Lyrics:

They fought the longest war in american history
They fought the longest war in american history
In 1965, Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war
But it wasn't
It was different in many ways, and so were those who did the fighting
In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was twenty-six
In Vietnam, he was nineteen
In-in-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was nineteen

In-in-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was nineteen
In-in-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was nineteen
N-n-n-n-nineteen
The heaviest fighting of the past two weeks continued today twenty-five miles northwest of Saigon
I wasn't really sure what was going on
N-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen
N-nineteen, nineteen

In Vietnam, the combat soldier typically served a twelve month tour of duty
But was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday

Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)

In Saigon, an US military spokesman said today, more than 700 enemy troops were killed last week in that sensitive border area
Throughout all of South Vietnam the enemy lost a total of 2,689 soldiers
Ah
N—, n—, nineteen, nineteen
You're eighteen years old and you're wearing somebody's brains around on your shirt because they got their head blown up right next to you
And that's not supposed to affect you
I can never understand
But what scared me is that if we were to send a group of eighteen year olds twelve-thousand miles away and subject them to a year of that obscenity and have them not be affected, that's what would frighten me

All those who remember the war
They won't forget what they've seen
Destruction of men in their prime
Whose average age was nineteen
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-destruction
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-destruction

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

D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-destruction
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-destruction
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them, none of them
*Sampling*
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome

Nineteen
Saigon, Saigon
S-S-S-S-Saigon, Saigon
S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-Saigon
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen (Nineteen)
Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nineteen

(Okay, buddy)

Vietnam, S-S-Saigon
Vietnam, S-S-Saigon
Vietnam, S-S-Saigon
Vietnam, S-S-Saigon
Purple Heart, Saigon
P-P-Purple Heart, S-S-S-Saigon
I wasn't really sure what was going on
I wasn't really sure what was going on