Veterans Day

Johnny Cash

Transposer:

Well I used to hang out down at the VFW hall And stare at the photographs up on the wall Of the neighborhood boys that died in the wars we’ve been through And the hand lettered sign that said remember Jimmy McGrew Well Jimmy went to Nam back in 1965 But there’s a lot of men here that think Jimmy McGrew’s still alive Though they carved his name on a stone in Washington DC His brother said that stone don’t prove a thing to me It’s veteran’s day and the skies are gray Leave the uniforms home cause there ain’t gonna be a parade But we’ll fill up a glass for the ones that didn’t make it through And leave a light in the window tonight for Jimmy McGrew There’s a hot rain falling on the back streets of Saigon There’s an old soldier stumbling down the alley with his mama-san Lord his eyes are cloudy and his arms are black and blue He’s just hanging by a thread and he looks like Jimmy McGrew It’s veteran’s day and the skies are gray Leave the uniforms home cause there ain’t gonna be a parade But we’ll fill up a glass for the ones that didn’t make it through And leave a light in the window tonight for Jimmy McGrew And keep it burning bright there may still be A lot of Jimmy McGrews over there But we’ll fill up a glass for the ones that didn’t make it through And leave a light in the window tonight for Jimmy McGrew

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La chanson évoque la mélancolie et le souvenir des soldats disparus, notamment à travers l'histoire de Jimmy, un jeune homme parti au Viêt Nam. Elle parle des rencontres au VFW, un endroit où les anciens combattants se rassemblent, et de ces photographies qui rappellent des visages d'hommes tombés au combat. À l'occasion de la journée des anciens combattants, l’artiste souligne l'absence de célébration traditionnelle, préférant honorer la mémoire de ceux qui n’ont pas survécu en levant un verre et en laissant une lumière allumée pour Jimmy. Le contexte de cette chanson est particulièrement poignant, car elle traite des conséquences de la guerre et des luttes internes des vétérans, souvent oubliés, qui portent les cicatrices tant sur le corps que sur l'esprit. Les références au passé de Jimmy et l’atmosphère sombre du jour évoquent la douleur de la perte et l’espoir que leurs sacrifices ne soient pas oubliés.

Le Chansonnier