Hi David,

Good advice. I appreciate it.

My goal in the song, if you watched the 'google-image' montage, was to point out the powerful 'stomp-you-into-the-dirt' effect of the meddling, manipulation and power-grabbing of the surrounding superpowers upon the tiny little Kingdom of Laos.

Starting with Marx and Lenin, and then Stalin, Kruschev, Mao Tse Tung, and finally Brezhnev and LeDuan, (and the USA, who was there for awhile and then lost stomach, due to many good reasons, and pulled out of the war.)

The only thing they (the Hmong) could do was run, because they had been siding with the USA against the Soviet armed and backed North Vietnamese Army et al.

I guess it was more of a cynical historical thing that I was trying to express.

But what you said is very interesting.

You said "As a listener, I don't care about the soldiers ...", which made me realize that maybe the song could be more generally appealing if I did as you suggest and relegate the soldiers/weapons to a bridge or something, and redo the chorus to wistfully reflect on 'things lost'.

Thanks for that advice. I absolutely don't mind such critical feedback. And I'm going to revise the song.

One thing, I don't understand how it's in any way 'happy' (except in the beginning and possibly in the end)? Could you expound on that please?

But I think I'll keep this one also.

Last edited by kerkenat; 10/31/11 02:44 AM.
If ever a man had it all, it would have to be me, and ooh I love you

Climax Blues Band