She was a young teenager during the war in Vietnam who sang the songs of war and tragedy, of yearning for peace and mourned all the death and destruction through her soulful songs that made her famous in Vietnam so I thought of introducing her to the world and present to you one of her most loved songs.
There was a young beautiful girl called Khanh Ly in Vietnam. She had a haunting voice and mesmerised people with her tragic songs about the war in Vietnam in 1967. I was just a young man serving there as a volunteer agronomist and heard about the young girl who sang so passionately about the war and how it was devastating her beautiful land.
It was a war like no other. It rained down bombs on people everywhere. It destroyed lives and scarred the landscape. It brought pain and untold misery to people who were fighting for their freedom and a chance to live in peace. Everyday the bodies came back in coffins to be buried by the grieving mothers, sisters, wives and grandparents. Everyday new graves were dug in forgotten corners of the land but the war continued.
Prisons were filled with people who only wanted peace. The pain and cries of people could not be heard beyond the prison walls who were being tortured. Such were the anguish the young girl sang about in her mournful and haunting songs that resonated through the land but she was vilified for wanting peace. The writer of such songs was a young man called Trinh Cong Son but it was Khanh Ly who gave life to the lyrics.
Very few people outside Vietnam have ever heard of Khanh Ly and her songs. Often I thought of how many Khanh Lys are out there who are so wonderful people who the world has never heard of and thought, what if you heard her once and understood what she sang ?
She is old now and her lilting voice has taken its toll but she still sings and appears in TV shows. An American who loves Vietnam and the songs of Trinh Cong Son has translated many of his songs and sings himself on Vietnam TV has made it his lifetime quest to let the world know the beauty of Khanh Lys songs.
I now bring you one of her most famous songs for you to listen to and think deeply about the meaning of the words. Many of you have never known the war in Vietnam but ask your fathers, brothers and husbands who served there. They will tell you how horrible it was.
But Vietnam now is at peace and is a beautiful country.
The lyrics: Xin cho toi (Please give me)
Xin cho my che đủ phận người
Xin cho ti một sng trời vui
Xin cho ti đến tận nụ cười
Cho ti qun một nấm mộ tươi
Please cover enough people
Please give me a good morning
Please let me smile
Let me forget a fresh grave
Xin cho ti xin vạn lần rồi
Một gc ny chỉ biết rong chơi
Xin cho ti yn phận ny thi
Xin cho ti yn ngủ một ngy
Please let me last ten times
This corner is just playing
Please give me this peace
Please let me sleep for a day
Xin cho đm khng c đạn bay
Xin cho chim gp nhạc về trời
Xin cho ti l kiếp của my
Xin cho ti ra khỏi cuộc đời
Please have no bullets in the night
Please let birds sing to the heaven
Please let me be the clone of clouds
Please let me out of life
Để bao giờ trời đất yn vui
Xin cho ti xin lại cuộc đời
Cho ti đi xy lại chuyện tnh
Cho ti đi nng dậy ha bnh
To ever happy land and heaven
Please let me regain my life
Let me go rebuild love stories
Let me go revive peace
Cho ti đi qua tận gập ghềnh
Nhn dng mu trong tim anh
Cho ti xin tay mẹ nồng nn
Cho ti nghe chn trẻ rộn rng
Let me go through hardships
Seeing the blood in your heart
Please let me hold my mothers hands
Please let me hear children’s footsteps running
Cho qu hương giấc ngủ thật hiền
Rồi từ đ ti yu em
Xin cho ti nguyn vẹn hnh hi
Cho ti nghe lời ht cỏ cy
Please let my homeland sleep peacefully
From there, I love you
Please let me remain intact
Let me hear the song of grass
Xin cho ti qun phận t đy
Xin cho ti l thong rượu cay
Xin cho ti xin cả cuộc đời
Một hm no trẻ ht trong ni
Please let me forget my imprisonment
Please let me be spicy wine
Please let me have a lifetime
So one day a child may sing in the cradle
Xin cho ti xin chỉ một ngy.
Please allow me just one day.
Hope you can feel the pain through her song and her words. Khanh Ly will always remain one of my favorites.
I want you to also listen to the beautiful song called the Air de liberte by Jean Ferrat who brought to focus the atrocities of the war in Vietnam like perhaps no one could.