`AUSTRALIAN SONGS: 6: Khe Sanh

Khe Sanh (Artist: Cold Chisel, Words and Music by Don Walker.)

I left my heart to the sappers 'round Khe Sanh,
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the black market man.
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey from the ocean to the Silver City.
And it's only other vets could understand.

'Bout the long forgotten dockside guarantees,
How there were no V-Day heroes in nineteen seventy-three.
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour,
Saw an old friend but couldn't kiss her,
She was lined,
And I was home to the lucky land.

She was like so many more from that time on,
Their lives were all so empty,
Till they'd found their chosen one,
And their lives were often open,
But their minds always closed,
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains.

And the legal pad were yellow,
Hours long, paypackets lean,
And the telex writers clattered,
Where the gunships once had been;
But the carparks made me jumpy,
And I never stopped the dreams,
Or the growing need for speed or novacaine.

So I worked across the country from end to end,
Tried to find a place to settle down,
Where my mixed-up life could mend,
Held a job on an oil-rig,
Flying choppers when I could,
But the night-life 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,
But 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,
And only seven flying hours,
And I'll landing in Hong Kong,
And there ain't nothin' like 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 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.
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.

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.

Cold Chisel

Released in 1978, this popular Australian song is regularly seen as a resonant symbol of the Australian culture. The lyrics focus on a bitter and disillusioned Australian Vietnam veteran who struggles to fit into society after returning from the war.

Select two unfamiliar words/phrases from this list.  Find a definition of each word/phrase.

sappers                         black market                      cold turkey                 telex 

speed or novacaine      choppers                           suburban chains       jaded                          

Link to the Australian National Dictionary 

Reflect on your impression/understanding of the poem/song.  Use the worksheet attached here to guide your thinking.

(You will have an opportunity to share these with the other members of your group.)

 Point of view: From whose point of view is the poem/lyrics written?

Theme:  What is the theme or message in the poem/lyric?

Published on YouTube Jan 27, 2006