Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

In our previous post to feature this artist, it was mentioned how Patrick Sky’s political point of view had become more radical toward the end of the 1960s as the American involvement in Vietnam escalated. Naturally, the more radical Sky’s views became, the more radical his lyrics became. When Sky finished recording tracks in March 1971 for his forthcoming album, Songs That Made America Famous, the radical lyrics within lead to rejection from several record labels who refused to pick up the album for distribution. Eventually, in 1973, Sky decided to release the album on his own record label, Rainbow Collection, and eventually got it picked up by Adelphi Records. With its radical lyrics and limited promotion, the album didn’t sell as well as it could have in a more lenient market, such as today’s.

Written by Dave Van Ronk (and eventually recorded/released by him in 1994), the first recording and release of the song was the version recorded by Patrick Sky in 1971 and heard below. Initially, Vank Ronk was intended to appear with Sky on the song, but for reasons not mentioned, it never happened. There’s a live version of the song which features both Van Ronk and Sky from a tour they did together in 1973, but the version heard below is the original featuring only Patrick Sky and released on his 1973 album, Songs That Made America Famous.



Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

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Lyrics:

When I came back from Luang Prabang
I didn’t have a thing where my balls used to hang
But I got a wooden medal and a fine harangue
And now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

And now the boys all envy me
I fought for Christian Democracy
With nothing but air where my balls used to be
But now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

One and twenty cannon thunder
Into the bloody, wild, blue yonder
For a patriotic ball-less wonder
Now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

In Luang Prabang there is a spot
Where the corpses of your brothers rot
And every corpse is a patriot
And every corpse is a hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

The Mascots - This Proud Crowd (1966)

Previously featured on this site, this group was virtually unknown to the English-speaking world in the 1960s. Hailing from Sweden, The Mascots predominately sang in English, but never quite managed to break into the English-speaking market. They released numerous singles in Sweden (with some to large, local success) and even a couple full length albums.

The song below was never released as a single, but was instead featured as the second track on the group’s second album, cleverly titled Ellpee and released in 1966. The song was written by Stefan Ringbom, the group’s lead vocalist and guitarist. The song also featured the rest of the band’s core members: Karl Gunnar Idering on guitar, Anders Forsslund on bass, Rolf “Boffe” Adolfsson on drums, and all of the members performing backing vocals.

Editor's Note: These lyrics are difficult to decipher. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below.



The Mascots - This Proud Crowd (1966)

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Lyrics:

Moving down the city way
Taking seats there every day
Buying clothes because they’re “in”
Having “out” ones is a sin
Digging new songs every week
And then you are a real
Member of this proud crowd

Old originality
Was once started, it I see
Someone said I shall break out
And then everyone broke out
Forming troops of self-sane people
And becoming all
Members of this proud crowd

You gotta like these things that’s new
That’s what you can do
Maybe they’re too much of things
Oh, forget it, cut my strings
But some things happen, though
It’s not the old way you will know
Maybe that too much at all
I think I’ll do an outlaw

No more thinking for oneself
‘cause one never is oneself
Doing things the others do
Joining parties, getting blue
Having lots of fun, I know
Because I am somehow
A member of this proud crowd

You gotta like these things that’s new
That’s what you can do
Maybe they’re too much of things
Oh, forget it, cut my strings
But some things happen, though
It’s not the old way you will know
Maybe that too much at all
I think I’ll do an outlaw

No more thinking for oneself
‘cause one never is oneself
Doing things the others do
Having parties, getting blue
Having lots of fun, I know
Because I am somehow
A member of this proud crowd

A member of this proud crowd

Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction (1965)

Barry McGuire was born on October 15, 1935 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but moved to California at the young age of two years old. In the early 1960s, McGuire performed in a folk duo with Barry Kane, calling themselves Barry & Barry. In 1962, both McGuire and Kane joined a larger folk group known as The New Christy Minstrels. In 1965, McGuire left the Minstrels, wanting to record more political-oriented, serious music. He started off with a bang, as, that summer, he recorded what would be his most well-known song, “Eve of Destruction,” heard below. Its release propelled McGuire into international stardom, but unfortunately the artist would never again break into the Top 40. His lustrous career has spanned more than five decades, resulting in more than twenty-five albums.

Written by P. F. Sloan in 1964, this song was first offered to The Byrds, who were known to record political songs such as this one. However, The Byrds declined and the song was thus first recorded and released by The Turtles, whose version you can hear in one of our previous posts. As it was, the version recorded and released by Barry McGuire in July 1965 garnered the most success. Surprisingly, the version with McGuire was also only a rough draft.

In mid-July 1965, some members of The Wrecking Crew had recorded the music for “Eve of Destruction” for McGuire to use, and McGuire ran through the vocals off of a crumbled piece of paper to get a feel for the song. He only recorded one take, but sometime later that day, his rough cut was leaked to a DJ and the song became an instant hit overnight. Ultimately, the song went to number one in the United States and has since been widely regarded as an iconic anthem encompassing the mood of many during the 1960s.



Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction (1965)

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Lyrics:

The eastern world- it is explodin'
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'?
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin'

But ya tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, ya don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Don'tcha understand what I'm tryin' to say?
And can't you feel the fears that I'm feelin' today?
If the button is pushed, there's no runnin’ away
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around ya, boy; it's bound to scare ya, boy; and ya

Tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, ya don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'
I'm sittin' here just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation
Handful of sedatives don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'; and ya

Tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, ya don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
Ah, you may leave here for four days in space
But when you return, it's the same old place
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace; and

Tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Mm, no, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Simon & Garfunkel - America (1968)

In 1964, Paul Simon was living in London, England with his then-girlfriend Kathy Chitty. His debut album with Art Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. had recently been finished recording and was now in the stage of being mixed and having the artwork created/picked out. Simon’s producer, Tom Wilson, informed him that he wanted Paul to come back to the United States to assist with the work. Not wanting to leave his girlfriend behind, Simon suggested he and Kathy go together, where they could spend five days touring the country before he got back to work. The resulting road trip became the inspiration for the song heard below.

