Johnny Cash, Vietnam Talkin Blues Tabs

Singin' The Vietnam Talkin' Blues 
Recorded by: Johnny Cash 
Written by: Johnny R. Cash 
Recorded: April 13, 1971 
 
The entire song is spoken 
 
One mornin' at breakfast I said to my wife 
We've been everywhere once and some places twice 
As I had another helpin' of country ham 
she said "We haven't never been to Vietnam 
there's a bunch of our boys over there" 
So we went 
 
Well we got a big welcome when we drove in 
Through the gates of a placed named Long Ben 
We checked in and everything got kinda quite 
But a soldier boy said "Just wait til' tonight 
Things get noisy things start happening' 
Big bad firecrackers" 
 
Well that night we did about four shows for the boys 
And they were livin' it up with a whole lot of noise 
We did our last song for the night 
Then we crawled into bed for some peace and quite 
But things weren't peaceful things weren't quite 
Things were scary 
 
Well for a few minutes June hadn't spoken a word 
Then I thought at first she hadn't heard 
Then a shell exploded not two miles away 
She sat up in bed and I heard her say 
"What was that" I said "That was a shell or a bomb" 
She said "John I'm scared" I said "Me too" 
 
Well all night long that noise kept on 
And the noise would chill you right to the bone 
The bullets and the shells and the atomic bombs 
shook our bed and finally fell and it never let up  
It was gonna get worse before it got any better 
 
Well, the sun came up the noise died down 
We got a few minutes sleep and we were sleepin' sound 
Then a soldier knocked on the door and said 
"Last night we brought in seven dead and fourteen wounded!" 
We were goin' down to the base hospital 
To see the boys Yeah 
 
So we to the hospital day by day 
And of the night we were singin' away 
Then the shells and the bombs again til' dawn 
And the helicopter brought in a wounded man 
night after night day after day 
comin' and a goin' 
 
So we sadly sang for them our last song 
And reluctantly we said so long 
We did our best to let them know that we cared 
for every last one of them over there 
Whether we belonged over there or not Ê 
somebody loves them and needs them 
 
Well now that's about all there is to tell 
about our little trip and the livin' hell 
and if I ever go back over there again 
I hope there's none of our boys to sing for 
I hope this ol' war's over with and they're all back home 
To stay in peace