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Lyrics
Just a fuzzy-wuzzy teddy bear I found upstairs today And it brought sweet happy mem'ries back to me Was my baby's fondest playmate And for hours they'd sit and play And I'd hold'em both together on my knee
Gone though is his childhood and his life on Earth is done Somewhere in Korea 'cross the sea But I still have fuzzy-wuzzy teddy bear, his favorite chum And it brings sweet happy mem'ries back to me
Many hours they played together, then to bed after a prayer And I'd have to kiss old fuzzy-wuzzy too He would laugh with glee and hug his fuzzy-wuzzy teddy bear Then I'd dim the lights, their busy day was through
"Somewhere in Korea" that's the way the message read Blinding tears were fallin' from my eyes They were sorry but they had to tell me that my boy was dead And so far away from home tonight he lies
Oh it seems like only yesterday they played upon the floor He and fuzzy-wuzzy sharing every toy Days I never will forget, if I live a million more When I pictured him to be my pride and joy Proud he died a hero, but no joy prevails tonight Somewhere in Korea is his grave Now old fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear sits all alone tonight And seems to share the bitter truth so brave
Analysis
“When I pictured him to be my pride and joy Proud he died a hero, but no joy prevails tonight Somewhere in Korea is his grave”
This line stands out to me as it makes the distinction so often overlooked between pride in ones sacrifice and happiness. It presents the war in a way that could be viewed as anti-war, but in truth it seems to be neither. It just relates the sorrow of a father who lost his son in Korea. He does not show a preference toward withdrawing or continuing the fight. The man just misses his son. Still, this song
could be viewed as anti-war in that it shows all one can lose to conflict and the damage it can cause. Foreign policy wise it shows no sway for or against the Truman Doctrine and containment. The song was more focused on the experiences a father of a soldier killed in action went through. As such it never quite expands to the level of world wide politics.
Fuzzy-Wuzzy Teddy Bear answers how war can affect the individual and the costs of war. War cost lives, and the people whose lives were lost were precious to someone. The people who loved them lose an important part of their lives and often families. All they are left with, as the song mentions, are happy memories. It is hard to really say I agree or disagree with the message of this song, as it is just relating an experience. This song does provide a thorough description of loss though. A precious family member dies, and you know their body rests somewhere far off and incredibly violent. This would make it especially hard to find closure, as you may never see the body. In addition, I enjoyed the way it showed how all soldiers were children once. It is easy to separate them when a grown man in uniform and a child when you are detached from their lives.