Cold Chisel – Khe Sanh Lyrics - Genius

2024, In ReviewFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign UpKhe SanhCold ChiselTrack 2 on The Best of Cold Chisel: All for You 

Producer

Peter WalkerKhe Sanh documents the struggle of a Vietnam war veteran, returning to Australia and a normal civilian life. The track (released in 1978) is not just Cold Chisel’s most… Read More May 19781 viewer104.7K views31 Contributors

Khe Sanh Lyrics

[Verse 1]I left my heart to the sappers round Khe SanhAnd my soul was sold with my cigarettesTo the black market manI've had the Vietnam cold turkeyFrom the ocean to the Silver CityAnd it's only other vets could understand[Verse 2]About the long forgotten dockside guaranteesHow there were no V-Day heroes in 1973How we sailed into Sydney HarbourSaw an old friend but couldn't kiss herShe was lined, and I was home to the lucky land[Verse 3]Well she was like so many more from that time onTheir lives were all so emptyTill they found their chosen oneAnd their legs were often openBut their minds were always closedAnd their hearts were held in fast suburban chains[Verse 4]And the legal pads were yellowHours long, pay-packets leanAnd the telex writers clatteredWhere the gunships once had beenBut the car parks made me jumpyAnd I never stopped the dreamsOr the growing need for speed and novocainYou might also like[Verse 5]So I worked across the country end to endTried to find a place to settle downWhere my mixed up life could mendHeld a job on an oil-rigFlying choppers when I couldBut the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend[Verse 6]And I've travelled round the world from year to yearAnd each one found me aimlessOne more year the worse for wearAnd I've been back to South East AsiaAnd the answer sure ain't thereBut I'm drifting north, to check things out againYes I am![Verse 7]Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneAnd only seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong KongThere ain't nothing like the kissesFrom a jaded Chinese princessI'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long[Verse 8]Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneYou know the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneAnd it's really got me worriedI'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurryAnd the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone[Outro]Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneYou know the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneIt's really got me worriedI'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurryYou know the last plane out of Sydney's almost goneEmbedCancel

How to Format Lyrics:

• Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
• Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
• Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
• Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
• If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

AboutGenius Annotation1 contributor

Khe Sanh documents the struggle of a Vietnam war veteran, returning to Australia and a normal civilian life.

The track (released in 1978) is not just Cold Chisel’s most famous hit, but is also one of the most popular tracks recorded by an Australian act. In 2018, the radio station Triple M named it the most Australian song of all time, ahead of Men at Work’s “Down Under”.

Despite it being a cultural phenomenon, at the time, the adult themes lead to heavy censorship, meaning the track only reached #41 on the Australian charts.

Expand +8Share

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Ask a questionWho produced “Khe Sanh” by Cold Chisel?When did Cold Chisel release “Khe Sanh”?Who wrote “Khe Sanh” by Cold Chisel?The Best of Cold Chisel: All for You (2018)Cold Chisel

1. 1. Standing on the Outside
2. 2. Khe Sanh
3. 3. When The War Is Over
4. 4. Bow River
5. 5. Rising Sun
6. 6. Lost
7. 7. Star Hotel
8. 8. All For You
9. 9. Saturday Night
10. 10. No Plans
11. 11. Choirgirl
12. 12. Conversations
13. 13. Merry-Go-Round
14. 14. Janelle
15. 15. No Sense
16. 16. Water Into Wine
17. 17. Letter To Alan
18. 18. The Last Wave Of Summer
19. 19. Cheap Wine
20. 20. Flame Trees
21. 21. Forever Now
22. 22. Breakfast At Sweethearts
23. 23. Yakuza Girls
24. 24. Four Walls
25. 25. Long Dark Road
26. 26. Ita
27. 27. The Perfect Crime
28. 28. You Got Nothing I Want
29. 29. My Baby
30. 30. Home and Broken Hearted
31. 31. The Things I Love In You
32. 32. Everybody
33. 33. Shipping Steel
34. 34. HQ454 Monroe
35. 35. One Long Day
36. 36. Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)
37. 37. The Party’s Over

Expand CreditsProducerPeter WalkerWriterDon WalkerGuitarIan MossBackground VocalsIan MossHammond OrganDon WalkerPianoDon WalkerHarmonicaDave BlightAcoustic GuitarPeter WalkerBassPhil SmallDrumsSteve PrestwichLead VocalsJimmy BarnesComposerDon WalkerReleased inMay 1978TagsRockIn EnglishAustraliaBlues RockHard RockExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up