UNIT 9 NAVIGATION PAGE
Songs of Protest
"I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag"
Well, come on all of you, big strong men, Uncle Sam needs your help again. He's got himself in a terrible jam Way down yonder in Vietnam So put down your books and pick up a gun, We're gonna have a whole lotta fun. And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we're all gonna die. Well, come on generals, let's move fast; Your big chance has come at last. Now you can go out and get those reds 'Cause the only good commie is the one that's dead And you know that peace can only be won When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come. And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why Whoopee! we're all gonna die. Come on Wall Street, don't be slow, Why man, this is war au-go-go There's plenty good money to be made By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade, But just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb, They drop it on the Viet Cong. And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam. And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why Whoopee! we're all gonna die. Come on mothers throughout the land, Pack your boys off to Vietnam. Come on fathers, and don't hesitate To send your sons off before it's too late. And you can be the first ones in your block To have your boy come home in a box. And it's one, two, three What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam. And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we're all gonna die. |
OVER THERE
Johnnie get your gun, get your gun, get your gun, Take it on the run,
on the run, on the run; Hear them calling you and me; Every son of liberty. Hurry right away, no delay, go today, Make your daddy glad, to have had such a lad, Tell your sweetheart not to pine, To be proud her boy's in line. Chorus: Over there, over there, Send the word, send the word over there, That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming, The drums rum-tumming everywhere. So prepare, say a prayer, Send the word, send the word to beware, We'll be over, we're coming over, And we won't come back till it's over over there. Johnnie get your gun, get your gun, get your gun, Johnnie show the Hun, you're a son-of-a-gun, Hoist the flag and let her fly, Like true heroes do or die. Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit, Soldiers to the ranks from the towns and the tanks, Make your mother proud of you, And to liberty be true. SOURCE: Cohan, George M. "Over There." New York: Leo Feist, 1917. |
Pro-War Songs
SSGT. BARRY SADLER
"The Ballad Of The Green Berets" (SSgt. Barry Sadler and Robin Moore)Fighting soldiers from the sky Fearless men who jump and die Men who mean just what they say The brave men of the Green Beret Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men will test today But only three win the Green Beret Trained to live off nature's land Trained in combat, hand-to-hand Men who fight by night and day Courage peak from the Green Berets Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men will test today But only three win the Green Beret Back at home a young wife waits Her Green Beret has met his fate He has died for those oppressed Leaving her his last request Put silver wings on my son's chest Make him one of America's best He'll be a man they'll test one day Have him win the Green Beret |
We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don't take no trips on LSD We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street; We like livin' right, and bein' free. I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee, A place where even squares can have a ball We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse, And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all We don't make a party out of lovin'; We like holdin' hands and pitchin' woo; We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy, Like the hippies out in San Francisco do. And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee, A place where even squares can have a ball. We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse, And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all. Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear; Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen. Football's still the roughest thing on campus, And the kids here still respect the college dean. We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse, In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. |
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HELLO VIETNAM
Kiss me goodbye and write me while I'm gone
Goodbye my sweetheart, Hello Vietnam. America has heard the bugle call And you know it involves us one and all I don't suppose that war will ever end There's fighting that will break us up again Goodbye my darling, Hello Vietnam A hill to take a battle to be won Kiss me goodbye and write me while I'm gone Goodbye my sweetheart, Hello Vietnam. A ship is waiting for us at the dock America has trouble to be stopped We must stop communism in that land Or freedom will start slipping through our hands Goodbye my darling... I hope and pray someday the world will learn That fires we don't put out will bigger burn We must save freedom now at any cost Or someday our own freedom will be lost Kiss me goodbye and write me while I'm gone Goodbye my sweetheart, Hello Vietnam. |
Anti-war songs
WarWar, huh yeah
What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, oh hoh, oh War huh yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again y'all War, huh good God What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me Oh, war, I despise 'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives War means tears to thousands of mothers eyes When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives I said War, huh good God y'all What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, just say it again War whoa Lord What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreak War, friend only to the undertaker Oh war, is an enemy to all mankind The thought of war blows my mind War has caused unrest within the younger generation Induction, then destruction who wants to die War, good God, y'all What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it, say it, say it War, uh huh, yeah, huh What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker War, it's got one friend that's the undertaker Oh, war has shattered many young man's dreams Made him disabled