A very rare studio recording of Cold Chisel's most iconic song: Khe Sanh. It was only ever included on an early edition of the USA vinyl pressing of the "East" album, being released in 1981. This international version featured a different track listing, with no "Ita" or "Four Walls", but instead includes a re-recorded version of Khe Sanh. The main difference between this version, and the original more commonly heard version featured on their debut 1978 album, is the cut of Don Walker's keyboard intro. This solely leaves Ian Moss' slide guitar break. Jimmy Barnes' vocals were also newly recorded, as well as a new organ solo by Don Walker.

I digitalized this track myself from the vinyl, as I couldn't find it anywhere already on the internet. The static background sound seems unavoidable.

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Here's the lyrics:

I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand

About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-day heroes in 1973
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour
Saw an old friend but couldn't kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land

And she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, till they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long, paypacket lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
But the car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine

So I worked across the country end to end
Tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
Held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend

And I've travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless, one more year the more for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia
But the answer sure ain't there
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again

You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Only seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong
There ain't nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long

Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Yeah the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
And the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone

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