It was in 1966 when Simon eventually wrote the song; and, according to a former disc jockey from Saginaw, Michigan, Bob Dyer, Simon wrote the song while he was in town- in Saginaw- to perform in a concert series.

The finished song was first released in 1968 on Simon & Garfunkel’s third album, titled Bookends. That version of the song begins with a segue from the previous track; so the version heard below- the single- was chosen for being featured here instead, as the intro is cleaner. The single version heard below and released in 1972 reached #92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #25 in the UK. It features Hal Blaine and Larry Knechtel from The Wrecking Crew on drums and bass, respectively.



Simon & Garfunkel - America (1968)

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Lyrics:

Let us be lovers
We’ll marry our fortunes together
I’ve got some real estate here in my bag

So we bought a pack of cigarettes
And Mrs. Wagner’s Pies
And walked off to look for America

“Kathy,” I said, as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
“Michigan seems like a dream to me now”
It took me four days to hitch-hike from Saginaw
I’ve come to look for America”

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, “Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera”

“Toss me a cigarette; I think there’s one in my raincoat”
“We smoked the last one an hour ago”

So I looked at the scenery
She read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

“Kathy, I’m lost,” I said, though I knew she was sleeping
“I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why”

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They’ve all come to look for America

All come to look for America
All come to look for America

The 31st of February - Morning Dew (1968)

David Brown and Claude “Butch” Trucks had both traveled, separately, from their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida to Tallahassee, Florida after graduating from Englewood High School and enrolling at Florida State University for the 1965 fall semester. They came together when they found themselves living on the same floor of the same dormitory and sharing a mutual interest in the new folk rock sound being pioneered by The Byrds. Together, they teamed up with Scott Boyer, who had also gone to Englewood High School in Jacksonville and had been living in Tallahassee as a professional musician.

The three new bandmates decided to call themselves The Bitter Ind. (Independents) and attempted to find work in Daytona Beach, Florida after Brown and Trucks left school after their freshman year. They struggled, but landing a performance at Club Martinique introduced them to Gregg and Duane Allman, who, at that time, were in a band called the Allman Joys. Their meeting with the two future stars would be paramount to their careers.

After the Daytona show, The Bitter Ind. returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, deflated from a lack of work. Not long after, Butch Trucks received a call from Duane Allman that his band would be in town, playing at a club called the Beachcomber, and needing a drummer to fill in for the night. Trucks played with the band and then convinced the Beachcomber’s manager to allow his band, The Bitter Ind., to perform as well. The manager agreed, liked what he heard, and used the group as his house band through 1967.

After 1967 and the end of the Beachcomber gig, the band decided to change their name, briefly using The Tiffany System before settling on The 31st of February. They relocated to Miami, Florida, signed a record deal with Vanguard Records, and released their first album, The 31st of February, in 1968. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell very well.

The group soon crossed paths with Gregg and Duane Allman once again, who were now members in a band called The Hour Glass. The 31st of February and the Allman brothers joined forces under The 31st of February name and began working on a new album together. Interestingly, one of the tracks on the album was an early version of “Melissa” (which would later be re-recorded by Gregg and Duane Allman as members of The Allman Brothers Band, and released in 1972). But, unfortunately, here in 1968, the album was shelved, never finished when the group split up before finalizing any of the tracks.

It wasn’t until 1972, after Duane and Gregg Allman found success in The Allman Brothers Band, that there became an interest in the members’ previous group. For this reason, The 31st of February’s unfinished second album finally saw the light of day, being released under the title of Duane & Greg Allman (which had misspelled “Gregg”).

The song heard below was the opening track on The 31st of February’s unfinished second album. It was recorded by Scott Boyer, David Brown, Butch Trucks, Duane Allman, and Gregg Allman in 1968, but released in 1972, as mentioned above.

The song itself was written in 1961 by Bonnie Dobson, and first recorded by Dobson in 1962. The lyrics are supposed to represent a conversation between the last man and woman left alive after a nuclear holocaust. Dobson stated that the lyrics were inspired by the 1959 movie titled On the Beach.



The 31st of February - Morning Dew (1968)

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Lyrics:

Walk me out in the morning dew, my heart
Walk me out in the morning dew, my heart
Though I can't walk you out in the morning dew, my heart
Though I can't walk you out in the morning dew, my heart

Thought I heard a young girl cry, yeah
Thought I heard a young girl cry, yeah
No, you didn't hear no young girl cry at all
No, you didn't hear no young girl cry

Thought I heard a young girl cry, yeah
Thought I heard a young girl cry, yeah
No, you didn't hear no young girl cry
No, you didn't hear no young girl cry at all

Now there is no morning dew
Now there is no morning dew
What they've been sayin’ all these years has come true
What they've been sayin’ all these years has come true

Got no morning dew

The Yardbirds - You're a Better Man Than I (1965)

It would take a lot of guts for a band to make their debut release a live album, but that’s exactly what The Yardbirds did. Already on their second guitarist, the band released Five Live Yardbirds with Eric Clapton in the UK on December 4, 1964. When it failed to sell, a US release was canceled. Their next album, For Your Love (June 1965), featured both Clapton (who quit in February 1965) and his replacement Jeff Beck on different tracks. By the time of the band’s third album, Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds (November 1965), Clapton had long since been departed from the group. But because most of his work with the band had gone unreleased in the US and Having a Rave Up was going to be released in the US, the band decided to fill the back-side of their third album with select tracks from their debut album, featuring Clapton. The album became popular for its blues-rock tracks (the Eric Clapton tracks) and its dabbling in psychedelia (the Jeff Beck tracks).