bitter and mean Life is much too short and precious to spend fighting wars these days War can't give life it can only take it away, ooh War, huh, good God y'all What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again War, whoa, Lord What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker War, friend only to the undertaker Peace love and understanding tell me Is there no place for them today They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there's got to be a better way War, huh, good God y'all What is it good for? You tell 'em, say it, say it, say it, say it War, good Lord, huh What is it good for? Stand up and shout it, nothing War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker Songwriters Strong, Barrett / Whitfield, Norman J. Published by Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant Walk right in, it's around the back Just a half a mile from the railroad track You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant [RECITATION:] This song is called "Alice's Restaurant." It's about Alice, and the Restaurant, but "Alice's Restaurant" is not the name of the restaurant, That's just the name of the song. That's why I call the song "Alice's Restaurant." Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago... two years ago, on Thanksgiving, When my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the restaurant. But Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the church nearby the Restaurant, in the bell tower with her husband Ray and Facha, the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of room downstairs Where the pews used to be, and havin' all that room (seein' as how they took Out all the pews), they decided that they didn't have to take out their Garbage for a long time. We got up here and found all the garbage in there and we decided that it'd Be a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So we took the half-a-ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW Microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction, and headed On toward the city dump. Well, we got there and there was a big sign and a Chain across the dump sayin', "This dump is closed on Thanksgiving," and We'd never heard of a dump closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in Our eyes, we drove off into the sunset lookin' for another place to put the Garbage. We didn't find one till we came to a side road, and off the side of the side Road was another fifteen-foot cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff was Another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile was better than Two little piles, and rather than bring that one up, we decided to throw Ours down. That's what we did. Drove back to the church, had a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, Went to sleep, and didn't get up until the next morning, when we got a phone Call from Officer Obie. He said, "Kid, we found your name on a envelope at The bottom of a half a ton of garbage and I just wanted to know if you had Any information about it." And I said, "Yes sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie. I put that envelope Under that garbage." After speakin' to Obie for about forty-five minutes on The telephone, we finally arrived at the truth of the matter and he said That we had to go down and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and Speak to him at the Police Officer Station. So we got in the red VW microbus With the shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on Toward the Police Officer Station. Now, friends, there was only one of two things that Obie could've done at The Police Officer Station, and the first was that he could've given us a Medal for bein' so brave and honest on the telephone (which wasn't very Likely, and we didn't expect it), and the other thing was that he could've Bawled us out and told us never to be seen drivin' garbage around in the Vicinity again, which is what we expected. But when we got to the Police Officer Station, there was a third possibility That we hadn't even counted upon, and we was both immediately arrested, Handcuffed, and I said, "Obie, I can't pick up the garbage with these here Handcuffs on." He said: "Shut up kid, and get in the back of the patrol Car." And that's what we did . . . sat in the back of the patrol car, and drove to The quote scene of the crime unquote. I want to tell you 'bout the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where this is Happenin'. They got three stop signs, two police officers, and one police Car, but when we got to the scene of the crime, there was five police Officers and three police cars, bein' the biggest crime of the last fifty Years and everybody wanted to get in the newspaper story about it. And they was usin' up all kinds of cop equipment that they had hangin' Around the Police Officer Station. They was takin' plaster tire tracks, Footprints, dog-smellin' prints and they took twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored Glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of Each one explainin' what each one was, to be used as evidence against us. Took pictures of the approach, the getaway, the northwest corner, the Southwest corner . . . And that's not to mention the aerial photography! After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. Obie said he was gonna put us in A cell. He said: "Kid, I'm gonna put you in a cell. I want your wallet and your Belt." I said, "Obie, I can understand your wantin' my wallet, so I don't have any Money to spend in the cell, but what do you want my belt for?" and he said, "Kid, we don't want any hangin's." I said, "Obie, did you think I was gonna Hang myself for litterin'?" Obie said he was makin' sure, and, friends, Obie was, 'cause he took out the Toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself over the head and drown, and he took Out the toilet paper so I couldn't bend the bars, roll the toilet paper out The window, slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie was makin' sure. It was about four or five hours later that Alice--(remember Alice? There's a Song about Alice.)--Alice came by and, with a few nasty words to Obie on the Side, bailed us out of jail, and we went back to the church, had another Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, and didn't get up until the next Morning, when we all had to go to court. We walked in, sat down, Obie came In with the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and Arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, sat down. Man came in, said, "All rise!" We all stood up, and Obie stood up with the Twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures, and the judge walked in, sat Down, with a seein' eye dog and he sat down. We sat down. Obie looked at the seein' eye dog . . . then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10 Colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the Back of each one . . . and looked at the seein' eye dog . . . and then at The twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows And a paragraph on the back of each on and began to cry. Because Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American Blind justice, and there wasn't nothin' he could do about it, and the judge Wasn't gonna look at the twenty-seven 8 by 10 colored glossy pictures with The circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explainin' What each one was, to be used as evidence against us. And we was fined fifty dollars and had to pick up the garbage... in the Snow. But that's not what I'm here to tell you about. I'm here to talk about the draft. They got a buildin' down in New York City called Whitehall Street, where you Walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected and Selected! I went down and got my physical examination one day, and I walked in, sat Down (got good and drunk the night before, so I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning, 'cause I wanted to look like the All-American Kid From New York City. I wanted to feel like . . . I wanted to be the All-American Kid from New York), and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, Brung down, hung up and all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly things. And I walked in, I sat down, they gave me a piece of paper that said: "Kid, See the psychiatrist in room 604." I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I want to kill! I want to see Blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth! Eat dead, burnt bodies! I Mean: Kill. Kill!" And I started jumpin' up and down, yellin' "KILL! KILL!" and he started Jumpin' up and down with me, and we was both jumpin' up and down, yellin', "KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!" and the sergeant came over, pinned a medal on me, Sent me down the hall, said "You're our boy". Didn't feel too good about it. Proceeded down the hall, gettin' more injections, inspections, detections, Neglections, and all kinds of stuff that they was doin' to me at the thing There, and I was there for two hours... three hours... four hours... I was There for a long time goin' through all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly things, And I was just havin' a tough time there, and they was inspectin', Injectin', every single part of me, and they was leavin' no part untouched! Proceeded through, and I finally came to see the very last man. I walked in, Sat down, after a whole big thing there. I walked up, and I said, "What do You want?" He said, "Kid, we only got one question: Have you ever been Arrested?" And I proceeded to tell him the story of Alice's Restaurant Massacree with Full orchestration and five-part harmony and stuff like that, and other Phenomenon. He stopped me right there and said, "Kid, have you ever been to court?" And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy Pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one . . . He stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want you to go over and sit down On that bench that says 'Group W'." And I walked over to the bench there, and there's... Group W is where they Put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after committin' Your special crime. There was all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly-lookin' people on the bench there . . . there was mother-rapers . . . father-stabbers . . . father-rapers! FATHER-RAPERS sittin' right there on the bench next to me! And they was mean And nasty and ugly and horrible and crime fightin' guys were sittin' there On the bench, and the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one . . . the meanest Father-raper of them all . . . was comin' over to me, and he was mean and Ugly and nasty and horrible and all kinds of things, and he sat down next to Me. He said, "Kid, what'd you get?" I said, "I didn't get nothin'. I had to pay fifty dollars and pick up the Garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?" and I said, "Litterin'"' . . . . And they all moved away from me on the bench there, with the hairy eyeball And all kinds of mean, nasty things, till I said, "And creatin' a nuisance . . . " And they all came back, shook my hand, and we had a great time on the Bench talkin' about crime, mother-stabbin', father-rapin', . . . all kinds Of groovy things that we was talkin' about on the bench, and everything was Fine. We was smokin' cigarettes and all kinds of things, until the sergeant came Over, had some paper in his hand, held it up and said: "KIDSTHISPIECEOFPAPERSGOTFOURTYSVENPAGESTHIRTYSEVENSENTENCESFIFTYEIGHTWORDSWEWANTTOKNOWTHEDETAILSOFTHECRIMETHETIMEOFTHECRIMEANDANYOTHERKINDOFTHINGYOUGOTTOSAYPERTAININGTOANDABOUTTHECRIMEWEWANTTOKNOWTHEARRESTINGOFFICERSNAMEANDANYOTHERTHINGYOUGOTTOSAY . . ." And he talked for forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he Said. But we had fun fillin' out the forms and playin' with the pencils on the Bench there. I filled out the Massacree with the four-part harmony. Wrote it down there Just like it was and everything was fine. And I put down my pencil, and I Turned over the piece of paper, and there . . . on the other side . . . in The middle of the other side . . . away from everything else on the other Side . . . in parentheses . . . capital letters . . . quotated . . . read The following words: "Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?" I went over to the sergeant. Said, "Sergeant, you got a lot of god-damned Gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself! I mean . . . I mean . . . I Mean that you send . . . I'm sittin' here on the bench . . . I mean I'm Sittin' here on the Group W bench, 'cause you want to know if I'm moral Enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a Litterbug." He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind! We're gonna send Your fingerprints off to Washington"! And, friends, somewhere in Washington, enshrined in some little folder, is a