'Got on a plane in Fresco and got off in Vietnam.
I walked into a different world, the past forever gone.
I could have gone to Canada or I could have stayed in school.
But I was brought up differently. I couldn't break the rules.

Thirteen months and fifteen days, the last ones were the worst.
One minute I kneel down and pray And the next I stand and curse.
No place to run to where I did not feel that war.
When I got home I stayed alone and checked behind each door.

Still in Saigon
Still in Saigon
I am Still in Saigon in my mind!

The ground at home was covered with snow. And I was covered in sweat.
My younger brother calls me a killer and My daddy calls me a vet.
Everybody says that I'm someone else That I'm sick and there's no cure.
Damned if I know who I am. There was only one place I was sure
When I was

Still in Saigon
Still in Saigon.
I am still in Saigon in my mind!

Every summer when it rains, I smell the jungle, I hear the planes.
I can't tell no one I feel ashamed. Afraid someday I'll go insane.

That's been ten long years ago and time has gone on by.
But now and then I catch myself
Eyes searchin' through the sky.
All the sounds of long ago will be forever in my head.
Mingled with the wounded's cries and the silence of the dead

'Cause I'm
Still in Saigon
Still in Saigon
I am still in Saigon in my mind


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Still in Saigon Lyrics as written by Dan Daley

Lyrics © ASILOMAR MUSIC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Still In Saigon song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

2 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    This is the only tune I've ever heard about PTSD besides Rooster by Alice In Chains. Vietnam was hell that we've should've never been in but it happened and you went whether you liked it or not. Johnson and JFK and Nixon believed in two-view system much like Bush used with the War on Terror. If you aren't with us, then you're against us. History repeats itself and it always repeats itself, doesn't it?

    OpinionHeadon November 20, 2004   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.