The song heard below was the opening track to the band’s album Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds. It featured Keith Relf on vocals, Jeff Back on lead guitar, Chris Dreja on rhythm guitar, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass, and Jim McCarty on drums. The song was co-written by brothers Mike Hugg (a founding member of Manfred Mann) and his brother Brian Hugg.



The Yardbirds - You're a Better Man Than I (1965)

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Lyrics:

Can you judge a man
By the way he wears his hair?
Can you read his mind
By the clothes that he wears?
Can you see a bad man
By the pattern on his tie?

Well then, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I
Oh, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I

Could you tell a wise man
By the way he speaks or spells?
Is this more important
Than the stories that he tells?
And call a man a fool
If for wealth he doesn't strive?

Well then, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I
Oh, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I

Can you condemn a man
If your faith he doesn't hold?
Say the color of his skin
Is the color of his soul?
Could you say that men
For king and country, all must die?

Well, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I
Oh, mister, you're a better man than I
Yeah, mister, you're a better man than I

Country Joe McDonald - The 'Fish' Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag [Live] (1969)

Note: This is our first post to feature “obscene” language. Read and listen at your own judgment.

Country Joe McDonald, born Joseph Allen McDonald on January 1st, 1942, had been named “Joseph” by his parents after the Soviet Union’s then-leader, Joseph Stalin. McDonalds parents had been devout communists in their youth, but renounced their beliefs later in life. In 1965, McDonald and his friend Barry Melton began writing and performing songs that protested the Vietnam War. They began to call themselves “Country Joe and the Fish.” “Country Joe” was a reference to Joseph Stalin’s colloquial nickname, whereas “the fish” was taken from a statement made by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, who stated that a true revolutionary “moves through the peasantry as the fish does through water.” Although their group would see the addition and subtraction of different members over the years, McDonald and Melton were always at its core.

Country Joe and the Fish were at Woodstock during the festival of 1969, but were not scheduled to play until the festival’s third day. As you may remember from our previous post, on the very first day of the festival, the very first act was Ritchie Havens. Havens had gone out on stage because Sweetwater, who had been scheduled first, were bickering amongst themselves and couldn’t make it to the stage on time. When Havens had finished his set, Sweetwater still wasn’t ready to hit the stage. Looking for someone to fill up the time between acts, the organizers of Woodstock located Country Joe wandering around near the stage. Even though he wasn’t with his band, they asked him to perform solo to entertain the audience. Country Joe, terrified of the enormous crowd, made up an excuse that he couldn’t play because he didn’t have a guitar with him. They found a Yamaha acoustic guitar lying around and gave it to him. He persisted that he couldn’t play because he didn’t have a strap for the guitar. They tied a rope to it and pushed him on stage. Joe was left without a choice and performed nine songs, all by himself, on a guitar that wasn’t his.

(It should be noted that accounts of what day Country Joe played solo vary. Country Joe himself claims the above to be true, but other historians claim he played solo on Day 2 of Woodstock and not Day 1. Without any official documentation regarding scheduling as it actually happened, we may never know the unopposed truth.)

The ninth and final song of Country Joe’s solo set is heard below. It’s opened, as it usually was, with a variation of “The ‘Fish’ Cheer.” Written by Country Joe, the original version of this song appeared on Country Joe and the Fish’s second album, I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die from 1967. Although the sarcastic and critical anti-Vietnam lyrics prevented the song from being heard on the radio, the song was very popular amongst the masses of anti-Vietnam youths. In this live Woodstock version of the song, it’s opened with “The ‘Fuck’ Cheer,” a call-and-response interaction with the audience, which had evolved from “The ‘Fish’ Cheer.” Asking the audience to call out letters and then what they spelled, “The ‘Fish’ Cheer” evolved to “The ‘Fuck’ Cheer” after a student demonstration at the University of California, Berkeley (in 1964/1965) successfully fought for the students’ right to use free speech. Country Joe and the Fish often used this cheer to highlight their right to free speech, but were also often fined by venues and cities for its use.



Country Joe McDonald - The 'Fish' Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag [Live] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Give me an “F”!
(“F”!)
Give me a “U”!
(“U”!)
Give me a “C”!
(“C”!)
Give me a “K”!
(“K”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)

Well, come on all of you big, strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
Put down your books and pick up a gun
We're gonna have a whole lot of fun

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The 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

Now, come on Wall Street, don't be slow
Why, man, this is War A-Go-Go
There’s plenty good money to be made
Supplyin' the army with the tools of the trade
Just hope and pray that when they drop the bomb
They drop it on the Viet Cong

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The 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

Now, come on generals, let’s move fast
Your big chance is here at last
Night you go out and get those reds
‘cause the only good Commie is one that’s dead
You know that peace can only be won
When you blow ‘em all to Kingdom come

Sing it!

One, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
Louder!
(The 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

Listen, people. I don’t know how you expect to ever stop the war if you can’t sing any better than that. There’s about 300,000 of you fuckers out there. I want you to start singing! Come on!

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The 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

Now, come on mothers throughout the land
Pack your boys off to Vietnam
Come on fathers, don't hesitate
Send your sons off before it’s too late
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box

Alright!

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The 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

Alright!

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) (1965)

As mentioned a few days ago, The Jet Set had come up with their band name from band member Jim McGuinn’s love of aeronautics. When they signed with Columbia Records on November 10, 1964 and desired a new name, they kept with the aerial motif and chose The Birds. Almost instantaneously, however, the band started spelling it as The “Byrds,” fashioning the misspelling after The Beatles’ misspelling of their name. The band wasted no time recording and releasing material. They released their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man on June 21, 1965 and quickly followed it up with Turn! Turn! Turn! on December 6th of the same year. These were the peak years for the band and consequently the pinnacle of the folk rock movement. Unfortunately, the original lineup of McGuinn, Clark, Crosby, Clarke, and Hillman was not to last. By early 1966, Gene Clark parted ways with the group due to conflicts with band members and, probably more importantly, his fear of flying. In late 1967, David Crosby and Michael Clarke also departed from the band. And then in 1968, original member Chris Hillman parted ways. Although replacement members would continuously fill the empty slots, the only original member left by 1969 was Jim McGuinn (who by then had changed his first name to “Roger,” citing a rebirth due to his involvement in the Subud religion). It wouldn’t be until 1973 that all five original members reunited to create one final album. That album, titled Byrds, failed to become a commercial success and was the last album put out by the band to date.

