Galveston Bay

For 15 years Lee Bin Son fought side by side with the Americans
In the mountains and deltas of Vietnam
In '75 Saigon fell and he left his command
And brought his family to the promised land

Seabrook, Texas is the small town in the gulf of Mexico
It was delta country and reminded him of home
He worked as a machinist
Put his money away and bought a shrimp boat with his cousin
And together they harvested Galveston bay

In the mornin' 'fore the sun come up
He'd kiss his sleepin' daughter
Steer out through the channel
And cast his nets into the water

Billy Sutter fought with Charlie company
In the highlands of Quang Tri
He was wounded in the battle of Chu Lai
Shipped home in '68

There he married and worked the gulf fishing grounds
In a boat that'd been his father's
In the morning he'd kiss his sleeping son
And cast his nets into the water

Billy sat in front of his TV as the South fell
And the communists rolled into Saigon
He and his friends watched as the refugees came
Settled on the same streets
And worked the coast they'd grew up on

Soon in the bars around the harbor
Was talk of America for the Americans
Someone said, "You want 'em out, you got to burn 'em out"
And brought in the Texas klan

One humid Texas night there were three shadows on the harbor
Come to burn the Vietnamese boats into the sea
In the fire's light shots rang out two, Texans lay dead on the ground
Lee stood with a pistol in his hand

A jury acquitted him in self-defense
As before the judge he did stand
But as he walked down the courthouse steps
Billy said, "My friend, you're a dead man"

One late summer night Lee stood watch along the waterside
Billy stood in the shadows, his k-bar knife in his hand
And the moon slipped behind the clouds

Lee lit a cigarette, the bay was still as glass
As he walked by Billy stuck his knife into his pocket
Took a breath and let him pass

In the early darkness Billy rose up
Went into the kitchen for a drink of water
Kissed his sleeping wife, headed into the channel
And cast his nets into the water of Galveston bay