"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place"

Every two to three months, Army brass sent us from the jungle to the VIP Center in Bien Hoa for three days.  They called it an R&R, a place where combat soldiers go to rest & recuperate from fighting the war.  

Evenings were spent at the club drinking beer and watching Vietnamese rock-and-roll bands.  None of them played very well so to add some interest, they had go-go dancers.  I don't think any of the band members could speak English very well.  That didn't stop them however from mimicking the latest British and American rock-and-roll tunes. 

It was weird watching them play something like "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly.  But it was all we had.   There was one song they did however, that never seemed weird.  We requested that song every night.  The song was, "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" by the Animals.  We all loved hearing it because the lyrics related to our time in Vietnam.

If you don’t know the song, you need to listen to it on You Tube.  It builds in intensity,

beginning with a base guitar lick that grabs you right from the start.  The lyrics, "In this dirty old part of the city, where the sun refuse to shine" are delivered slow, low and easy.  It starts to crank as drums then lead guitar and finally organ are added.  The lyrics move with the music describing a story of pain and despair.  We are all feeling it, mesmerized by it, because the story relates to the pain of where we are.  Finally the refrain hits and every guy in that club, filled with emotion, join with the band and belt out, "We gotta get out of the place.., If it's the last thing we ever do.., We gotta get out of the place.., Cause girl, there's a better life, For me and you."       

It was absolutely draining singing that song but at the same time, it felt so dam good.