"The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by Terry Nelson and music by pick-up group C-Company.
It starts with Calley's childhood and how being a part of the war and fighting for your country was an aspiration for young children.
Finally, it ends by saying that Calley was not to blame; he was only following orders and he thought it was an honor to fight at first, but there was no purpose or reward in doing so.
Nelson then speaks as Calley, describing himself as a persecuted and forgotten soldier resentful of anti-war protesters and politicians who gave away battlefield victories at the negotiating table.
"Calley" then gives a false account of the sustained and deliberate massacre of noncombatants at My Lai as an incident of battlefield collateral damage caused by non-uniformed enemy firing from amidst civilians.