Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Soldier's Joy

Usually I like to post music videos on the weekend for a little fun. This one ain't for fun.

"Soldier's Joy" is one of the oldest and most widely distributed tunes in the English-speaking world. It's usually played on a fiddle as a reel or country dance tune.

This is the first time I've heard words put to it. Guy Clark is a singer-songwriter of note, and he has crafted a powerful anti-war lyric about pain, trauma, PTSD and addiction in Veterans, very applicable today. Some things never change, the difference between a Minié ball or an IED is just a matter of changing times. The damage to the soldier is very similar, given the advances in medical care.

One big difference between then and now is that opiates were legal and common. When the Civil War Vets were sent home, they were pretty much on their own and did the best they could to cope or forget. Today, that kind of self-medication will get a Vet locked up.

I first heard this a coupla months ago and have looked for it on YouTube occasionally since. It was posted on YouTube last week. I could not have asked for a better presentation.

Soldier's Joy, 1864




Thank you, lanechaffin.

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