The copy in the DT has numerous typos and other problems, so I thought I'd post a good copy here:


TALKING VIETNAM POTLUCK BLUES
As recorded by Tom Paxton on "Morning Again" (1968)

Now when I landed in Vietnam,
I hardly got to see Saigon.
They shaped us up and called the roll
And off we went on a long patrol,
Swappin' lies, swattin' flies,
Firin' the odd shot here and there.

The captain called a halt that night,
And we had chow by the pale moonlight.
A lovely dinner they planned for us
With a taste like a seat on a crosstown bus.
Some of the veterans just left theirs layin' in the cans for the Vietcong to find,
Deadlier than a land mine.

Well naturally somebody told a joke
And a couple o' the fellows began to smoke.
I took a whiff as the cloud rolled by
And my nose went up like an infield fly.
The captain, this blonde fellow from Yale, he looked at me and said:
"What's the matter with you, baby?"

"Well, I may be crazy, but I think not.
I'd swear to God that I smell pot,
But who'd have pot in Vietnam?"
He said, "Whaddaya think you been sittin' on?"
These funny little plants....
Thousands of 'em.
Good God almighty!
Pastures of plenty!

Well, we all lit up and by and by
The whole platoon was flyin' high.
With a beautiful smile on the captain's face,
He smelled like midnight on St. Mark's Place,
Cleaning his weapon,
Chanting the Hare Krishna.

The moment came as it comes to all
When I had to answer nature's call.
I was stumbin' around in a beautiful haze
When I met a little cat in black pj's:
Rifle, ammo belt, B.F. Goodrich sandals.
He looked up at me and said: "What's the matter with you, baby?"

He said: "We're campin' down the pass
And smelled you people blowin' grass
And since, by the smell, you're smokin' trash,
I brought you a taste of a special stash
Straight from Uncle Ho's vict'ry garden.
We call it Hanoi gold."

So his squad and my squad settled down,
Passed some lovely stuff around.
All too soon it was time to go.
The captain got on the radio,
Said: "Hello, headquarters!
We have met the enemy and he has been smashed!"

[The above is a studio recording. There is a "live" recording on "The Best of Tom Paxton: I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Elektra Years" (2005), but the differences are very minor.]