They all chose to be there
To bring a needed lift
A song, a dance, a shoulder bare
Each brought a special gift

If we didn’t get to see them
Jungle telegrams spread the news
So lonely boys could remember when
Girls wore dainty high-heeled shoes

And if we were in an area
Where the show could still go on
Two hours of down home happiness
Was worth a week of Viet Cong

When the news reached the grunts out bush
They’d curse and give a downtrod’ look
Then heave a sigh with eyes awash
Their faces open, a well-read book

They’d say:

I would not deny their impossible dream
The singing, dancing, and Showtime bands;
Of pretty ladies busting out at the seams
But this Marine’s ticket - a gun in hand

For those of us deep out in the sticks
Had to ‘skip the light fandango’ to survive
We had to perform our own magic tricks
By just wishin’ and stayin’ alive

But:

They acknowledged that the love from home
Was shown in the hearts of entertainers;
When they had entered a hell of their own
And their smiles, of home were a reminder.

They brought with them a short reprieve
From the rigors of the war
Then saddened soldiers watched them leave
But remembered what they wore

Now years have passed and time has flown
So if you stood upon that stage
Accept our thanks, and know you’ve grown
As sweet wine does with age!