POTP deserves to be in an anthology of war poetry... The song is as packed and explosive as a hand-grenade... full of the psychosis of war and violation. The song conveys, with existential intensity, the life-and-death living of the battlefield.
For the Việt Cộng, the war is purpose, definition, violation. All his senses are elevated and involved, like he's never felt alive before. Beyond fear, he has reached an historical, spiritual, life-through-death determined necessity. Psyched up, he can smell the west, smell their fear and mistakes, sniff them out like an animal riding the earth to hunt its quarry (or a 'deer hunter' after a trophy "coat"). This man's 'hit' is as deadly as it is Godly.
The song is (dis)located late in the war. The American Outsiders (pink-faced conscripted teenagers) are scared, mistake-prone, purple-hazed, out of their depth. Survival dominates pursuit. They don't understand the terrain or the 'why' of the war. They hit the ground, while he hits the high.
The poetry emphasises the ugliness and screwed-up nature of war... The VC's 'never been so happy'. He smells the child and learns to ride the Earth.
Contempt and disdain strike violence. There is no 'cult of honor' restraining the ferocity. The American represents the cologne-stinking, alien, charmed life of the West. And traditionally, the silver bullet is the only bullet effective against a person living a charmed life (wiki). Moreover, the American's 'Western' life will end, whereas the VC's 'Eastern' life will not... In Buddhism, life does not end, it merely goes on in other forms. The VC has no fear of death for it leads to Karmic rebirth. Hence, the 'I LOVE LIFE' chorus is both a War Cry and a 'chant' to generate rebirth in a higher realm. The 'I love Life' affirms his acceptance of death in order to love life again...
POTP deserves to be in an anthology of war poetry... The song is as packed and explosive as a hand-grenade... full of the psychosis of war and violation. The song conveys, with existential intensity, the life-and-death living of the battlefield.
For the Việt Cộng, the war is purpose, definition, violation. All his senses are elevated and involved, like he's never felt alive before. Beyond fear, he has reached an historical, spiritual, life-through-death determined necessity. Psyched up, he can smell the west, smell their fear and mistakes, sniff them out like an animal riding the earth to hunt its quarry (or a 'deer hunter' after a trophy "coat"). This man's 'hit' is as deadly as it is Godly.
The song is (dis)located late in the war. The American Outsiders (pink-faced conscripted teenagers) are scared, mistake-prone, purple-hazed, out of their depth. Survival dominates pursuit. They don't understand the terrain or the 'why' of the war. They hit the ground, while he hits the high.
The poetry emphasises the ugliness and screwed-up nature of war... The VC's 'never been so happy'. He smells the child and learns to ride the Earth.
Contempt and disdain strike violence. There is no 'cult of honor' restraining the ferocity. The American represents the cologne-stinking, alien, charmed life of the West. And traditionally, the silver bullet is the only bullet effective against a person living a charmed life (wiki). Moreover, the American's 'Western' life will end, whereas the VC's 'Eastern' life will not... In Buddhism, life does not end, it merely goes on in other forms. The VC has no fear of death for it leads to Karmic rebirth. Hence, the 'I LOVE LIFE' chorus is both a War Cry and a 'chant' to generate rebirth in a higher realm. The 'I love Life' affirms his acceptance of death in order to love life again...
@Theresa_Gionoffrio Wow - I had no idea there was so much content and meaning packed into these lyrics!
@Theresa_Gionoffrio Wow - I had no idea there was so much content and meaning packed into these lyrics!