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8th of November Lyrics
[Kris Kristofferson]
Hello I'm Kris Kristofferson,
On November 8th, 1965,
The 173rd airborn brigade,
On operation Hump,
In war zone "D" in Vietnam,
Were ambushed by over 1200 VC.
48 American soldiers lost their lives that day.
Severely wounded and risking his own life,
Lawrence Joel, a medic,
Was the first living black man,
Since the Spanish-American war,
To receive the United States Medal of Honor,
From saving so many lives in the mists of battle that day.
Our friend Niles Harris retired 25 years, United States Army,
The guy who gave Big Kenny his top hat,
Was one of the wounded who lived.
This song is his story.
Caught in the action of kill or be killed.
Greater love hath no man,
Then to lay down his life for a friend.
[Big & Rich]
He said goodbye to his momma
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue
He was 19 in green with a new M-16
Just doin' what he had to do.
He was dropped in the jungle
Where the choppers would rumble
With the smell of napalm in the air
Then the sargeant said, "Look up ahead"
And like a dark, evil cloud
1,200 came down
on him and 29 more
They fought for their lives
But most of them died
In the 173rd Airborne
On the 8th of November,
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
Now hes 58
And his ponytails grey
But the battle still plays in his head
He limps when he walks,
But hes strong when he talks
About the shrapnel they left in leg
He puts on a grey suit
Over his airborne tattoo
He ties it on one time a year
And remembers the fallen,
As he orders a tall one
And swallows it down with his tears
On the 8th of November,
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965
On the 8th of November,
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
On the 8th of November,
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
The 8th of November
The 8th of November
He said goodbye to his momma
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue
He was 19 in green with a new M-16
Just doin' what he had to do.
Hello I'm Kris Kristofferson,
On November 8th, 1965,
The 173rd airborn brigade,
On operation Hump,
In war zone "D" in Vietnam,
Were ambushed by over 1200 VC.
48 American soldiers lost their lives that day.
Severely wounded and risking his own life,
Lawrence Joel, a medic,
Was the first living black man,
Since the Spanish-American war,
To receive the United States Medal of Honor,
From saving so many lives in the mists of battle that day.
Our friend Niles Harris retired 25 years, United States Army,
The guy who gave Big Kenny his top hat,
Was one of the wounded who lived.
This song is his story.
Caught in the action of kill or be killed.
Greater love hath no man,
Then to lay down his life for a friend.
He said goodbye to his momma
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue
He was 19 in green with a new M-16
Just doin' what he had to do.
Where the choppers would rumble
With the smell of napalm in the air
Then the sargeant said, "Look up ahead"
1,200 came down
on him and 29 more
They fought for their lives
But most of them died
In the 173rd Airborne
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
And his ponytails grey
But the battle still plays in his head
He limps when he walks,
But hes strong when he talks
About the shrapnel they left in leg
Over his airborne tattoo
He ties it on one time a year
And remembers the fallen,
As he orders a tall one
And swallows it down with his tears
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
Through a clear, blue sky
1965
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
The angels were cryin'
As they carried his brothers away
With the fire rainin' down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standin' that day
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November
The 8th of November
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue
He was 19 in green with a new M-16
Just doin' what he had to do.
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Beautiful song, the meaning is kind of obvious. Technically about Niles Harris in war zone "D" in operation Hump in Vietnam, and how he fought for his country and how he saw so many of his friends and fellow soldiers die right in front of him.
But in a more general view, this song might be describable for any soldier who fought in Vietnam, the feeling of fighting for your country, but also the feeling over knowing that you're probably going to die and that all your friends are dying before your eyes.
I don't usually like country, but this is an amazing song.
This is the first song about vietnam not a protest. And please correct me if I am wrong, but this is the first and only song about vietnam.
i highly doubt this is the 'first and only' song about vietnam
This song is amazing. Definitely my favorite B&R song. It was a stupid war but they sacrificed their lives and their innocence to a cause they didn't even understand. They should be honored. This song somehow seems calming, it makes me feel better to hear it say, "On the 8th of November the angels were crying as they carried his brothers away." It's so sad. I can see it.
Hear this song is like looking at a painting of Vietnam. It is beautiful. My grampa was there that day. He can tell some stories about it. Some pretty graphic, like losing his helmet and picking on up off the ground and brains fell out. He said "I didn't mind, though. I was doing what I had to do for my fellow troops and America. I was fighting for what I loved." Luckily, all he camet back with a was minor gunwound and a purple heart. Although I love to hear his stories, some of them can last around 3 hours. I interviewed him as an assignment once, and I learned more from him than I did in any books.
This is an awesome song about vietnam, i can't really say anything else that has already been said besides there are definetley more songs about vietnam. Rooster, by Alice in Chains, is about the war