Study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm singin' you the song now is 'cause you may know Somebody in a similar situation. Or you may be in a similar situation, and if you're in a situation like That, there's only one thing you can do: Walk into the shrink wherever you are, just walk in, say, "Shrink, . . . you Can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant", and walk out. You know, if one person, just one person, does it, they may think he's Really sick and they won't take him. And if two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and They won't take either of them. And if three people do it! Can you imagine three people walkin' in, singin' A bar of "Alice's Restaurant" and walkin' out? They may think it's an Organization! And can you imagine fifty people a day? I said FIFTY people a day . . . Walkin' in, singin' a bar of "Alice's Restaurant" and walkin' out? Friends, They may think it's a MOVEMENT, and that's what it is: THE ALICE'S RESTAURANT ANTI-MASSACREE MOVEMENT! . . . and all you gotta do to join is to Sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar. With feelin'. [CHORUS] |
FORTUNE SON
Some folks are born, made to wave the flag
Ooo, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all But when the taxman comes to the door Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no Yeah, yeah Some folks inherit star spangled eyes Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer "More! More! More!", y'all It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, one It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, one Songwriters: JOHN C. FOGERTY Fortunate Son lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC GROUP, INC FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
There's something happening here What it is ain't exactly clear There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down There's battle lines being drawn Nobody's right if everybody's wrong Young people speaking their minds Getting so much resistance from behind It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down What a field-day for the heat A thousand people in the street Singin"singing songs and carrying signs Mostly say, hooray for our side It's s time we stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you're always afraid You step out of line, the man comes and takes you away We better stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, now, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, children, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Songwriters: STILLS, STEPHEN For What It's Worth lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. The Unknown Soldier
Wait until the war is over
And we're both a little older The unknown soldier Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Unborn living, living, dead Bullet strikes the helmet's head And it's all over For the unknown soldier It's all over For the unknown soldier Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Hut Hut Hut ho hee up Comp'nee Halt Preeee-zent! Arms! Make a grave for the unknown soldier Nestled in your hollow shoulder The unknown soldier Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Bullet strikes the helmet's head And, it's all over The war is over It's all over The war is over Well, all over, baby All over, baby Oh, over, yeah All over, baby Wooooo, hah-hah All over All over, baby Oh, woa-yeah All over All over Heeeeyyyy I SHOULD BE PROUD
I was under the dryer when the telegram came:
"Private John C. Miller was shot down in Vietnam" Through my tears I read: "No more information at this time He's missin' in action somewhere on the Delta Line" And they say that I should be proud; he was fightin' for me They say that I should be proud, those too blind to see But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny didn't have to fight for me He was fightin' for the evils of society Now I prayed night & day that my Johnny wouldn't die Love, faith & hope was all that kept me alive Then 6 weeks later came that cold & heartless letter: "Private Johnny was killed in action, number 54327" And they say that I should be proud; he was keepin' me free They say that I should be proud, those too blind to see But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny didn't have to die for me He was fightin' for the evils of society They shipped him home with medals of honor & glory Even our local paper ran a front-page story But the whole time gave him praisin' & said how honored I should be But I don't want no superstar, just the good man they took from me And they tell me I should be proud; he was fightin' for me They say that I should be proud, those too blind to see But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny didn't have to die for me He's a victim of the evils of society I should be proud of my Johnny They tell me that I should be proud; they just don't want Johnny for me They tell me that I should be proud of my Johnny.. THE COST OF FREEDOM
Daylight again, following me to bed I think about a hundred years ago, how my fathers bled I think I see a valley, covered with bones in blue All the brave soldiers that cannot get older been askin' after You Hear the past a callin', from Ar- -megeddon's side When everyone's talkin' and noone is listenin', how can we Decide? (Do we) find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down (Find the cost of freedom buried in the ground) "Revolution"
You say you want a revolution Well, you know We all want to change the world You tell me that it's evolution Well, you know We all want to change the world But when you talk about destruction Don't you know that you can count me out Don't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright You say you got a real solution Well, you know We'd all love to see the plan You ask me for a contribution Well, you know We're all doing what we can But if you want money for people with minds that hate All I can tell you is brother you have to wait Don't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright, al... You say you'll change the constitution Well, you know We all want to change your head You tell me it's the institution Well, you know You'd better free your mind instead But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow Don't you know know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright |
The photo was taken by Doug Mills, a colleague of mine at The New York Times. Just wrote to him to see if he’ll describe how he managed to capture it.