Story Behind The Song
Jack was my friend, and he was never the same after Vietnam due to emotional and physical wounds. He walked with a limp, and he found solace in alcohol and drugs, and so this quite intellectual man never realized his potential. He was killed in a car accident in 1989, but I feel he was another fatality of the war.
Song Description
It is a story about an American soldier who died in Vietnam. There was a custom for American soldiers who were killed in Vietnam. When a soldier died in combat his buddies would take his boots off and nail them to a tree to honor his death. This is a musical story about a little bird who found a home in a fallen American's boots that where nailed to a tree. The soldiers name was Jack.
| Song Length |
3:50 |
Genre |
Pop - Alternative |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Poignant, Disconcerted |
Subject |
War, Life |
| Similar Artists |
The Beatles, The Byrds |
Language |
English |
Lyrics
He never talked about it much - his bum leg.
He just dragged it from place to place.
He spent two years in a jungle hell;
it's only here he feels out of place in this civilized land.
Yeah, already...
Now there's a little bird living in Jack's boot.
Nailed 'em to a tree to let the world know he was here.
Now there's a little bird living in Jack's boot.
He was dead when he died, left his soul on a battlefield.
In a faraway land there is a bloody trail.
Broken bodies mark the way.
Good soldiers they nail their boots to a tree.
Just their way to commiserate in this civilized land.
What a pity.
Now there's a little bird living in Jack's boot.
Nailed them to a tree to let the world know he was here.
Now there's a little bird living in Jack's boot.
He was dead when he died, left his soul on a Saigon field