Cold Chisel — Khe Sanh
Album: Best of ChiselAvg rating:
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Length: 4:05
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I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And I sold my soul with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand
About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-dayheroes in 1973
And how we sailed into Sydney Harbour
I saw an old friend but I couldn't kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land
And she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, until they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long, paypacket lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
And car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine
So I worked across the country from end to end
I tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
I held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend
And I've travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless, one more year the worse for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia
You know the answer sure ain't there
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know there's seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong
And there ain't nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And I sold my soul with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand
About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-dayheroes in 1973
And how we sailed into Sydney Harbour
I saw an old friend but I couldn't kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land
And she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, until they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long, paypacket lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
And car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine
So I worked across the country from end to end
I tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
I held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend
And I've travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless, one more year the worse for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia
You know the answer sure ain't there
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know there's seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong
And there ain't nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Comments (4)add comment
At first I thought this was an Elton John song that I'd never heard before.
Go on Bill play this one again
Stop 100 Aussies on the street and ask them to name the best Australian rock band of all time and I'll bet 90 of them say Cold Chisel. Glad that they've finally made it onto RP! This song caused quite a stir when it came out, telling the story of a Vietnam vet who can't quite seem to find his way and fit back into society. It's always number 1 or 2 in those annual top 1,000 songs of all time things that radio stations do. Other good songs from the Chisel are Flame Trees, Mr. Crown Presecutor, Bow River and Breakfast at Sweethearts. Keep up the good work Bill!
Wow....thanks for the info! Shows you how US centric we are in the US....I've never even heard of Cold Chisel before (at least that I'm aware of) and I'm somewhat ashamed by that, especially considering the topic of the track.
And 100% agreed....that blessed BillG guy, he sure does add a lot to my worldly knowledge of "pop" music by playing it here and having awesome RPosters like you that share the wealth with the rest of us. Long Live RP!!