I like Country Joe better myself.
Next time you hear it, mentally replace the lyrics with those from the theme to The Brady Bunch.
Here’s the story
of a lovely lady,
who was bringing up
three lovely girls.
All of them
had hair of gold;
the youngest one
in curls.
Better?
The song was parodied in Wag the Dog:
I think both the original and the parody kick ass. I like anything that’s set to a military march.
That’s not the sort of thing which I’m going to quickly agree.
There is some shit up with which I will not put!
– Patrick Henry’s first draft.
elucidator
… and in the “John Ashcroft / Jack Kemp / Trent Lott, etc.” style of Armchair Patriotism, John Wayne didn’t serve a day in the military either.
Yes, this is probably my 1,000th “John Wayne didn’t serve” posting - but somebody would have expected me to say this.
I’ll see your “Honey” and raise you a “Bang, Bang” by Cher:
The military was much less tolerant of homosexuals in those days. Oh!..you didn’t know?
Fucking gravity. Its’ why I’m so fat.
Fighting soldiers from the sky;
Fearless men, who jump and die…
Is this really the way you want to begin your patriotic song? It’s one thing to be realistic about the fate of soldiers in war, but don’t they usually have some sort of goal or objective, other than just going out and dying? What about the Marines’ Hymn, for example? It’s peppy! Inspiring! It tells you what Marines do, where they do it, and why! It doesn’t waste time explaining all the different ways Marines can get cacked in the line of duty. But if the Green Berets have any function other than merely getting snuffed, you’d never know it from Sadler’s ballad. Between the terminally downbeat lyrics and the droning, subdued quality of the music, the song always gave me the impression that Green Berets were the most clinically depressed and apathetic of all the armed forces. “You know what? Fuck it. I’m not even gonna bother to pull the cord this time.”
Very right, Terrifel. Like another poster mentioned long ago in a similar thread, “you don’t want fearless men who jump and die; you want fearless men who sneak and kill”.
Then again, this IS Barry Sadler, who long after death(*) was still on TV pitching Christy Lane records on late-night commercials.
(*Died in 1989 in Guatemala, shot under murky circumstances. Then again, Guatemala in 1989 WAS “murky circumstances”…)
“Please, Mr. Custer! I don’t wanta go!” Forwaaaaaard Ho!
This was interesting
The Green Beret: Schreckfigur for the New Age
Alan Farrell, Virginia Military Institute
Well, I’m going to pit Mike Altman and Johnny Mandel. I’m pretty sure plummetting 20 stories and splattering onto pavement or choking on your own blood, bile and stomach acid probably hurts like the dickens. Given the choice between taking it or leaving it, I think I’ll leave it…if you please.
Hey, JR, where’d you get that about Barry Sandler? Morbid curiosity demands…
Just imagine, the unluckiest VC ever, to be standing in a rice paddy and get creamed by a falling Green Beret! * Really* spoiling his day. You’re not really allowed to use people as ballistic ordnance, are you? Geneva, or something?
I mean, talk about “Death From Above”!
I’m with you, on both counts.
By the way, shouldn’t it be “Marilyn”?
Actually, that’s not such a bad idea. Gravity has been my enemy many a time.
Watching John Ford’s great Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance is a fascinating - and ironic - experience once you remember that while Wayne dodged the draft, Brig. General Jimmy Stewart flew bombing missions over Berlin.
As to the OP, does anyone remember that episode of Cheers where Cliff decides not to follow his girlfriend to Canada?