Featured on their aforementioned Turn! Turn! Turn! album from late 1965, this song is often strongly associated with the 1960s. Originally, the song was written and performed by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, who had adapted the lyrics from the Book of Eccelesiastes from the King James Version of the Bible. Since King Solomon is said to have written that book, it’s often noted that King Solomon (born in 1011 BC) wrote the words to a top charting pop song, The Byrds’ version in 1965.

Jim McGuinn was initially inspired to learn Pete Seeger’s version of the song when he was working with Judy Collins on her 1963 album, Judy Collins 3. Then, in July 1965 while he and The Byrds were touring the American Midwest, Jim’s future wife Dolores requested that he play the song on the bus. Having lived and breathed folk rock for his band's new sound, McGuinn naturally began to play an adapted folk rock version of the song.

Upon The Byrds’ initial release of the song as a single on October 29, 1965, the song went straight to number one. Its message of peace and tolerance struck a chord with the American public, who was witnessing the increased involvement of their country in Vietnam. The song continued the band’s international stardom and solidified them as one of the greatest folk rock bands of all time.



The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) (1965)

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Lyrics:

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

The Harbinger Complex - Time to Kill (1966)

Bob Hoyle III and Ron Rotarius began playing guitar together when they were in the eighth grade. By the time they were sophomores together in high school, they had enough talent and musically-inclined friends to put together a band. They called themselves The Norsemen. Unfortunately, in 1965, Hoyle was called to active duty in the Naval Reserves for the Vietnam Conflict. By the time he had come back in 1966, the early stages of The Harbinger Complex had already begun with Rotarius. Hoyle was quickly accepted as the band’s lead guitarist, while Rotarius performed rhythm guitar duties. Also in the band were Jim Hockstaff on lead vocals, Gary Clark on bass, Jim Redding on drums, and Chuck Tedford on organ. Tedford parted ways with the band before having a chance to record. The band had a huge local following in their hometown of Fremont, California, and they were soon recording singles. August 1966 saw the release of “Time to Kill,” “When You Know You’re In Love,” “I Think I’m Down,” and “My Dear and Kind Sir.” All recorded in Los Angeles at Golden State Records, the singles were released on the Amber and Brent labels, with the latter two released on the Mainstream label’s 1968 compilation album, With Love: A Pot of Flowers. When Jim Hockstaff left the band in early 1967, Gary Clark took over the lead vocals. Unfortunately, the band didn’t last much longer and they split up before the end of 1967. Hoyle passed away on May 6, 2003, but the whereabouts of the other members are unknown to me.

The writing credits of this band were always attributed to Hockstaff and Hoyle III. In a Lennon/McCartney fashion, no matter who wrote the song, credit was given to both members. Usually Hoyle was responsible for the music and Hockstaff the lyrics, but for the particular song below, Hoyle had written the words. The lyrics to this song were based on Hoyle’s recent experiences in Vietnam.



The Harbinger Complex - Time to Kill (1966)

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Lyrics:

My, my, where’s the sky?
Just got up and don’t know why
If I start, I know I will
Come back on a time to kill

I see others pulling back
Cashing in on my own high
Stealing acts
They don’t know why

Hey, hey, time to pay
What was blue is turning grey
If I jump, perhaps I can
Escape this happy, hippie-land

Can’t believe it’s coming still
Cast another freaky spell
Waiting for my ringing bell
I will win, but please don’t tell

I see people floating by
Cashing in on my own high
Stealing acts
They don’t know why

Gee whiz, nothing is
Make a guess at which is his
Tell me sir, by where it’s at
One more line ‘bout this or that

Can’t believe it's coming still
Cast another freaky spell
Waiting for my ringing bell
I will win, but please don’t tell

The Monkees - Mommy and Daddy [Original Lyrics] (1969)

In early 1969, Peter Tork left The Monkees. He claimed his reason was exhaustion, but with rising tensions amongst the group members and his absence from the band lasting until 1986, it was probably much more than that. Continuing on without Tork, the remaining group members, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith, created their seventh album, Instant Replay. In October 1969, their eighth studio album, The Monkees Present, was released. This eighth album would prove to be Nesmith’s last, as he had been working on creating a country-rock band called the First National Band. With The Monkees down to just Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, they headed to New York in 1970 to create their ninth, and last, studio album. Titled Changes, the album was released in June 1970 to public indifference. Shortly after, the two remaining members lost the rights to the band’s name and their last single was credited to a (misspelled) “Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones.” Although the band would reunite and record new albums in the years to come, this was the end of the initial incarnation of the band.

This song, written by Micky Dolenz, was considered far too edgy for 1969, let alone for the band’s innocuous appearance and reputation. The final version of the song, upon its initial release on the The Monkees Present album in 1969, had been stripped of numerous controversial verses which Dolenz had written. When the song was again released as the B-Side to the “Good Clean Fun” single, it was again only presented in its watered-down form. The particular version heard below is the demo recorded by Dolenz, Jones, and Nesmith, featuring all of the lyrics the author had initially written. Differences heard in this version that were missing on the album and single include references to the war in Vietnam, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, drug use, and sexual reproduction.



The Monkees - Mommy and Daddy [Original Lyrics] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Ask your mommy and daddy
“What happened to the Indian?”
Ask your mommy and daddy
To tell you where you really came from
Then mommy and daddy
Will probably quickly turn and walk away
Then ask your mommy and daddy
“Who really killed J.F.K.?”

