Shadow Of A Man

Album: The Grand Pecking Order (2001)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a Vietnam veteran named Billy. He marries a woman, but both of their children are stillborn, implied to be a result of Billy's exposure to "Agent Orange" during the war; he then turns to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to cope with the loss. The repeated chorus ("Billy came back from Vietnam just a shadow of a man...") suggests that he is haunted by his experiences both during and after the war.

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