Dien Bien Phu Lyrics

Old Ben was a mechanic, he was the best in our small town

But every time you'd see him, he'd give you no more than a frown

They said he drank a fifth of whiskey and a case of beer a day

He was self medicating to make his pain go away

They called him drunk and baby killer, never guessed what he'd been through

In the hills of Dien Bien Phu

In the hills of Dien Bien Phu

Was called serve his country in the fall of '64

Left as a naive young man, and came back as so much more

He loved his wife, he loved his children

Just don't get him mad

His Purple Heart sat in a closet, its memories all were bad

Ripped from his sleep, his screams bloodcurling

He watched all of his crew

Get mowed down in Dien Bien Phu

He lost his friends in Dien Bien Phu

The spring of '97 was the year ol' Ben's wife died

Even at the funeral, no one said that he had cried

The preacher sat him down and told him

Please talk to me, Ben

I was in 'Nam, I know the feelings, and we both lost some friends

Ben said, Padre, all my friends and my faith in God died too

In my time in Dien Bien Phu

In my time in Dien Bien Phu

They sent us out on recon, I had walked those roads before

This time, though, there were some young boys not much older than four

The guns they held, they were not toys, and their eyes showed little fear

Their dying screams were the last things I did hear

The blood, man, the blood

It was thick, like syrup

And you could never wash it off

Ever

The payback from the 'Cong that day came as swift as wildfire

For every child I slaughtered, sacrifice they did require

I saw my whole squad shot down, took a bullet in my leg

Why I was left, I never found out, though for death I did beg

The nightmare haunts me constantly, hell on earth I've been through

Started down in Dien Bien Phu

I'm reliving Dien Bien Phu

A week ago we heard the news that old Ben took his life

Climbed up the bridge at Monmouth Falls, and from it he did dive

He's reunited with his wife now, and with his Army friends

I hope he finally found his peace, and his torture's at an end

Some people damned him for his actions

He did what he had to do

To bring an end to Dien Bien Phu

Silence the screams of Dien Bien Phu

To quell the ghosts of Dien Bien Phu

In the hills of Dien Bien Phu