Shooting From the Shadows (c)
Music Chas Williams Lyrics Chas and Wings Williams
This story is true. Michael Ronald “Wings” Williams was one of the initial 26 NZ SAS sent TO Vietnam in the late 1960s.The more oblique lines will become clear when his book is published- hopefully soon.
We left in the dead of night
With barely a soul to testify
Twenty Six- on a secret flight
With no allowed to even wave goodbye.
Nui Dat..? Means “hill of clay”..
Don’t know for sure if it’s even there today..
But the “Long Green”and the “Horseshoe”…?
I know damned well (they) won’t be referred to
It was long ago … and far away..
Seems though like yesterday.
Memories of patrol remain fixed to my soul
As do the faces of the “left behind”
But it never did pay to mix… with the “Faceless 26”
We only moved with one objective in mind.
Ah but “wait a while” and a voice from out of no where
Kept me from being misled
Leaving me years of endless wonder…
Oh i know these things.. aren’t just inside my head.
It was long ago… and far away
Seems though like yesterday
I Came back.. in the dead of night
Wound so tight i ended sleeping’ on the floor
Trying my best to forget
Many things not forgotten yet…
All that shit that goes in hand with war.
Violin/Piano solos
Well you can change the place
And you can change to day
and in time we’ll just fade away
But time won’t change that Viet conclusion…
(YEAH,,,)We must have seemed an illusion.
It was long ago…and far away..
But WE… were the ghosts of grey.