Ballad of the USS Firm (MSO-444)

We left Subic on the tenth of May,
Gonna be gone for thirty five days.
South of the Seventeenth ⁽¹⁾ we did stay,
Got to win that medal come what may.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

Boarded and searched junks day and night,
Looking for the Firm’s first fight.
Lite off the twenty four ⁽²⁾ when in doubt,
Made those junk boats come about.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

Boarding junks we were big and bold,
Took on the swifts ⁽³⁾ and our feet got cold.
Gave a tow to six Viet Cong,
Junk Div Eleven made them sing their song.
If the course and fix don’t jive,
Captain’ll get Shaffer with his forty-five.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

When the junk comes not until,
We’ll get a bottle of San Miguel.
Buck ⁽⁴⁾ alongside and they give a cheer,
They got another case of our beer.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

We got chased by a swift V.C.,
Scared the hell right out of me.
North of the Seventeenth we’d be wrong,
Might get shot by the Viet Cong.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

The mighty Firm don’t give a damn,
We’re taking over North Vietnam.
About the only thing that runs,
Are the fish we scare with our Tommy guns.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.

As for a medal I don’t give a damn,
Let’s get the hell out of Vietnam.
If we get to Subic I got a hunch,
A San Miguel’ll make a damn good lunch.
Captain take the Firm ashore,
Can’t stand the South China Sea no more.