Goodnight Saigon
Billy Joel
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We met as soulmates On Parris Inland 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 mortars 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
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Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Song Release"Goodnight Saigon" was released by Billy Joel on his ninth album, "The Nylon Curtain", in September 1982.
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ThemeThe song is notable for it being one of the few pop songs of the time that was primarily about the Vietnam War and showed empathy towards Vietnam Veterans.
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Inspiration"Goodnight Saigon" was inspired by the stories of Billy Joel's friends who were Vietnam Veterans, and it is an expression of their experiences in war.
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Music CompositionNotably, the song starts and ends with a helicopter sound, symbolizing the airlift operations during the war.
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Song LyricsThe lyrics of the song don't contain a reference to any individuals being killed, but rather they describe fear, loneliness, and the horror of war.
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Critical ReceptionThe song received significant praise from critics for its emotional tone and sentiment, despite not being a major hit on the charts.
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Chart Performance"Goodnight Saigon" did not reach high positions on the charts in the United States, but it was a number 1 hit in Norway and made the top 5 in the UK and Dutch charts.
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Vietnam Veterans' ReactionThe song was heard as a welcome recognition of the Vietnam veterans' experience, many of whom felt their service had been overlooked, or worse, derided.
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In ConcertWhen performing "Goodnight Saigon" in concert, Joel often brings on stage veterans or active-duty members of the U.S. military.
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Cover VersionsThe song has been covered by various artists including Garth Brooks, Elaine Paige, and The Celtic Tenors.
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Citation
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"Goodnight Saigon Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4322479/Billy+Joel/Goodnight+Saigon>.
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