The song Arizona is dedicated to the crew of the ship USS Arizona, which was sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Please start the video above to hear the song and read the lyric as it plays. Also, please feel free to explore the other tabs, which allow you to obtain a free download of the song, play along wih the song, and learn more about the USS Arizona.
Many thanks for stopping by for a listen!
SW Campbell
The USS Arizona was sunk by the Japanese during their attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The ship has been left in place under the waters of Pearl Harbor - as a memorial to the 1177 crew members who lost their lives that day. Many of them are at rest inside the Arizona.
My wife and I visited Hawaii in 2007 for our 25th wedding anniversary. My father served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II so a visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial was a must.
We stayed for most of a day - and I spent the entire time with a lump in my throat. Particularly moving to me was the fact that crew members who survived the attack and passed away years later have chosen to be laid to rest on the Arizona along with their fellow crew members.
I am an amateur songwriter - and it was during the trip home that it occurred to me to write this song. I consider it to be a gift because it seemed like it was waiting for me to just reach out and grab it. My only goal here is to share it with others.
If you are a musician and would like to play the song yourself, click the Chords and Lyric tab and you're on your way. You can even play along with the song using the player at the bottom of the screen - just use a capo on the second fret of your guitar.
If you'd like to download a free MP3 audio file of the song, there is a tab for that too.
This song is dedicated to the crew of the USS Arizona. There is a "learn more" tab with links to websites of several organizations where you can learn more about the ship and its crew. Please consider making a donation to one of them.
Finally, if you'd like to leave a comment, I'd love to read it.
Thanks,
Scott
Arizona
(c) 2007 by S.W. Campbell (Capo on 2nd fret)
C G Am
We heard the planes just before eight bells
C G C
And December seventh just went to hell
When a bomb hit our forward magazine
It blew me off the deck into the burning sea
F
Some boys on the dock pulled me from harm
C G
And they pulled the skin clean off my arms
In the space of nine minutes my ship was gone
It took twelve hundred of my brothers along
F Em Dm C G
Oh Arizona,
Am G C
One day I'’ll come back to you
I recovered in time to join the war
And I never forgot who I was fighting for
But even when the Missouri left Tokyo Bay
I didn’'t feel my debt was paid
I was discharged home and found my wife
Someone else to save my life
She'’d hold onto me with all her might
When my brothers’ screams woke me at night
Oh Arizona, Arizona
One day I'’ll return to you
I’'m an old man now, ninety three
C
Twenty people trace their name to me
Dm
I’'ve pulled my weight with change to spend
Am
But I never stood the world on end
For over sixty years I’'ve tried
While living an ordinary life
To find the answer I never got
Am G F
Why was I spared when they were not?
Doc tells me I got a year, no more
Then they'’ll slide my urn into turret four
When I meet my brothers on the other side
I got a list of things for them that I'’ll describe
Like pouring your son his first beer
Watching your wife grow more beautiful with each year
The smell of cut grass around your first home
And how it feels the day you pay off that loan
(repeat chords of the previous 4 lines)
Showing your grandson how to hit a ball
Seeing the Red Sox finally take it all
Teaching your granddaughter to tie her shoe
Little things but they’'ll do
Won’t be long till I come back to you
No it won’t be long till I come back to you
This site does not support downloading of music files. However, if you would like to download a free mp3 of the song, you can do so from my Soundclick site:
Click Here
There are a number of sites on the web that provide information about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the history of the USS Arizona. The Wikipedia page is good for a quick overview:
Wikipedia page for USS Arizona
In addition, there are a number of organizations devoted to preserving the history of the USS Arizona and more detailed information about the ship can be found at their web sites. One of my favorites is USSArizona.org, which contains a wealth of material including photographs, survivor stories, historical information, lists, statistics, poems and songs:
USSArizona.org
Pacific Historic Parks supports and funds educational materials, museum exhibits, and interpretive programs for four National Parks throughout the Pacific, one of which is WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which includes the USS Arizona Memorial. Here is a link to their page about the USS Arizona Memorial:
pacifichistoricparks.org
Here is a link to the National Park Service's site for World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which contains more historical information, stories, and descriptions of preservation efforts:
National Park Service site
There are many more web pages devoted to the attack on Pearl Harbor in general and the USS Arizona in particular - but the ones listed above will keep anyone busy for quite awhile. Please consider making a donation to, or purchasing merchandise from, one of these organizations to aid them in preserving the history of the USS Arizona.
Copyright 2007, 2011 by Scott.W. Campbell. Homepage photo from National Archives and Records Administration
my business copyright 2000 no animals were harmed in the making
