Badtux the Snarky Penguin

In a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin.

Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Jennifer Lost The War

Dead children at My Lai, March 16, 1968

A dead child in Iraq

I came across an interesting song while cleaning up my hard drive.

"Jennifer Lost The War"
The Offspring, album: The Offspring.
Jennifer lost the war today
They'll find her burned and raped
Through it all she must have wondered
What have I done
But nobody really cares today
The world's a busy place
Guess she must have really sinned
I guess we're all just soldiers
She was only six years old
Left to die by strangers
Her family waits
And if we're all just soldiers
Is it so wrong to be afraid
Jennifer lost the war
Phoebe lost the war today
There must be some mistake
Say it happens all the time
And it's said and done
Little Miss 15 65
Your soul remains unclaimed
Guess you must have really sinned
Morality won't help her
When she lies silent in a morgue
And all our sorrows left her
But will the morning headlines
Even say that it's a shame
What are we heading for
Jennifer lost the war
Seen it all before
Silent on the ground as he's walking away
And I wonder how many more
Everybody take it like it's nothing at all
Jennifer lost, lost, lost, lost the war
Now I guess we're all just soldiers
She was only six years old
Left to die by strangers
Her family waits
And will the morning headlines
Even say that it's a shame
What are we heading for

Primal punk. I've seen video of them singing this song in 1987. Yes, twenty years ago. And My Lai was almost forty years ago. The more things change... (And yes, I know the backstory on this song, which had nothing to do with a literal war, but even if you don't know the backstory, the fact is that the same damned thing just keeps happening over and over again).

-- Badtux the Music Penguin

Labels: iraq, music, the human condition

Posted by: BadTux / 6/11/2007 12:51:00 AM

Comments:

"Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam".

Dave
# posted by Anonymous : 11/6/07 8:55 AM

Indeed.
# posted by BadTux : 11/6/07 9:10 AM

Post now updated with Dave's input.
# posted by BadTux : 11/6/07 9:14 AM

I was 2.
# posted by angry ballerina : 11/6/07 10:13 AM

Sometimes only poetry will do....

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
# posted by The Gentlemen Thug : 11/6/07 10:31 AM

Things will get better.

After mankind destroys himself.

And the spirit of the planet is just bugs and critters again.

I've never seen that song, thanks for sharing.
# posted by BBC : 11/6/07 3:40 PM

I doubt you would like the song, BBC. It is rather punk. And frankly if your world view is that damned depressing as to think there is no hope for humanity it's a wonder you haven't offed yourself yet.

Thug, some turn to poetry. Others turn to music. Which is, I suppose, poetry of a sort. The Offspring are not everybody's ball of wax, but they've been very successful at writing -- and selling -- bitter sarcastic songs about the human condition. Occasionally they even manage to thrash decently.

-Badtux the Music Penguin
# posted by BadTux : 11/6/07 5:20 PM

thanks for sharing the song -- i was around for viet-nam and stated at the beginning of iraq-nam it would be that same stupid shit all over again...

no one listens...the media tells them it's good -- go ahead and support the president...sigh

i do wonder if we will ever learn?
# posted by azgoddess : 12/6/07 10:02 AM

"And frankly if your world view is that damned depressing as to think there is no hope for humanity it's a wonder you haven't offed yourself yet."

But, I have. You clearly have not followed my blog much or you would have noticed that.
# posted by BBC : 12/6/07 7:54 PM

Honor Roll

Technorati embed?

Liberated Iraqis

Children celebrate liberation of parents
More pics of children celebrating
Liberated baby
Liberated women and children
More liberation, yessiree
More to follow, after I finish cursing SOB chickenhawks and get my breath back...

"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce." -- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

-- Plato

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