19 Lyrics - Paul Hardcastle

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war but it wasn't 

It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting 

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26 

In Vietnam he was 19 

In-in-in Vietnam he was 19 

The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks continued today 

25 miles west of Saigon 

I really wasn't sure what was going on 

Ni-ni-ni 19, 19, ni-19 19 

19, 19, 19, 19 

In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served 

A twelve month tour of duty 

But was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday 

Ni-ni-ni 19, Ni-ni-ni 19 

Hundreds of thousands of men who saw heavy combat 

In Vietnam were arrested since discharge 

Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age 

There are no accurate figures of how many of these men 

Have been incarcerated 

But a Veterans Administration study 

Concludes that the greater of vets 

Exposure to combat could more likely affect his chances 

Of being arrested or convicted 

This is one legacy of the Vietnam War 

All those who remember the war 

They won't forget what they've seen 

Destruction of men in their prime 

Whose average was 19 

De-de-destruction 

De-de-destruction 

War, war 

De-de-destruction, wa, wa, war, wa, war, war 

De-de-destruction 

War, war 

After World War II the men came home together on troop ships 

But the Vietnam vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat 

Perhaps the most dramatic difference between 

World War II and Vietnam was coming home 

None of them received a hero's welcome 

None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of them 

Ne-ne-ne, ne-ne-ne, none of them, none of them, none of them 

None of them received a hero's welcome 

None of them received a hero's welcome 

According to a Veteran's Administration study 

Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what 

Psychiatrists call 

Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder 

Many vets complain of alienation, rage or guilt 

Some succumb to suicidal thoughts 

Eight to ten years after coming home 

Almost eight hundred thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam War 

De-de-destruction 

Ni-ni-ni 19, 19, ni19 19 

19, 19, 19, 19 

Ni-ni-ni 19, 19, ni-19 19 

19, 19, 19, 19 

When we came back it was different, everybody wants to know 

"How'd it happened to those guys over there 

There's gotta be something wrong somewhere 

We did what we had to do 

There's gotta be something wrong somewhere 

People wanted us to be ashamed of what it made us 

Dad had no idea what he went to fight and he is now 

All we want to do is come home 

All we want to do is come home 

What did we do it for? 

All we want to do is come home 

Was it worth it