Ask your mommy
If she really gets off on all her pills
Ask your daddy
“Why doesn't that soldier care who he kills?”
After they've put you to sleep
And tucked you safely down in your bed
Whisper, “Mommy and daddy”
“Would it matter if the bullet went through my head?”

“If it was my blood spilling on the kitchen floor?”
“If it was my blood, mommy, would you care a little more?”
Don't be surprised when they turn and start to cry

And tell your mommy and daddy
(Tell your mommy and daddy)
Scream it to your mommy and daddy
They're living in a lie, lie, lie
It's all a lie, it’s all a lie
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all- it’s all- it’s all
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all a lie
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all a lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie…

Phil Ochs - No More Songs (1970)

With his clever songwriting and sardonic humor, Phil Ochs wrote a library of songs spotlighting the injustices of the world which he saw around him. He performed his most famous song, previously featured here, “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” to thousands of Vietnam War protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a performance which led to thousands of young men burning their draft cards on the spot. He was also responsible for the purchase of Pigasus, a one hundred forty-five pound hog nominated for President of the United States by the Youth International Party (the Yippies) at that same convention. Unfortunately, the 1968 Democratic National Convention ended with Chicago police rioting and savagely beating peaceful protestors. Between what took place in Chicago and what else he saw in the changing America around him, he figured that the average American must no longer be interested in the political songs and messages he was trying to get out. By 1970, with a heavy heart, Ochs was abandoning his protest formula for songs which reached back to his roots, having his new music emulate his childhood inspirations: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Merle Haggard, and more. Over time, an increasing dependency on illegal drugs and an emerging writer’s block led Ochs to turn to alcohol, which then slipped him into a depression that lasted the rest of his life. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as his mental stability slipped away, which once saw him create an alternate persona for himself for a brief period of time. Despite constant support from his friends and family, Ochs was unable to escape his depression and he hanged himself on April 9, 1976.

Having gone through such a long period where new songs came so easily to him, the end of the ‘60s and beginning of the ‘70s saw Phil Ochs severely struggling to write new material. In February 1970, Ochs released an album titled Greatest Hits, which was not actually a greatest hits album, but a facetious title which featured him on the cover wearing a shiny gold suit akin to Elvis Presley. As mentioned above, he had abandoned topical protest songs and switched to a hybrid of highly produced rock and roll and country music. The entire album was poorly received, with the exception of its last track, the song heard below.

Featured as the last track on his Greatest Hits album, this song was one of Ochs’ most depressing tracks ever recorded. Titled “No More Songs,” his lyrics dealt with not only his loss of ability to write great music as he had in the past, but rhetorically asked how anybody could write great songs as the country spiraled downward into a dire state around him. Sadly, “No More Songs” became prophetic, as Ochs released very few songs after Greatest Hits and never released another full length album again. Ironically, it was an incredibly great song.



Phil Ochs - No More Songs (1970)

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Lyrics:

Hello, hello, hello
Is there anybody home?
I've only called to say I'm sorry
The drums are in the dawn
And all the voices gone
And it seems that there are no more songs

Once I knew a girl
She was a flower in a flame
I loved her as the sea sings sadly
Now the ashes of the dream
Can be found in the magazines
And it seems that there are no more songs

Once I knew a saint
Who sang upon the stage
He told about the world, his lover
A ghost without a name
Stands ragged in the rain
And it seems that there are no more songs

The rebels, they were here
They came beside the door
They told me that the moon was bleeding
Then all to my surprise
They took away my eyes
And it seems that there are no more songs

A scar is in the sky
It's time to say goodbye
He withers on the beat, he's dying
A white flag in my hand
And a white boat in the sand
And it seems that there are no more songs

Hello, hello, hello
Is there anybody home?
I've only called to say I'm sorry
The drums are in the dawn
And all the voices gone
And it seems that there are no more songs
It seems that there are no more songs
It seems that there are no more songs

The Association - Requiem for the Masses (1967)

In the early to mid-sixties, a traveling salesman named Terry Kirkman was visiting Hawaii and befriended a man enlisted in the Navy, Jules "Gary" Alexander. After finding a mutual passion for playing music, they jammed together for a while until Kirman headed back toward the mainland, promising that they’d play together again when Alexander was discharged. Kirkman headed to Los Angeles and played in a few band with Frank Zappa (pre-Mothers of Invention) and Alexander eventually met up with him. The duo formed an impromptu band known as The Inner Tubes with a rotating lineup that performed at The Troubadour nightclub throughout 1964, at some points featuring members like Cass Elliot, Doug Dillard, and David Crosby. Thirteen of the people who had been rotating in and out of The Inner Tubes decided to create a real band in late 1964 and The Men were formed as a result. The Men became the house band at The Troubadour for a while until disbanding in late 1965. Six members of The Men (Terry Kirman, Jules Alexander, Russ Giguere, Brian Cole, Ted Bluechel, Jr., and Bob Page) decided to continue on together in 1966, first calling themselves Tony Mafia’s Men and then, at the suggestion of Kirman’s fiancée Judy, changed their name to The Association.

Written by Terry Kirman, this song was initially released as the B-Side to the band’s 1967 hit, “Never My Love.” With “Never My Love” reaching number one and this song just barely reaching the charts, it was the only single in the band’s history to feature hits on both sides of the single. The song below was also included on the band’s 1967 album Insight Out. This period of the band no longer featured Jules Alexander, and instead had Larry Ramos, previously of The New Christy Minstrels, in his place. The lyrics subtly protest the Vietnam War through the indirect comparison of a bull-fighting matador dying far away from home in the bullring. Interestingly, the song uses the same Latin phrase, "Kyrie Eleison"/"Lord, have mercy" found later in a 1968 song by The Electric Prunes, "Kylie Eleison," featured on this site. I suppose it's possible that the Prunes were inspired to write their song based on this song's lyric.



