Nineteen

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war but it wasn'tIt was different in many ways, as so were tose that did the fightingIn World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26In Vietnam he was 19In-in-in Vietnam he was 19

The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks continued today25 miles west of SaigonI really wasn't sure what was going on
Ni-ni-ni 19, 19, ni-19 1919, 19, 19, 19

In Vietnam the combat soldier typically servedA twelve month tour of dutyBut was exposed to hostile fire almost everydayNi-ni-ni 19, Ni-ni-ni 19

Hundreds of thousands of men who saw heavy combatIn Vietnam were arrested since dischargeTheir arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same ageThere are no accurate figures of how many of these menHave been incarcerated

But a Veterans Administration studyConcludes that the greater of vetsExposure to combat could more likely affect his chancesOf being arrested or convicted
This is one legacy of the Vietnam War

All those who remember the warThey won't forget what they've seenDestruction of men in their primeWhose average was 19

De-de-destructionDe-de-destructionWar, war

De-de-destruction, wa, wa, war, wa, war, warDe-de-destructionWar, war

After World War II the men came home together on troop shipsBut the Vietnam vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat

Perhaps the most dramatic difference betweenWorld War II and Vietnam was coming homeNone of them received a hero's welcome

None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of themNe-ne-ne, ne-ne-ne, none of them, none of them, none of themNone of them received a hero's welcomeNone of them received a hero's welcome

According to a Veteran's Administration studyHalf of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from whatPsychiatrists callPost-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder

Many vets complain of alienation, rage or guiltSome succumb to suicidal thoughtsEight to ten years after coming homeAlmost eight hundred thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam War

De-de-destructionNi-ni-ni 19, 19, ni19 1919, 19, 19, 19Ni-ni-ni 19, 19, ni-19 1919, 19, 19, 19

When we came back it was different, everybody wants to know"How'd it happened to those guys over there?There's gotta be something wrong somewhereWe did what we had to do

There's gotta be something wrong somewherePeople wanted us to be ashamed of what it made usDad had no idea what he went to fight and he is nowAll we want to do is come home

All we want to do is come home

What did we do it for?All we want to do is come home

Was it worth it

Song Name: Nineteen
Artist Name: Paul Hardcastle
Album: The Best of Paul Hardcastle
Songwriter(s): J Mccord, M Oldfield, Paul Hardcastle, W Coutourie
Release Date: June 6, 1998 (1998???)
Label: Disky

© EMI VIRGIN SONGS, INC