| Spoken:
|
| «Ahhh…
|
| Let’s do that again
|
| Do you believe that?»
|
| Well, when I landed in Vietnam
|
| I hardly got to see Saigon
|
| They shaped us up and called the roll
|
| And off we went on a long patrol
|
| Swappin' lies, swattin' flies
|
| Firin' the odd shot here and there
|
| The Captain called a halt that night
|
| And we had chow by the pale moon light
|
| A lovely dinner they’d planned for us
|
| With a taste like a seat on a crosstown bus
|
| Some of the veterans just left theirs layin' in the can
|
| For the Viet Cong to find
|
| Deadlier than a land mine
|
| Hmmmm…
|
| Naturally somebody told a joke
|
| And a couple of the fellows began to smoke
|
| I took a whiff as the a cloud rolled by
|
| And my nose went up like an infield fly
|
| The Captain, this blonde fellow from Yale looked at
|
| Me and said «What's a matter wit chu, baby?» |
| (ghetto dialect)
|
| Well I may be crazy, but I think not;
|
| I swear to God that I smell pot!
|
| But who’d have pot in Vietnam?
|
| He said, «Whaddaya think you been sittin' on?»
|
| These funny little plants…
|
| Thousands of 'em
|
| Good God Almighty!
|
| Pastures of plenty!
|
| So we all lit up and by and by
|
| The whole platoon was flyin' high
|
| With a beautiful smile on the Captain’s face
|
| He smelled like midnight on St. Mark’s Place
|
| Cleanin' his weapon
|
| Chantin' sumpin' about Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna
|
| The moment came
|
| As it comes to all
|
| When I had to answer nature’s call
|
| I was stumbing around in a beautiful haze
|
| When I met a little cat in black pj’s
|
| Rifle; |
| ammo belt; |
| BF Goodrich sandals
|
| He looked up at me and said «What's a matter wit chu, baby?»
|
| (sounding just like the Captain had)
|
| He said we’re campin' down the pass
|
| And smelled you people blowin' grass
|
| And since, by the smell, you’re smoking trash
|
| I brought you a taste of a special stash
|
| Straight from Uncle Ho’s victory garden
|
| We call it Hanoi Gold
|
| So his squad and my squad settled down
|
| Passin' lovely stuff around
|
| All too soon it was time to go
|
| The Captain got on the radio
|
| Said «Hello headquarters?, Helloo, ahh, Headquarters?
|
| We have met the enemy and he has been smashed!» |
Song information On this page you can read the lyrics of the song Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues , by - Tom Paxton. Song from the album The Best Of Tom Paxton: I Can't Help Wonder Wher I'm Bound: The Elektra Years, in the genre