"Napalm Sticks to Kids" is a call and response running cadence occasionally used in the U.S. military.[1] The earliest recorded example is from 1972. A version containing a third verse is found in the final draft of the script for the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, but only two verses made it into the film. The line of "Dow Chemical don't give a shit" was changed to "chemical service don't...", most likely to avoid liability[citation needed].
It, in part, goes:
Bomb the village
Kill the people
Throw some napalm in the square
Do it on a Sunday morning
Kill them on their way to prayer
Ring the bell inside the schoolhouse
Watch the kiddies gather round
Lock and load with your 240
Mow them little motherfuckers down
This ironic song was influenced by the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo taken in June 1972, showing Vietnamese children fleeing from a South Vietnamese Air Force napalm attack.
Recorded versions[]
- Gravedigger album by Janus (German band, 1971)
References[]
- ↑ The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving In Iraq. Helen Benedict, Beacon Press, p. 37
- Lyrics on Digital Tradition Page
- Burke, Carol. 1989. "Marching to Vietnam," Journal of American Folklore 102(406): 424-441.
The original article can be found at Napalm Sticks to Kids and the edit history here.