This song was written in collaboration with input from several friends a long time ago. A late-night flight to Dallas from Miami to a recording studio, eight or ten musicians, seemed like fun at the time....now not so much!
It seems to pop up on my computer every few years somehow. Shocking every time I read it! Perhaps the music covered up the intensity of these lyrics. PTSD SONG Sound effect intro We did for our country they did it for me like the vets from Vietnam back in nineteen seventy three All the guys from World War Two dug in for the fight bullets flying every where in the middle of the night
You found yourself in a hole over there You met the beast better beware Trying to kill you but you don’t care Keep on marching my brother One foot in front of the other Solo you were there in country, you were the elite now you’re here back in the world walking down the street startled by the smallest sound of a car passing by you try your best to hide it, the tear from your eye
You found yourself in a hole over there You met the beast better beware Trying to kill you but you don’t care Keep on marching my brother One foot in front of the other Solo You keep your gun by side you know it’s not right When you wake up screaming in the middle of the night The doctor takes the history and then he writes it down you just keep on thinking they gona put me in the ground
You found yourself in a hole over there You met the beast better beware Trying to kill you but you don’t care Keep on marching my brother One foot in front of the other Solo You know the beast is a monster that lives inside your brain Every day you wake up he’s driving you insane Government says there ain’t no cure you put a gun up to your head Your finger is on the trigger nothing more to be said
You found yourself in a hole over there You met the beast better beware Trying to kill you but you don’t care Keep on marching my brother One foot in front of the other Sound effect out
I just read this again...cold chills
RIP, all the guys who killed themselves after this was written.
The cost of war is incalculable.
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 06/11/2507:16 PM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
A musician friend of mine lost his daughter to suicide after she returned from the sandbox. I remember her playing with my daughters when we went on a camping trip together.
Good song.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Songs like this are one way of coping against PTSD and thoughts of suicide. It is a musical form of therapy. There are several therapy groups supported by Veterans and the Veterans Administration (VA) that utilize songwriting in their therapy. I believe the effectiveness of musical therapy is much better recognized and understood now than it was decades ago. The Charlie Daniels Band had a minor hit with a song called "Still In Saigon" about nightmares.
Excellent song. My best friend was in Nam and told me stories about sleeping, hearing a loud bang, then diving onto the floor. Or running for cover when awake and hearing a loud bang. Also really bad nightmares. Fortunately he got help, got better, and he and his wife stayed together. She paid one hell of a price also.
Got bless our military and veterans.
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Veterans are 57.3% more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans, with estimates ranging from 17 to 24 veterans dying by suicide in the U.S. each day. That is somewhere over 7000 per year.
What is not so obvious is that there were 49,316 suicides in 2023 in the United States.
The top 20% of countries with high suicide mortality (over 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people) are: Guyana: 40.8 deaths per 100,000 population. Suriname: 25.9. Uruguay: 18.8. United States of America: 14.5. Haiti: 11.2. Canada: 10.3. Cuba: 10.2.
It is not so difficult for me to understand the situation with vets. I have to wonder why the other 40,000 suicides happened.
What would the United States and Canada have in common with Haiti and Cuba?
I indirectly have access to conversations with people from Cuba. Haiti is often in the news. However good or bad our governments are here in the US and Canada, and the general quality of life is, it certainly does not compare with Haiti or Cuba.
It is always shocking when someone calls to say someone you know well has killed themself.
The song in question was written due to conversations of this sort on a music forum in Texas. The hope was that someone would hear it and understand that they are not alone and that other people are going through similar things and perhaps reach out for help.
Perhaps all of us should try to write a song or two about serious subjects, in the hope that it may have a positive influence on someone.
Cheers,
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Yep....two of my good friends/brothers I served with are on The Wall and there's always unforeseen consequences. My experience?....it's brutal, ugly and and leaves one with very vivid images that one can never unsee. But, if one is in that arena, hesitation will get you killed so "lead the way or step aside 'cause now the ride gets rough".
What would the United States and Canada have in common with Haiti and Cuba?
It's a bit off-topic, but compare your list to a list of gun ownership rates per country. Correlates quite well, with the exception of Haiti, there are not many weapons there.
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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