The Association - Requiem for the Masses (1967)

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Lyrics:

Latin Lyrics	English Lyrics
Requiem aeternam Requiem aeternam Mama, mama, forget your pies Have faith they won't get cold And turn your eyes to the bloodshot sky Your flag is flying full At half-mast for the matadors Who turned their backs to please the crowd And all fell before the bull Red was the color of his blood flowing thin Pallid white was the color of his lifeless skin Blue was the color of the morning sky He saw looking up from the ground where he died It was the last thing ever seen by him Kyrie Eleison Mama, mama, forget your pies Have faith they won't get cold And turn your eyes to the bloodshot sky Your flag is flying full At half-mast for the matadors Who turned their backs to please the crowd And all fell before the bull Black and white were the figures that recorded him Black and white was the newsprint he was mentioned in Black and white was the question that so bothered him He never asked, he was taught not to ask But was on his lips as they buried him Rex tremendae majestatis Requiem aeternam Requiem aeternam	Eternal rest Eternal rest Mama, mama, forget your pies Have faith they won't get cold And turn your eyes to the bloodshot sky Your flag is flying full At half-mast for the matadors Who turned their backs to please the crowd And all fell before the bull Red was the color of his blood flowing thin Pallid white was the color of his lifeless skin Blue was the color of the morning sky He saw looking up from the ground where he died It was the last thing ever seen by him Lord, have mercy Mama, mama, forget your pies Have faith they won't get cold And turn your eyes to the bloodshot sky Your flag is flying full At half-mast for the matadors Who turned their backs to please the crowd And all fell before the bull Black and white were the figures that recorded him Black and white was the newsprint he was mentioned in Black and white was the question that so bothered him He never asked, he was taught not to ask But was on his lips as they buried him King of Supreme Majesty Eternal rest Eternal rest

Janis Ian - Society's Child (1965)

Born Janis Eddy Fink on April 7, 1951 in New York, New York, this singer, songwriter, musician, and author first found success as a teenager when she released her hit song heard below. Raised in New Jersey by left-wing parents during the Cold War era, Janis and her family were frequently watched by the government when she was growing up. In 1964, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, she legally had her named changed to Janis Ian, using her brother’s middle name as her new surname. After the popularity of her first hit song, heard below, in 1967, Ian waited another eight years before again finding success. Shattering her one-hit wonder label, she released in the 1975 song “At Seventeen,” which reached number one on the US A/C Chart, number one on the Cash Box charts, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Although numerous albums and songs have been released since, their popularity has not reached that of her two songs mentioned above. One of the many venerable traits exemplified by Ian is her criticism of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). She frequently makes mention of the RIAA destroying the music industry and places herself on the side of the musicians and consumers. She frequently releases her music free of charge on her website, which she claims has resulted in numerous hard sales, “contrary to the claims of the RIAA.” Her song “At Seventeen” is claimed to have sold over two million copies yet has never been certified by the RIAA. Ian continues to record and tour to this day, having an especially large cult following in Europe and Japan.

Growing up in a predominately African-American neighborhood, Ian began to write this song in 1964 when she was only thirteen years old. By the time it was finished in 1965, she was fourteen. It deals with a first-person account of the difficulties she had with an interracial relationship while living in East Orange, New Jersey in 1964. The song, dealing with an interracial relationship, was considered extremely taboo at the time and was turned down for release by Atlantic Records, who had returned the master copy to Ian after having already paid for her recording session. When it was finally released by Verve Records, many radio stations refused to play it. One radio station in Atlanta was burned to the ground after airing it. Ian herself received numerous death threats in the mail. Determined to bring the song to the public, it was released three times: 1965, 1966, and 1967. Its last release came after Ian had been featured performing the song on Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution, a television special on pop music hosted by Leonard Bernstein in 1967. Although the song reached number one on many local markets, its boycotting in many other cities prevented it from getting any higher on the national charts than number thirteen.



Janis Ian - Society's Child (1965)

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Lyrics:

Come to my door, baby
Face is clean and shining black as night
My mother went to answer, you know
That you looked so fine
Now I could understand your tears and your shame
She called you “boy” instead of your name
When she wouldn't let you inside
When she turned and said
“But honey, he's not our kind”

She says, I can't see you anymore, baby
Can't see you anymore

Walk me down to school, baby
Everybody’s acting deaf and blind
Until they turn and say
“Why don't you stick to your own kind?”

My teachers all laugh, their smirking stares
Cutting deep down in our affairs
Preachers of equality think they believe it
Then why won't they just let us be?

They say I can't see you anymore, baby
Can't see you anymore

One of these days I'm gonna stop my listening
Gonna raise my head up high
One of these days I'm gonna raise my glistening
Wings and fly
But that day will have to wait for a while
Baby, I'm only society’s child
When we’re older things may change
But for now this is the way they must remain

I say, “I can't see you anymore, baby”
“Can't see you anymore”
“No, I don't wanna see you anymore, baby”

The Ugly's - Wake Up My Mind (1965)

Formed in the late 1950s as The Dominettes, this band was from Birmingham, England but had nearly all of their success in Australia and New Zealand. In 1960, The Dominettes’ lead singer, Colin Smith, was replaced with Steve Gibbons, who would lead the band for the remainder of their lifespan. In the beginning, Gibbons led The Dominettes through a number of local gigs, playing R&B music at seedy establishments and strip clubs. Despite their less than stellar surroundings, the band developed a bit of a following. By 1963, the band had officially changed their name to that which is seen above and secured a record deal with Pye Records. It was two years before their first single was released, heard below, but it brought the group great success in Australia and New Zealand. At this point, the band’s personnel began to shift constantly. Notable members at one point or another include: Dave Pegg (later of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull), Richard Tandy (later played with The Move and joined ELO), and Jimmy O’Neil (later of The Mindbenders). By 1968, Steve Gibbons was the only remaining original member of “The Ugly's” portion of the band and he too soon departed to form a new group, Balls, with Denny Laine of The Moody Blues (and later Wings) and Trevor Burton from The Move.

