Agent Orange (My Country Tis Of Thee)

From the Album: Living In A Rich Man’s World

When I was only nineteen
I went to fight a war
Across the great Pacific
To fight on foreign shores
Proud to do my duty
In the infantry
Bound to serve my country
For my country ‘tis of thee

I thought the war was over
But the war has just begun
For my wife and children
For the one’s that I love
They said there was no danger
This I did believe
I was bound to serve my country
My country ‘tis of thee

I fought in the jungles
Where the enemy
Was thought to find shelter
Beneath the forest green
Until our planes flew over
Dropping a herbicide
Known to be Agent Orange
I watched the country die

I thought the war was over
But the war has just begun
For my wife and children
For the one’s I love
They said it would not harm us
No grass, no leaves, no trees
The smell of rotting timber
My country ‘tis of thee

At first I thought it only
To be but a skin rash
That spread across my body
Up my legs and down my back
Until my stomach started aching
As it aches me today
The doctor says I’ve got cancer
Down at the V.A.

I thought the war was over
But the war has just begun
For my wife and children
For the one’s I love
Now we face the future
Not knowing what it might bring
Either love, joy, or sorrow
My country ‘tis of thee

Words & music by Larry Long
Copyright Larry Long 1981; Renewed 2025 / BMI

Agent Orange was the code name for a chemical herbicide used as a defoliant in Vietnam from 1962 until 1971. The herbicide was applied to 17.5 million acres of Vietnam.

The use of Agent Orange was halted by the Pentagon due to adverse health effects. Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange have attributed a variety of medical problems to their exposure including chloracne, cancer, birth defects, mutations, metabolic disorders and kidney dysfunctions.

This song was inspired by the work of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). VVAW was the first veteran’s organization to bring the Agent Orange issue to the nation’s attention. Their Minnesota chapter gave their entire savings to initiate the production of the film “Agent Orange: A Story of Dignity and Doubt”, narrated by Martin Sheen, for which this song is the soundtrack.

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