PDA

View Full Version : 8th of November (1965)



Seeley
07-05-06, 01:09 PM
I know it's not a song about the Corps, but I still found it very moving. Tis song is by Big & Rich, a band I usually can't stand, but this song was done well.

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

(Chorus)
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

(Chorus)
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

(Chorus)
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

(Chorus)
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.

jennifer
07-05-06, 01:31 PM
That was wonderful. I actullay have heard that song before. Much props to the airborne guys in the Army.

Osotogary
07-05-06, 03:26 PM
I believe that song was sung during the Memorial Day Ceremonies that had taken place in Washington DC. earlier this year. It was quite moving; staunch yet solemn.
Thank you Seeley for the lyrics.

ssgtt32
07-05-06, 03:58 PM
I also saw that performance, during Memorial Day on TV, i believe that it is true story the guy they are singing about first name Niles(i believe) he was in the audience, and appears in the video on CMT. outstanding song, nice to know/see that you Vietnam Vets are finally getting the respect that you deserve!

Semper Fi
Maurice

HBD2ISDM
07-05-06, 05:04 PM
Poignant.
It is Never too late to show gratitude to our men who have fought to keep us free. Just yesterday, I had the priviledge of thanking a Vietnam Vet, who happened to be a Marine. I tell you, the person who made those hats which make it a dead giveaway for servicemen, deserves a koodo's. I love them things. Makes it much easier to give those folks some thanks, long overdue, to most. Ditto vet plates.
A little aside, one Saturday, I was door knocking (PM me for further explination) and one house had a pickup with vet plates. I knocked. When the door was answered, I felt the dislike/distrust toward me immediately. After asking to the trucks owner, I put my hand out and told the fellow my thanks for his service. His wife said, "You are the first person to ever say that to him." Near tears. And this man must have been close to Korean era.
:usmc:

CAS3
07-06-06, 01:55 AM
The song is about the friend who gave (can't exactly remember) Big or Rich! the hat he always wears.

10thzodiac
07-07-06, 03:17 PM
While in the 12th Marines we shared the base with the 173 Airborne Brigade in Okinawa (Camp Zukeran). They were tough guys, up before us always on the go. I use to like watching them attack their own two story barracks next door to mine. They would be hanging off the roof and all kinds of antics. They were older and allot more mature than our 19 year old Marines. I remember when leaving Okinawa back to the states March 1965 everyone was getting ready to go to Vietnam and it looked like the 173 rd was going to beat us there the way they were moving. Good outfit!

Pialphamu
07-08-06, 06:00 PM
I love the song and always get teary-eyed when I hear it. The video is even more of a tear jerker.:cry: