A stranger in town
Flew in from Bangkok, wheels down
Heads into town
A few hours to kill
In the Buddha Bar and Grill
Bring him the bill
He’s about to get ill
Some social media bluster
“You’re a time bomb, buster”
Heart of the Buddha Bar cluster
The fever struck him and a dozen more
Quarantine followed as per the law
Testing teams went door to door
Get him to the hospital, before he hits the floor
Now here’s where it goes bad fast
“Ventilate me now” he asked
His doctors steadfast
His story makes it to a national broadcast
Most places thirty days is days too late
In that state
A flick of the switch is your fate
But this is Ho Chi Minh City, and he lasts sixty-eight
He fell asleep in April, woke up in June
To the sounds of scooters, smells of monsoon
The virus worldwide in full bloom
He’s ready to give up his room
A bullet he would not expect to dodge
But this is Vietnam, and no one’s died on their watch
Who is he? This Stephen Cameron
Well, here he’s better known as
Patient ninety-one
Steve White & The Protest Family 