Vietnam
Not On Label · Rockhampton, Australia
- Artist
- The Clergy
- Title
- Vietnam
- Release
- Glow
- Label
- Not On Label
- Format
- Cassette · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- Rockhampton, Australia
- Genre
- Rock · Pop Rock
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs
Pop rock group formed Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, featuring John Busby, Steve Sutherland, Mick Baker, and Cherri Busby. This 90s cassette-only album contained the song "Vietnam", which according to the linear notes, was "inspired by the Gulf War. This song contains a few of my thoughts on politicians and their policies. I don't know how they sleep".1 This is a great example of a song using the Vietnam War as a benchmark for comparison to contemporary conflicts, in this case the First Gulf War (1991), in which Australia participated as a member of the Coalition force. The narrator here was unhappy with Australia's involvement: "I don't care about Mr. Bush... I'm not going to die for them" - a reference to the US president at the time, George H. W. Bush. It argued that "we're all pawns in... political chess" and a "feather in somebody's political cap". The chorus stated the position simply: "I don't want another Vietnam".Sources1mrworthyandwhammo.blogspot.com: The clergy glow cassette↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Well I don't know what I should do / But I'm not happy, well I don't know about you / And I don't care about Mr. Bush's... / But I'm not going to die for them friend / But I can certainly tell you that I don't want another Vietnam / They don't have a chance to capture me... / I don't want another Vietnam / They don't really have a chance / I'm not going to just sit around here and wait / All I want is control over my fate / Get together, darling we don't have to cop this crap / Well I'm not going to be feather in somebody's political cap / I don't want another Vietnam / They don't have a chance capture me... / I'm not listening to the stories... / Only one is the vote for who we can trust / But we're all pawns in some type of political chess / And when these fools have finished playing / Well there's not going to be anything left / I don't want another Vietnam...
Notes
1990s cassette-only album; the song was written about the First Gulf War (1991).
About the artist
The Clergy - pop rock group from Rockhampton, Queensland: Cherri Busby (vocals), John Busby, Steve Sutherland, Mick Baker and Joe Thorley.
Themes
Vietnam Analogy · First Gulf War · George H. Bush · Anti-Government · Anti-War