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Lyr Req: War Correspondent (Eric Bogle)

DigiTrad:
A COUNTRY SONG
BLOODY ROTTEN AUDIENCE
BOGLED
DO YOU KNOW ANY BOB DYLAN?
FRONT ROW COWBOY
GLASGOW LULLABY
IF WISHES WERE FISHES
LEAVING NANCY
NO MAN'S LAND
NO MAN'S LAND (3)
NO USE FOR HIM
NOBODY'S MOGGY NOW
NOBODY'S MOGGY'S LAND (No Moggy's Land)
NOW I'M EASY
SAFE IN THE HARBOUR
SILLY SLANG SONG
SOLDIER, SOLDIER
THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA
THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA (2)
THE SONG OF THE WHALE
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
WILLIE MCBRIDE'S REPLY


Related threads:
(origins) Origins: Leaving Nancy (Eric Bogle) (11)
Lyr Add: Owd Zither (from Eric Bogle) (7)
ADD: My Youngest Son Came Home Today (Eric Bogle) (20)
Origins: Do You Know Any Dylan? (Eric Bogle) (26)
Chord Req: Somewhere in America (5)
Lyr Add: As If He Knows (Eric Bogle) (7)
Lyr Req: Traditional Folksinger's Lament (E Bogle) (15)
Lyr/Chords Req: songs by Eric Bogle (8)
Lyr Req: Cuddy River Reverie (Eric Bogle) (7)
Origins: Now I'm Easy (Eric Bogle) - 'cocky' (42)
Lyr Req: Shelter (Eric Bogle) (12)
Lyr Req: The Road to El Dorado (Eric Bogle) (7)
Lyr ADD: Across the Hills of Home (Eric Bogle) (13)
The Big mansion house on the hill Bogle (4)
Lyr Req: As If He Knows (Eric Bogle) (8)
Lyr Req: Kissing English Arses Talking Blues (11)
Lyr Req: Little Gomez (Eric Bogle) (20)
Lyr Req: Singing the Spirit Home ... (33)
No Man's Land - Check The Lyrics (76)
Chords Req: Vanya (Eric Bogle) (3)
Lyr/Chords Req: Eric Bogle:Only Susan learned (4)
Lyr Req: Jingle Jangle (Eric Bogle) (3)
Chord Req: Campbell's Daughter (Eric Bogle) (15)
Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics (32)
Lyr Req: Since Nancy Died (Eric Bogle) (9)
Lyr Req: Wee China Pig (Eric Bogle) (7)
Lyr Add: The Dreamer (Eric Bogle) (1)
Lyr Add: Nobody's Moggy Now (Eric Bogle)^^^ (43)
Lyr Req: Endangered Species (Eric Bogle) (7)
Lyr Add: Little Gomez (Eric Bogle) (8)
Lyr/Chords ADD: One Small Star (Eric Bogle) (15)
Lyr/Chords Req: several Eric Bogle songs (15)
Found, Eric Bogle Lyrics (11)
Chord Req: All the Fine Young Men (Eric Bogle) (11)
Lyr Add: Aussie Bar-B-Q (Eric Bogle) (11)
Lyr/Chords: Somewhere In America (Bogle) (5)
Lyr Req: Hard Hard Times (Eric Bogle) (16)
Info: If Wishes Were Fishes (Eric Bogle) (20)
Lyr Req: Feed the Children (Eric Bogle) (13)
Lyr Req: Scraps of Paper (Eric Bogle) (11)
Recordings: Bogle - 'One Small Star' (3)
Lyr Req: Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo-Eric Bogle (8)
Lyr Req: Freedom Makes Slaves (Eric Bogle) (3)
Lyr Req: Always Back to You (Eric Bogle) (12)
Lyr Req: Unsung Hero & Heart of the Land (E Bogle) (11)
Lyr Req: The Song of the Whale (Eric Bogle) (6)
Lyr/Chords Req: Welcome Home (Eric Bogle) (5)
Lyr Req: Santa Bloody Claus (Eric Bogle) (14)
Lyr/Chords Req: Short White Blues (Eric Bogle) (9)
Lyr Add: Ice Queen (Bogle) (9)
Chord Req: Jimmy Dancer (Eric Bogle) (3)
Lyr Req: Going Back to Dublin (Eric Bogle) (2)
Lyr Req: Plastic Paddy (Eric Bogle) (56)
Chord Req: Standing in the Light (Eric Bogle) (1)
Lyr Req: Just Not Coping (Eric Bogle) (5)
Lyr Req: Australian Through and Through (E Bogle) (17)
Lyr Add: I Hate Wogs (Eric Bogle) (38)
Lyr Req: If Wishes Were Fishes (Eric Bogle) (15)
Lyr Req: Journeys (Eric Bogle) (4)
Lyr Req: The Reason for It All (Eric Bogle) (3)
lyr/chords: Leaving the Land (Eric Bogle) (11)
Lyr Req: Wee China Pig (Eric Bogle) (5)
Lyr Req: Dedication Day (Eric Bogle) (5)
Lyr Req: Campbell's Daughter (Eric Bogle) (4)
Lyr/Chords Req: Rosie (Eric Bogle) (10)
ADD: Across the Hills of Home (McArthur/Bogle) (7)
Lyr Req: Silly Slang Song (Eric Bogle) (6)
Tab Req: Now I'm Easy (Eric Bogle) (4)
Lyr Req: Never Again -- Remember (Eric Bogle) (9)
Lyr Req: The Barbie Song (Eric Bogle) (2) (closed)
Lyr Req: Harry's Wife (Eric Bogle) (3)
Lyr Req: The Great Aussie Takeaway (Eric Bogle) (9)
Lyr Req: Safe In The Harbour (6)
Eric Bogle parodies (16)
Lyr Add: Leaving Nancy (Eric Bogle) (4)
Lyr Req: Leaving Nancy (Eric Bogle) (5)
Lyr Add: Mary and Me (Eric Bogle) (1)
Lyr Add: Belle of Broughton (Eric Bogle) (1)
ADD: The Hero's Return (Belfast Song) (Bogle) (3)


