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Mutlu
by Gary E. Andrews - 04/15/24 07:08 PM
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Leafs
by Gary E. Andrews - 04/05/24 01:49 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
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COMMENTS WELCOME
WHITE CHRISTMAS PLAYED
©2009 Mackie Humphries
V
I was sorting pictures
Took in seven’-five
Among my souv’nirs
That have survived
‘Nam was in ruin
Ablaze in defeat
We were loading
Choppers in wait
PRE CH
An orphan boy Bible in hand
Tugged at a me “I don't understand”
Head all wrapped tears in his eyes
I shot that picture before he died.
CH
WHITE CHRISTMAS PLAYED as many grieved
Our People were ready to leave
OP-FREQUENT WIND was our last breath
Left in Saigon was certain death
I looked back with tears in my eyes
I felt sadness for those who died
------------GUITAR RIDE-------------
PRE CH
An orphan boy Bible in hand
Tugged at a me “I don't understand”
Head all wrapped tears in his eyes
I shot that picture before he died.
CH
WHITE CHRISTMAS PLAYED as many grieved
Our People were ready to leave
OP-FREQUENT WIND was our last breath
Left in Saigon was certain death
I looked back with tears in my eyes
I felt sadness for those who died
TAG
WHITE CHRISTMAS PLAYED...AS SIAGON BLAZED
Mackie
Last edited by MJH; 12/24/09 02:02 AM.
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Hello Mackie.
Could see where you wanted to go with this one but not sure you actually got there.
Overal I found it difficult to follow.
The rhyme of "defeat" and "wait" is stretching it a tad. Maybe it is the way the two are pronounced here but I am not sure.
"OP-FREQUENT WIND was our last breath" Not sure what this means.
Couldn't 'sing' it as I read, meaning to me, that the writing could be forced. (Again lets understand that maybe you have a melody ready, you know how the stresses fall etc..,and I do not know what I am talking about.)
Could be that. (Not knowing what I am talking about.)
Doug
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Doug,
The song is difficult, because of the content is difficult--I had a lot of friends that did not come back. The song is about the last day of the FALL OF SIAGON APRIL 29, 1975.
The signal to leave was the SONG WHITE CHRISTMAS being played--the last choppers, left SIAGON EMBASSY.
The song is a marcher beat that's kind of like an old Johnny Horton type.
It is a true story--It is about a kid in the compound that died after his picture was made. It is a small segment of the withdrawal--Later that day The South Surrendered.
The withdrawal was OPERATION FREQUENT WIND>
It was just a little bit of HISTORY--the irony was using WHITE CHRISTMAS as a
signal to leave in APRIL!
I always appreciate your input.
Merry Christmas.
Mackie
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G'Mornin' Bro Mackie!
A very Interesting Bitta History...& How Soon We Forget!
What an Ironic Choice of Song to launch it to!
I wuz just shining up the ol' Zippo lighter I had back in 'Nam over the weekend...got a neat repousse Silver Cover for it over there with all kinda Vietnam Scenes embossed in it..one of the few momentos I've got from thst long year in-country.
Waal..the country there's now onea our Most Favored Nation trading partners...all kinds of joggin' shoes & clothes we buy are made there..& there's supposedly vast untapped oil deposits we'll be drillin' on soon over there. Hopefully what we lost somehow'll be worth what we'll eventually gain.
I'm glad for both sides there's now Peace. Saigon had a lotta French Influence back-when, & I'm sure it's still got a lot of that "Joie de Vivre" to this day. I doubt The North ever was able to extinguish the South's "Free Enterprise" aspirations..& I know having Americans around all those years DID have a beneficial effect.
As for us learning anything from that debacle...I dunno...here we are in Afghanistan.."surging" again. But this time it's "All Volunteers"...supposedly. (It's still a HUGE draining of our youth and our capital/we still end up poorer, no matter what "Victory" we wanna talk about afterwards.)
Good Song, Great Reminder, Amigo!
Season's Best Backatcha!
Big Guy-Hugs,
Stan
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Stan,
I appreciate your knowlegable input--My sister-in-law was a battlefield operating Nurse in the height of the war. She was one of the lucky ones to get out--DOLLARS!
Her aunt had the money to help get her out before the end.
Thanks Bro', Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Mackie
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Usually don't crit a lot on lyrics like this--it seems more of a personal song than one to be polished up for pitching...I was 10 in'75, but my uncle was a paratrooper after 2 tours in Korea & told me stories...I tend to agree w/ Dude's comments, but I think w/ a little work could be more commercially viable than I thought on 1st read--Billy Joel's 'Goodnight Saigon' is a favorite of mine---and certainly not because I have a personal connection to it---KEEP WRITIN...Al
"The difference between the right word & nearly the right word is the difference between a lightning bug & lightning"--Mark Twain
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Al,
I appreciiate your comments--I probably wrote this more as a sensitive spot in my memory of the war, as friends never came back. If anyone wanted to make it commercial--that would be a co-write I would welcome--also the musicating--
Thanks for the input.
Mackie
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