Paul Hardcastle - 19 lyrics

rate me

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war but it wasn't

It was different in many ways

And so were those who did the fighting

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26

In Vietnam it was 19

The heaviest fighting of the past two weeks

Continued today 25 miles northwest of Saigon

I wasn't really sure what was going on 19

In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served

A twelve-month tour of duty

But was exposed to hostile fire

Almost everyday

In Saigon U.S. Military spokesman said today

More than 700 enemy troops were killed last week

In that sensitive border area

Throughout all of south Vietnam the enemy lost

A total of 2,689 soldiers

All those who remember the war

They won't forget what they've seen

Destruction of men in their prime

Whose average age was 19

According to a veterans administration study

Half of Vietnam combat veterans

Suffer from what psychiatrists call

Post traumatic stress disorder

Many vets complain of alienation, rage of guilt

Some succumb to suicidal thoughts

Eight to ten years after coming home

Almost 800,000 men are still fighting

the Vietnam War

None of them received a hero's welcome

19, Saigon, Saigon, Saigon, Saigon, Saigon

19, nineteen, nineteen, nineteen, nineteen

Vietnam, Saigon, Vietnam, Saigon, Vietnam, Saigon

Purple heart, Saigon, purple heart, Saigon

I wasn't really sure what was going on 19