Hey boys
Turn on that rock’n’roll!
Riding in the back of an open jeep
Gotta keep my eyes open, can’t think of sleep
In the middle of the night or in the light of day
If a car tries to pass I’m gonna blow him away
No funny business
Take your eyes off the road and you can get blown sky-high
This enemy means business
But one false move and he can kiss his life goodbye
Put your clip in, load your gun
You’re going into Lebanon
This ain’t no picnic you’re going on
You don’t take chances in Lebanon
Somebody with experience
Can tell you more than some yutz who kvetches about what he doesn’t know
You gotta be there to believe it
And see the real thing, not the political sideshow
Put your clip in, load your gun ...
All is quiet on the northern front
And I’m looking down on a wide green valley
Watching the sunset over the sea from a hilltop outpost
This country is so damn beautiful but just as deadly
Put your clip in, load your gun ...
©2024 The Hesh Inc.
L: Looking over my FN-MAG. Mt. Hermon barely visible on the horizon. R: My driver and I after we reached our destination.
On February 4, 1986, one of my officers approached me and told me to get ready to take a ride into Lebanon. I was to ride on he back of a jeep protecting a supply caravan, and he gave me three simple orders: (1) Do not let anybody pass. (2) If they signal or otherwise get ready to pass, aim the gun at them and gesture to them to stop. (3) If they actually attempt to pass, open fire, period. Take no chances on drive-bys, ambushes, or kidnaps. It was my first trip into the war-torn country and quite honestly, I was terrified. But I kept my cool, kept my eyes on the road, and didn't let anyone pass. There was no need to open fire ... the locals were well aware of the situation.
Fortunately there were no incidents on my trip. We reached our destination, the caravan unloaded its cargo, and we returned safely to Israel.
In retrospect, I got lucky. Many Israelis and Lebanese lost their lives during that time. One friend of mine on patrol not far away from where I was saw three comrades kidnapped right in front of his eyes. You could not let your alertness slip for a second in that place.
As for the song itself ... I scribbled the lyrics once I returned to base, with the music for The Doors' version of "Who Do You Love" in mind. Never played.
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