Jimmy Cliff sang this at the Glastonbury Festival on June 24, 2011, changing the title of his 1960s anti-war hit Vietnam to Afghanistan. His uncompromising anti-war message was broadcast to a huge TV audience.
Lyrics
Hey, Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Yesterday I got a letter from my friend fighting in Afghanistan
And this is what he had to say
“Tell all my friends that I’ll be coming home soon
My time’ll be up some time in June”
“Don’t forget”, he said, “To tell my sweet Mary
Her golden lips are sweet as cherry”
And it came from, Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan
It was just the next day his mother got an email
It was addressed from Afghanistan
Now Mistress Brown, she lives in the USA
And this is what they wrote and said
She said “Don’t be alarmed”, she told her the email said
‘But Mistress Brown, your son is dead’
And it came from Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Afghanistan, hey, Afghanistan
Somebody please stop that war now
In Iraq, in Jerusalem, in Libya, in Syria
In Pakistan, in Sudan
People got to stop the war
People got to stop the war
I remember Vietnam, I remember Vietnam
I remember Vietnam, I remember Vietnam
Somebody stop the war, stop the war, stop the war