Bubba's Shrimp Song ( The Lost Vietnam Tape )
Create a warm, nostalgic Southern folk ballad as if recorded on a worn Vietnam-era cassette tape. Soft male vocals with a gentle Alabama drawl, singing a simple, heartfelt shrimp lullaby to a friend during the war. Acoustic guitar is the main instrument: slow strumming, loose timing, intimate and imperfect. Add ambient Vietnam rain and distant helicopter hum, low and subtle. Tone is tender, humorous, and bittersweet—like a front-porch family song carried into a battlefield. Mix in light tape hiss, crackle, and slight warble for authenticity. Chorus should feel playful but emotional, with a steady, comforting rhythm. Overall mood: humble, homey, warm, and tragic in hindsight.
Bubba's Shrimp Song ( The Lost Vietnam Tape )
Create a warm, nostalgic Southern folk ballad as if recorded on a worn Vietnam-era cassette tape. Soft male vocals with a gentle Alabama drawl, singing a simple, heartfelt shrimp lullaby to a friend during the war. Acoustic guitar is the main instrument: slow strumming, loose timing, intimate and imperfect. Add ambient Vietnam rain and distant helicopter hum, low and subtle. Tone is tender, humorous, and bittersweet—like a front-porch family song carried into a battlefield. Mix in light tape hiss, crackle, and slight warble for authenticity. Chorus should feel playful but emotional, with a steady, comforting rhythm. Overall mood: humble, homey, warm, and tragic in hindsight.
Lyrics
By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe © 2026 Mark Damon Bitkower. Lyrics & written content are original and owned by the author. All rights reserved. No reproduction, redistribution, or use without prior written permission. 🐰🌙𝕵𝖆𝖈𝖐𝕽𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖎𝖙 𝕾𝖑𝖎𝖒𝖘🌙🐰
Recorded 1967 — Found in an ammo crate in Bayou La Batre, 2025
(Written in Bubba’s soft, warm Southern drawl — simple, sweet, heartfelt. You should hear it like a front-porch lullaby whispered between monsoon rain and machine-gun fire.)
[Verse 1 – Soft, humming, like he’s easing Forrest’s nerves]
Mmm-hmm… Forrest, now you listen close,
Back home they say the bayou knows
A lullaby that keeps you safe
When the world’s gone loud and wild.
My mama sang it to my choir,
Granddaddy hummed it by the fire,
And now I’ll sing it in this mire,
’Cause you my runnin’ child.
[Chorus – Gentle, rhythmic, almost playful]
Shrimp boil, shrimp fry, shrimp stew in a cast-iron sky,
Shrimp gumbo keep your spirit warm
When the thunder roll and the bullets storm.
Shrimp sauté in a pan so clean,
Shrimp jambalaya for the whole damn team,
And if we make it out alive, my friend,
We’ll eat shrimp ’til the world turn green.
[Verse 2 – War around them, but Bubba keeps his tone soft]
Forrest, hear them choppas spin,
Rain hittin’ us on the skin,
But in my house the kitchen grin
Would drown a night like this.
Mama’d stir that roux so slow,
Daddy’d teach me nets to throw,
And all that shrimp we’d haul, you know,
Was love in every dish.
[Chorus – Bubba tapping his helmet like a drum]
Shrimp boil, shrimp fry, shrimp stacked to the Delta sky,
Shrimp on rice with a squeeze of lime,
Make a soldier dream of home in time.
Shrimp on bread with a butter shine,
Shrimp in a pot with a pinch o’ brine…
Forrest, if we make it back someday,
I’ll cook you everything of mine.
[Bridge – Quiet; monsoon rain in the background]
If this war take me, Forrest boy,
Don’t you cry none for my sake.
Just promise me you’ll carry home
This song my mama used to make.
Tell ’em Bubba sang it proud,
Far from bayou, far from crowd,
Tell ’em shrimp kept our hearts loud
In this cold, wet place.
[Final Chorus – Whispered, knowing, tender]
Shrimp boil, shrimp fry…
Shrimp keep a good man standin’ high…
If I don’t see that bayou shine,
Give my love down the family line.
But if we make it home again,
Forrest, you my lifelong friend…
And we’ll eat shrimp ’til time run thin…
Amen.
Amen.