Galveston Bay
For fifteen years Le Bin 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 cast 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
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
Settled on the same streets and worked the coast they'd 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 Le 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 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 cast his nets into the water
Of Galveston Bay
Baía de Galveston
Por quinze anos Le Bin Son
Lutou lado a lado com os americanos
Nas montanhas e deltas do Vietnã
Em '75 Saigon caiu e ele deixou seu comando
E trouxe sua família para a terra prometida
Seabrook, Texas e as pequenas cidades no Golfo do México
Era país de delta e o lembrava de casa
Trabalhou como mecânico, guardou seu dinheiro
E comprou um barco de camarão com seu primo
E juntos eles colheram a Baía de Galveston
De manhã, antes do sol nascer
Ele beijava sua filha adormecida
Navegava pelo canal
E lançava suas redes na água
Billy Sutter lutou com a Companhia Charlie
Nas montanhas de Quang Tri
Ele foi ferido na batalha de Chu Lai
Enviado de volta pra casa em '68
Lá ele se casou e trabalhou nas águas de pesca do golfo
Em um barco que tinha sido de seu pai
De manhã ele beijava seu filho adormecido
E lançava suas redes na água
Billy assistia à TV enquanto o Sul caía
E os comunistas entravam em Saigon
Ele e seus amigos viam os refugiados chegarem
Se estabelecerem nas mesmas ruas e trabalharem na costa onde cresceram
Logo nos bares ao redor do porto se falava
De América para os americanos
Alguém disse: "Se você quer que eles saiam, tem que queimá-los."
E trouxeram o Klan do Texas
Numa noite úmida no Texas, havia três sombras no porto
Vieram queimar os barcos vietnamitas no mar
À luz do fogo, tiros ecoaram
Dois texanos caíram mortos no chão
Le ficou com uma pistola na mão
Um júri o absolveu em legítima defesa
Enquanto diante do juiz ele se apresentava
Mas quando Le desceu as escadas do tribunal
Billy disse: "Meu amigo, você é um homem morto."
Numa noite de verão, Le ficou de vigia à beira da água
Billy estava nas sombras
Com sua faca K-bar na mão
E a lua se escondeu atrás das nuvens
Le acendeu um cigarro, a baía estava calma como vidro
Enquanto passava, Billy enfiou a faca no bolso
Respirou fundo e deixou-o passar
Na escuridão da manhã, Billy se levantou
Foi à cozinha pegar um copo d'água
Beijou sua esposa adormecida
Seguiu para o canal
E lançou suas redes na água
Da Baía de Galveston