Boonie Rat Song
Performer(s): Chuck Rosenberg



I landed in this country
With one year of life to give
My only friend a weapon
And my only prayer, to live
I walked away from freedom
The life that I had known
I saw the weary faces
Of the others going home
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
300 days more or less
Then I'm going home
My first few days were busy
As they psyched my mind for war
I sometimes got the feeling
They're trying to tie the score
I learned to look for danger
In the trees and on the ground
I learned to feel with terror
When you hear an A-K round
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
300 days more or less
Then I'm going home
First day in my unit
I climbed a two klick hill
To find an enemy soldier
To capture, wound or kill
The air was clear and humid
The sun was hot and dry
Ten times I cursed my rucksack
And prayed that I could die
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
200 days more or less
Then I'm going home
I've humped the hills in sunshine
In mud and wind and rain
Some days have passed so quickly
That I thought they never came
My eyes are often weary
My feet are racked with pain
My back is bad and crooked
From the loaded rucksack strain

Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
200 days more or less
Then I'm going home
At night I lie back tired
And I gaze up at the sky
I hear the mortars thumping
And I see the rockets fly
I hope that Charlie's sleeping
And the last thing that I pray
That the night will pass all quiet
And I'll see another day
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
100 days more or less
Then I'm going home
"Above The Rest" is our motto
And "Airborne" is our cry
Freedom is our mission
For this we do or die
The Boonie Rat's a legend
For now and times to come
Where there there's a soldier
He will think of what he's done
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
50 days, I'm getting short
Then I'm going home
My tour is almost over
And I slowly count each day
As I leave the field and say goodbye
To friends along the way
They say there'll always be a war
I hope they're very wrong
To the Boonie Rats of Vietnam
I dedicate this song
Boonie Rat, Boonie Rat
Scared but not alone
Today I see my Freedom Bird
Today, I'm going home