrong thing, for the right reason. Showing a willingness to lay down your own life, for a loved one, is the right reason, and that is what that ink stands for. I'm pretty sure.He understands why you got it.
On the tattoo reference in the Scripture, you Also have ve to look at the history of that region. There were groups who, as part of the mourning process, would heavily tattoo them self, to honor, (for) their dead.
IOW, Why.is a factor.
Keep in mind that this is coming from someone with Il Duce's prayer on his right ribs, and the family prayer from the Boondock Saints, over his heart, because he believes in what those prayers mean. Pretty much, if you spill the blood of the innocent, then, eith His blessing, your blood will also be spilled, if need be, by my hand.
As a father, friend, Brother, and a husband, I would lay my own life forfeit, for those I love, and if neccessary, die, or kill, to protect them, and those unable, of protecting themself.
Even Jesus told his flock to arm themselves, and if need be, sell their cloaks, to buy a sword, as it is better to be naked, than defenseless.
@codymadsen3254
Shame on YouTube for saying that this song goes against community standards it’s a great song with a group message
@marginallycompetentgourmet
Interesting take on things. If it was actually "against community standards" you wouldn't be posting this comment, because the video would be gone. What they do have is essentially a trigger warning, so that people like the actual veterans that this song honors can be prepared to possibly relive some pretty serious shit. Maybe don't blindly react to social media talking points next time.
@rodgersmith6965
59 years later, this song was a must- listen: on this date, in this place.
My siblings and I owe our lives to the fact that my father served in Germany and not SE Asia from '63-'66. I firmly believe he would not have survived combat; and we would not exist at all.
To those who went, whether volunteered or "volunTOLD," I salute you all.
@sexmetalbarbie8892
Did Kris Kristofferson say 48 Americans lost their lives I don't think they lost them they knew exactly where the f*** they were because they pulled in a bunch of goddamn planes and helicopters in America and flew over there and invaded that country they didn't lose their lives they were f**** killed because they were enemies in a foreign land let's just thank God it wasn't 27 million of them like the Russians when Germany invaded them this is just another example of ignorant ass redneck millionaires trying to be sensitive and trying to pass themselves off as some kind of person with substance give me a f**** break
@Krobear
When youtube flags a video means I am DEFINITELY going to watch
@StrikerC123
just want to say screw youtube for flagging this song. its complete and total bs that a song respecting those that gave their life gets flagged in such a disrespectful way.
@cajun1253
Totally agree with this comment. Guess they don’t want people to get an idea of the what the meat grinder is like and then try to avoid it.
@ControversialChristian
I'm so used to them flagging song that I love that I didn't read what it says, and it almost always comes up. I hate that they flag it, and even after you confirm it, you have to stop what you're doing to hit play. I've never been a fan of censorship of adults in a free society, especially on a song that speaks to the unspeakable price some have paid to keep it free
@zchris87v80
Absolutely disgusting that a song meant to honor those who gave their lives is flagged, but they have no issue allowing violent crimes to be shown without restriction.
@lexie104
F u
Y tube