Bruce Springsteen - Galveston Bay lyrics

Fifteen years Le Bing Son

Fought side by side with the Americans

In the mountains and deltas of Vietnam

In '75 Saigon fell

and he left his command

And brought his family to the promised land

Seabrook Texas and the small towns

in the Gulf of Mexico

It was delta country and reminded him of home

He worked as a machinist, put his money away

And bought a shrimp boat with his cousin

And together they harvested Galveston Bay

In the mornin' 'fore the sun come up

He'd kiss his sleepin' daughter

Steer out through the channel

And casts his nets into the water

Billy Sutter fought with Charlie Company

In the highlands of Quang Tri

He was wounded in the battle of Chu Lai

And shipped home in '68

There he married and worked the gulf fishing grounds

In a boat that'd been his father's

In the morning he'd kiss his sleeping son

And cast his nets into the water

Billy sat in front of his TV as the south fell

And the Communists rolled into Saigon

He and his friends watched as the refugees came

Settle on the same streets and worked the coast they grew up on

Soon in the bars around the harbor was talk

Of America for Americans

Someone said, "You want 'em out, you got to burn 'em out"

And brought in the Texas klan

One humid Texas night there were three shadows on the harbor

Come to burn the Vietnamese boats into the sea

In the fire's light shots rang out

Two Texans lay dead on the ground

Le stood with a pistol in his hand

A jury acquitted him in self defense

As before the judge he did stand

But as he walked down the courthouse steps

Billy said "My friend, you're a dead man"

One late summer night Le stood watch along the waterside

Billy stood in the shadows

His K-bar knife in his hand

And the moon slipped behind the clouds

Le lit a cigarette, the bay was as still as glass

As he walked by Billy stuck his knife into his pocket

Took a breath and let him pass

In the early darkness Billy rose up

Went into the kitchen for a drink of water

Kissed his sleeping wife

Headed into the channel

And casts his nets into the water