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Songs of Protest

By VVAW

These songs by Jim Wachtendonk, Vietnam vet whose children are Agent Orange victims and member of Madison, Wisc VVAW, were written and sung during VVAW's DC actions.

"Red, White & Blind,"

Monuments are made of stone
White, cold marble—clean to the bone.
It's my nation I hope to find,
And all I can see, is Red, White & Blind.
Three-piece suits, beaurocracy's best,
Eating lunches, while they're sucking breasts,
Making paperwork, passing the buck,
And all I can see, is they don't give a fuck.
One step forward, two steps back,
Looking for cover like a sapper attack;
Fighting for liberty—fighting for, is to be free.
Walking two by two to Arlington's gates,
Brothers buried yell, "It's getting late;
I feel you kneeling with your fists in the air,
I heard the rumblin', yea, we felt you there."
Those God damn monuments, they're made of stone,
White cold marble, clean to the bone;
It's our nation that we came to find,
And all we see, is Red, White & Blind.

Past Arlington's Gate

Beware Vietnam veterans of Orange fate
It's truce that they won't let you past Arlington's gate.
You might have sacrificed one of your arms,
Or come home dreaming to silent alarms,
It don't matter to the guards at Arlington's gate.
Old soldiers never die—they just fade away,
But we can't let the truth fade another day.
We'll add a rumble to the roar
When we meet at Dewey Canyon IV
We're Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Now Uncle Sam misjudged us,
Said he didn't like our wreath
He knew he couldn't budge us
So he shoots at our feet.
But we are steadfast—we stand as one
We're runners-up and it ain't no fun;
We're like symbols in the sun,
Past Arlington's gate.

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,
They hope we'll do the same
But we'll have our say—
We'll add a rumble to the roar
When we meet at Dewey Canyon IV
We're Vietnam Veterans Against the War!