Amergin 25 Oct 03 - 04:13 PM
Susanne (skw) 25 Oct 03 - 07:36 PM
Jim Dixon 27 Oct 03 - 10:05 AM
Jim Dixon 28 Oct 03 - 08:11 PM
Bob Bolton 28 Oct 03 - 09:58 PM
Rapparee 29 Oct 03 - 10:53 AM
Amergin 29 Oct 03 - 07:47 PM
Bob Bolton 30 Oct 03 - 07:40 AM
Amergin 30 Oct 03 - 02:05 PM
Jim Dixon 30 Oct 03 - 07:09 PM
GUEST 31 Oct 03 - 11:38 PM
GUEST,LIzzy 26 Jun 23 - 02:55 PM
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Subject: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Amergin
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 04:13 PM

In this thread: Santa Bloody Claus there was a request for the song The War Correspondent...and I know some one aoround here as the words... ;)

thanks.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 07:36 PM

I've got the album but I haven't got the words down on paper (or rather, computer screen). It'll take me a few days (she said, hoping someone would beat her to it :-)


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Subject: Lyr Add: WAR CORRESPONDENT (Eric Bogle)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 10:05 AM

The entire song can be downloaded from a site called The Australian Involvement in Vietnam. I've transcribed it, with a few holes where I stumbled because I'm not familiar with Aussie or cricket jargon.

WAR CORRESPONDENT
(Eric Bogle)

Good evening. I'm ... with the news from the ABC.
A record profit's been announced by the board of BHP,
And the second cricket test ...
While the drought in western New South Wales means dearer cuts of meat,
And our special correspondent in Saigon
Says three Australian soldiers have died in Vietnam.

And the special correspondent sat in the Saigon bar.
With the help of Johnny Walker, he pushed away the war.
And questions with no answers that have rattled round his head
Have lost their urgent clarity, and are faded round the edge.
Though tomorrow they'd again be sharp and clear,
Tonight they have been lost amongst the ... and the beer.

Ask a silly question, like why the hell you're here,
Learning how to live with death, suffering, and fear
For war's a game for soldiers. It's not for men like you.
Is it something that you have to find, something you must prove?
Or are you hooked upon the adrenaline
That living on the edge of dying brings?

But here you are in Vietnam. You're a long way from home,
Doing what you're paid to do the best way that you can.
Objectively you watch the war, never taking sides.
What you feel, what you really feel, is hidden deep inside,
For you're not being paid to moralize,
And anyway a man can lose his reason asking why.

And if you ever get back home, you'll never be the same.
The man that was before Vietnam can never be again.
And in ten years when you look back to weigh and count the cost,
Perhaps you'll see that Vietnam gave you back more than you lost.
And from it, if you learn nothing else,
Perhaps you may get to know yourself.

Roll up, roll up, and see the show. TV soldiers in a row.
Hear them laugh and hear them cry. Watch them run and see them die.
It's not in colour, but that's all right. War's better viewed in black and white.
White for us, and black for them, with no grey shadows in between.

[Recorded by Eric Bogle on "Now I'm Easy" Larrikin CD CDRF-041 (originally issued as an LP 1980).]


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 08:11 PM

Refresh. Can anyone fill in the words I missed? They're indicated by an ellipsis (...) in the lyrics above.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 09:58 PM

G'day Jim,

The link you provided is to a download, so I can't access it from my work machine. I'll 'trace' this thread and pick up the missing words at home. I have four different Eric Bogle song books ... and this is in one ... possible the (~ 1980) first one.

Anyway, I'm fairly sure the name missing from the first line is Ross Symon(d)s (give or take spelling error!) I guess I should also post a MIDItext of the tune ... ?

Regards,

Bob Bolton


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Rapparee
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:53 AM

" Tonight they have been lost amongst the ... and the beer."

The missing word is "bargirls."


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Amergin
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 07:47 PM

Well thanks...Jim bob, and rapaire...there is still a missing line that like Jim I can't quite get...

I clicked on that link to the site Jim posted...and found a song called I was Only 19 by Redgum...that shook the tears from my eyes....very powerful song...think I'll have to look more into Redgum...


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 07:40 AM

G'day Amergin,

I'm actually at home (back from the shanty session on the 1880s square-rigger James Craig).

I've got the first Eric Bogle Song Book (OK - this is the Irish rip-off copy the songs of eric bogle, but it's mostly a direct facsimile). Here's a corrected copy:

WAR CORRESPONDENT
(Eric Bogle)

Good evening. I'm Ross Symons with the news from the ABC.
A record profit's been announced by the board of BHP,
In the the second cricket test in Perth, the Aussies face defeat
Whilst the drought in western New South Wales means dearer cuts of meat,
And our special correspondent in Saigon
Says three Australian soldiers have died in Vietnam.

And the special correspondent sat in a Saigon bar.
With the help of Johnny Walker, he'd pushed away the war.
And questions with no answers that had rattled round his head
Have lost their urgent clarity, and were faded round the edge.
Though tomorrow they'd again be sharp and clear,
Tonight they had been lost amongst the bar girls and the beer.

Ask a silly question, like why the hell you're here,
Learning how to live with death, suffering, and fear
For war's a game for soldiers, it's not for men like you.
Is it something that you have to find, something you must prove?
Or are you hooked upon the adrenalin
That living on the edge of dying brings?

But here you are in Vietnam. You're a long way from home,
Doing what you're paid to do, the best way that you can.
Objectively you watch the war, never taking sides.
What you feel, what you really feel, is hidden deep inside,
For you're not being paid to moralise,
And anyway a man can lose his reason asking "Why".

And if you ever get back home, you'll never be the same.
The man that was before Vietnam can never be again.
And in ten years when you look back to weigh and count the cost,
Perhaps you'll see that Vietnam gave you back more than you lost.
And from it, if you learn nothing else,
Perhaps you may get to know yourself.

Roll up, roll up, and see the show.
TV soldiers in a row.
Hear them laugh, hear them cry.
Watch them run, see them die.
It's not in colour, but that's all right.
War's better viewed in black and white.
White for us, and black for them,
with no grey shadows in between.

(I think I picked up most of the corrections!)

Regards,

Bob Bolton


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Amergin
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 02:05 PM

ah, Thanks, Bob! and thanks everyone else too!


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 07:09 PM

Bar girl! Ha! I thought it sounded like "bargle". I almost asked, what the heck is a bargle? I thought maybe "bargle" was a name for some strange snack food that they serve in Aussie bars.

Anyway, it's a good song. Funny, I'd never heard it before, although during the Vietnam War I was sort of a peacenik and was familiar with many American antiwar songs. I guess I wasn't aware there was any antiwar sentiment in Australia in those days. Heck, I was barely aware there were any Australians in Vietnam.

Sorry, I guess it's just a reflection of how self-centered the US news media are. Maybe I'll educate myself someday.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent-Eric Bogle
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 11:38 PM

At the beginning, I've always thought it was "Good evening, I'm on asignment"...

And thanks.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: War Correspondent (Eric Bogle)
From: GUEST,LIzzy
Date: 26 Jun 23 - 02:55 PM

I know this thread is from a long time ago, but it still comes up in the first page of Google results - thank goodness! (Mudcat to the rescue, yet again!) I downloaded the lyrics pdfs from Mr. Bogle's site, but I could hear a couple of syllables in the line about the cricket that I couldn't get - 'in Perth.' Thanks, Bob, for posting the lyrics from your book! (I may not have allowed for Mr. Bogle's accent...lol)

I've known this song for a long time, but recently I was struck by a set of lines that has only felt so significant in very recent years (especially since late 2020 into 2021, and now again since February 2022, and I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone what events I'm referring to!):

-------
Objectively you watch the war, never taking sides.
What you feel, what you really feel, is hidden deep inside,
For you're not being paid to moralise,
-------

Too many 'reporters' and 'journalists' have forgotten that THIS is their mandate - to report the FACTS, and not their opinions. Yes, explaining the facts is sometimes needed - I recently saw a news segment where the reporter began by relating the history that had led up to the latest development, but interpreting them through their own potentially distorted lens is not appropriate, and TRUTH above all, thank you very much, reporters and journalists! The truth, the WHOLE truth, and NOTHING but the truth.

And I either came up with a good rule of thumb or found it somewhere and have forgotten - if you know what side the reporters or journalists are on most of the time (not their guests, though), then probably best to change the channel/buy a different newspaper. (Of course, there are exceptions - a certain war is being disapproved of by the vast majority of reporters and journalists, and with good reason.)

So, slightly more philosophical/political turn this thread gained, but I just found it interesting and good that what is needed from the media is immortalised in this song.


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