today's earworm

[low_delta]

I Bombed Korea, by Cake

I bombed Korea every night.
My engine sang into the salty sky.
I didn't know if I would live or die.
I bombed Korea every night.

I bombed Korea every night.
I bombed Korea every night.
Red flowers bursting down below us.
Those people didn't even know us.
We didn't know if we would live or die.
We didn't know if it was wrong or right.
I bombed Korea every night.

And so I sit here at this bar.
I'm not a hero. I'm not a movie star.
I've got my beer. I've got my stories to tell,
But they won't tell you what it's like in hell.

Red flowers bursting down below us.
Those people didn't even know us.
We didn't know if we would live or die.
We didn't know if it was wrong or right.
We didn't know if we would live or die.
I bombed Korea every night.

Comments

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I like their first two records the best. I think they improved, musically, on the second, but that's not to say I like it better. I found their third to be... dull? and lost interest. From what little I heard, it seems like their fourth was better.

This weekend, someone told me the story of why the US went to war there (just pathetic), and then this song played on my way to work this morning.

[ex-friedrich47.livejournal.com]

I never thought that it was that much different than Vietnam, although there was an actual Chinese military presence there whereas with the North Vietnamese there was external support but few actual foreign troops for us to fight.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

The story that I was told was that US intervention/invasion caused the North/South split. And there really hadn't been an enemy before that.

Check back in a couple of days. I intend to do some research and post about it.

[ex-friedrich47.livejournal.com]

I believe it is true that the split is an artificial one which we insisted upon, sort of like the "Iron Curtain" in Europe. Korea had been occupied repeatedly by foreign powers, and I think we just replaced the Japanese and tried to keep out the Chinese at that point.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I can't find any confirmation of the story I was told.

Here's what I find:
By mid-1949 all Soviet and American troops were withdrawn, and two rival Korean governments were in operation, each eager to unify the country under its own rule. In June, 1950, the North Korean army launched a surprise attack against South Korea, initiating the Korean War.

[ex-friedrich47.livejournal.com]

I found a somewhat different story here (http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/cn-korea.htm) to the effect that South Korea with our support crossed the 38th parallel after routing the North Korean invasion. China then supported North Korea after North Korean forces had been forced back into Chinese territory. Complicated

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

I don't like the second album. The third has moments. The fourth has more. Many more, frankly. But nothing beats "Ruby Sees All" or "Mr. Mastodon Farm". I think "Mr. Mastodon Farm" might be one of my all time favorite songs because the lyrics are so brilliant.

Re: Second Album--I love "Italian Leather Sofa".

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

I don't like the second album. The third has moments. The fourth has more. Many more, frankly. But nothing beats "Ruby Sees All" or "Mr. Mastodon Farm". I think "Mr. Mastodon Farm" might be one of my all time favorite songs because the lyrics are so brilliant.

Re: Second Album--I love "Italian Leather Sofa".