Cold Chisel - Khe Sanh

I  left  my  heart  to  the  sappers  round  Khe  Sanh
And  my  soul  was  sold  with  my  cigarettes  to  the  blackmarket  man
I've  had  the  Vietnam  cold  turkey
From  the  ocean  to  the  Silver  City
And  it's  only  other  vets  could  understand

About  the  long  forgotten  dockside  guarantees
How  there  were  no  V-dayheroes  in  1973
How  we  sailed  into  Sydney  Harbour
Saw  an  old  friend  but  couldn't  kiss  her
She  was  lined,  and  I  was  home  to  the  lucky  land

And  she  was  like  so  many  more  from  that  time  on
Their  lives  were  all  so  empty,  till  they  found  their  chosen  one
And  their  legs  were  often  open
But  their  minds  were  always  closed
And  their  hearts  were  held  in  fast  suburban  chains
And  the  legal  pads  were  yellow,  hours  long,  paypacket  lean
And  the  telex  writers  clattered  where  the  gunships  once  had  been
But  the  car  parks  made  me  jumpy
And  I  never  stopped  the  dreams
Or  the  growing  need  for  speed  and  novacaine

So  I  worked  across  the  country  end  to  end
Tried  to  find  a  place  to  settle  down,  where  my  mixed  up  life  could  mend
Held  a  job  on  an  oil-rig
Flying  choppers  when  I  could
But  the  nightlife  nearly  drove  me  round  the  bend

And  I've  travelled  round  the  world  from  year  to  year
And  each  one  found  me  aimless,  one  more  year  the  more  for  wear
And  I've  been  back  to  South  East  Asia
But  the  answer  sure  ain't  there
But  I'm  drifting  north,  to  check  things  out  again

You  know  the  last  plane  out  of  Sydney's  almost  gone
Only  seven  flying  hours,  and  I'll  be  landing  in  Hong  Kong
There  ain't  nothing  like  the  kisses
From  a  jaded  Chinese  princess
I'm  gonna  hit  some  Hong  Kong  mattress  all  night  long

Well  the  last  plane  out  of  Sydney's  almost  gone
Yeah  the  last  plane  out  of  Sydney's  almost  gone
And  it's  really  got  me  worried
I'm  goin'  nowhere  and  I'm  in  a  hurry
And  the  last  plane  out  of  Sydney's  almost  gone