An original composition written by band members Burnett, Holden, and Gibbons, this song was the first single released by the group. Although it failed commercially in the home country of England, it became a great success in Australia where it reached number nine in August 1965. Lyrically, it was much more politically-driven than most pop music of the time, leaning more toward the message put out by folk artists of the time. Members during the time of its release were Steve Gibbons, Bob Burnett, Jimmy Holden, and John Hustwayte.



The Ugly's - Wake Up My Mind (1965)

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Lyrics:

I am a man in the prime of my life
I've got a house and a car and a beautiful wife
There's no chip on my shoulder, I've no axe to grind
And no possible reason to wake up my mind
And the days break and the nights fall and drift into time

Somewhere there's hunger, somewhere there's a war
But I can do nothing, so I'll just ignore
The cruelty around me, pretending I'm blind
In case I start thinking and wake up my mind
And the days break and the nights fall and drift into time

I read in the papers, “A Policeman Shot Down”
“Two Negroes in Cold Blood” in some racial town
And I'm having a new car, but don't know what kind
But one of these days I will wake up my mind
And the days break and the nights fall and drift into time

Yes it seems as though fortune has smiled upon me
But now it’s too late, I’m beginning to see
I spent my life searching, but no peace I find
And it's left me with no time to wake up my mind
And the days break, And the nights fall and drift into time

Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)

Named for a steamroller parked across the street from a friend’s house, this group debuted April 11, 1966 at a popular nightclub in West Hollywood, California, called The Troubadour. Within days, the group was on a California-based tour opening for The Dillards and The Byrds. When the tour ended, Byrds-member Chris Hillman persuaded another popular nightclub, Whiskey a Go Go, to make this group their house band. Naturally, their exposure and popularity increased, landing the group a record deal with Atlantic Records. It would be only a short few months before Stephen Stills would write the group’s signature song, heard below.

In November 1966, laws were rushed into effect by the older Sunset Strip-area residents in Los Angeles, California, in an attempt to discourage young nightclub-goers. Between newly created loitering laws and a 10:00pm curfew, the young people in the area handed out fliers on November 12th, 1966 urging people to protest their perceived infringement of civil rights. Among those to show up that night in support of the protest were young actors Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda. All in all, over one thousand protestors showed up and police reportedly became violent. Stephen Stills, witnessing the event, wrote this song about the event and the group recorded it December 5th, 1966.



Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)

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Lyrics:

There's somethin' happenin' here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Tellin' me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speakin' their minds
Gettin' so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, “Hooray! for our side”

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop, now, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop…

Joni Mitchell - The Fiddle and the Drum (1969)

One night in late ’67 or early ’68 at The Gaslight South, a club in Coconut Grove, FL, a performance was being put on by Joni Mitchell. In attendance was David Crosby (of The Byrds and CSN), who was amazed with her beauty and musical prowess. He convinced Mitchell to go back to Los Angeles with him where he would introduce her and her music to his friends in the business. He even convinced Reprise Records to allow her to record a purely acoustic album, successfully avoiding their desire to use the overdubs that were popular at the time. Although many songs of hers had been recorded by other artists, Joni Mitchell was about to release her first album, Song to a Seagull. You can hear a track from that album on one of our previous posts.

This song comes from Mitchell’s second album, Clouds, released in 1969. The album cover featured a self-portrait painting of Mitchell with a background featuring her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Mitchell performed this song on The Dick Cavett Show in August 1969. It was also covered in 2004 by A Perfect Circle who found a new use for it in protesting the Iraq War. In 2007, the song’s title was used for a ballet authorized by Mitchell.



Joni Mitchell - The Fiddle and the Drum (1969)

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Lyrics:

And so, once again
My dear Johnny, my dear friend
And so, once again
You are fighting us all
And when I ask you ‘why?’
You raise your sticks and cry and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum?

You say I have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you, “Please,
Can I help you find the peace and the star?”
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist?

And so, once again
Oh, America, my friend
And so, once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you ‘why?’
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum?

You say we have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you, “Please,
Can we help you find the peace and the star?”
Oh, my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum

Mountain - Pride and Passion (1971)

Formed in 1969 around Leslie West, this group is another good example of a band that influenced the heavy metal genre popular in the 1970s. Influenced themselves by Cream, they named themselves after a solo album put out by West, Mountain, which in turn was named after West’s enormous size. It’s a common misconception that the Mountain album was put out by this group. It was actually a solo release by West which featured future Mountain members Felix Pappalardi and N.D. Smart. The group performed at Woodstock, is primarily remembered for “Mississippi Queen,” and broke up in 1972, only to get back together (with varying members) countless times since 1973.

This song comes from the group’s third album, Flowers of Evil, released in 1971. As the fifth track on the album, it’s the last track featured to be recorded in the studio. The second side of the album, comprised of the sixth and seventh tracks, was recorded live at the Filmore East in New York, June 27th, 1971. By the time of this album, drummer N.D. Smart had been replaced by Corky Laing.

You’ll have to give this one well over a minute before it really gets started.



Mountain - Pride and Passion (1971)

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Lyrics:

One man's life passed all in needing
Words out loud that want repeating
Fathers passed to sons their craving
Woman's loved, their children saving
Kings who walk in banners waving still

I have no heart for listening to the men who talk of peace
They're putting all their nonsense in my way
Won't you please, my love, please rest your tired little hands?
We've been talking half the night and there's so much more to say

Mothers asking for just one more time before their babies come
And whistlin’ in the smells of dusty tea
Someplace there's bed of timeless loving turned to stone
But the sun is shinin’ yellow and it's turned to shine on me

Sons are breathing discontent in the circling vapor light
And frozen little soldiers guard their homeland through the night
And a million nameless candles flicker out this one last time
And the heartbeat in that aching crowd
No, it will not beat with mine

The answers were all given to the faces now in tears
And Heaven led us all into the war
The children who once laughed have disappeared behind the Sun
It's the season for re-living, but they're living here no more

Sons are breathing discontent in the circling vapor light
And frozen little soldiers guard their homeland through the night
So, a million nameless candles flicker out this one last time
And the heartbeat in that aching crowd
No, it will not beat with mine

Hearts all filled of pride and passion
Sacrificed in blood of nations
Stand, we here, in humbled pleading
Save the souls who in retreating pray for peace
And ease their needing now

Tom Paxton - Whose Garden Was This (1970)

Born in 1937 and raised in a small town in Oklahoma, this folk legend never attempted to conform to the emerging “folk rock” genre that became popular in the mid-‘60s. Although our previous post on him gives the general summary of who he was, it is pointed out here that Tom Paxton admitted that he never had the “rock mentality.” The most he ever experimented with his folk music was by incorporating some string instruments and horns. Known as the “Baroque” period of his career, he quickly returned to his folk roots after two experimental albums.

This song comes from Paxton’s “Baroque folk” period. Specifically, it was on his album titled 6 released in 1970. It was composed as an environmentalist anthem, both written and originally performed by Paxton in honor of the first-ever Earth Day. Paxton’s use of imagery poignantly warns what may come if we don’t protect our planet. As much of a foreboding warning as it is a beautiful song, this is my favorite Tom Paxton track. If it’s your first time hearing the song, turn up the volume and lose yourself in the haunting lyrics.



Tom Paxton - Whose Garden Was This (1970)

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Lyrics:

Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely
Did it have flowers?
I've seen pictures of flowers
And I'd love to have smelled one

Whose river was this?
You say it ran freely?
Blue was its color?
I've seen blue in some pictures
And I'd love to have been there

Ah, tell me again I need to know
The forest had trees, the meadows were green
The oceans were blue, and birds really flew
Can ya swear that was true?

Whose grey sky was this?
Or was it a blue one?
Nights there were breezes?
I've heard records of breezes
And you tell me you've felt one?

Ah, tell me again I need to know
The forest had trees, the meadows were green
The oceans were blue, and birds really flew
Can ya swear that was true?

Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely
Did it have flowers?
I've seen pictures of flowers
And I'd love to have smelled one

Buffy Sainte-Marie - Universal Soldier (1964)

Born Beverly Sainte-Marie in 1941, this singer and songwriter was a part of the folk movement in the 1960s. As part Cree Indian, her songs (as well as her social activism) largely dealt with the indigenous people of the Americas. Secretly, much of her work was blacklisted by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, which had been attempting to silence the protest movements of the time. Her songs have been covered by Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Donovan, Neil Diamond, and many others.

In 1963, this artist witnesses wounded soldiers coming home from Vietnam at a time when the United States government was denying any involvement in the conflict. Inspired by what she had seen, she wrote this song. It was released on her first album, titled It’s My Way!, released in 1964. It wasn’t a popular hit, but would later become one when it was covered by Donovan in 1965.



Buffy Sainte-Marie - Universal Soldier (1964)

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Lyrics:

He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of thirty-one and he's only seventeen
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill
And he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friend, and me for you

And he's fighting for Canada
He's fighting for France
He's fighting for the USA
And he's fighting for the Russians
And he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

And he's fighting for democracy
He’s fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the walls

But without him how would Hitler have
Condemned him at Dachau?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
As a weapon to the war
And without him all this killing can't go on

He's the universal soldier and he
Really is to blame
But his orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me
And brothers can't you see?
This is not the way we put an end to war

Pete Seeger - King Henry (1965)

This man was born in 1919. In his twenties, the 1940s, he was a constant nationwide hit on the radio. In the 1950s, he found success in the group The Weavers and topped the charts for thirteen weeks with Lead Belly’s song “Goodnight, Irene”. In the 1960s, then in his forties, he was a widely popular protest singer. He either wrote or co-wrote the famous songs “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song),” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”. He was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, popularized “We Shall Overcome” that became the anthem for the American Civil Rights movement, and was largely responsible for bringing attention to Bob Dylan. He’s been the recipient of multiple awards, honors, and recognitions and cannot be fully summarized in this small space.

Currently at the age of ninety-two (and turning ninety-three on May 3rd, 2012), he is still performing and recording songs. Going on right now is a campaign to have Pete become the oldest musician to make it on the music charts with his recent recording of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” for the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, Amnesty International. If you enjoy his music and would like to learn more, click here. And you can watch a video behind the making of the song, here.

This song below, written and recorded in 1965 by Pete, was released on his 1966 album, Dangerous Songs!?. The album featured songs written by Pete, written by others such as Phil Ochs and Len Chandler, and traditional folk songs passed down from generations.



Pete Seeger - King Henry (1965)

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Lyrics:

King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran red through the land
The year, fifteen hundred and twenty

The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half alive
Just keep your mouth shut while the planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean

Simon was drafted in sixty-three
In sixty-four, sent over the sea
Last month, this letter, he sent to me
He said, "You won't like what I'm sayin’"

He said, "We've no friends here, no hardly a-one
We've got a few generals who just want our guns
But it’ll take more than that if we're ever to win
Why, we'll have to flatten the country"

"It's my own troops I have to watch out for," he said
"I sleep with a pistol right under my head"
He wrote this last month, last week he was dead
And Simon came home in a casket

I mind my own business, I watch my TV
Complain about taxes, but pay anyway
In a civilized manner my forefathers betray
Who long ago struggled for freedom

But each day a new headline screams at my bluff
On TV some general says we must be tough
In my dreams I stare at this family I love
All gutted and spattered with napalm

King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran red through the land
The year, fifteen hundred and twenty

The year it is now nineteen sixty-five
It's easier far to stay half alive
Just keep your mouth shut while the planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean