Collections › Phil Ochs

Phil Ochs

15 songs · chronological · A–Z by artist
Annotations and notes by Justin A. Brummer
Entries are numbered (#1, #2 …) for reference on this page; the numbers shift when entries are added or split.
A collection of Vietnam War songs by Phil Ochs
This forms part of the larger Vietnam War Song Project, an interpretive examination of over 6,500 Vietnam War songs identified, revealing how the war's significance is represented through music. The project also collects spoken-word recordings about the conflict. This unique collection of voices advances scholarship by providing insights into people’s views about the war over time as represented in music, looking at diverse communities and vibrant music scenes. It is crucial in developing our knowledge of the war and the humanities, through the use of a digital research platform.
Note: The VWSP has identified, to date, 15 songs by Phil Ochs about or referencing the war.
Citation: Justin A. Brummer, Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP) — Phil Ochs, vietnamwarsongproject.com/list/phil-ochs, accessed 12 November 2026

Time Period & Criteria

Beyond Anti-War, the songs in this collection most often also deal with: Draft, Draft Dodger, Novelty, Diem.
  • Pre-Gulf of Tonkin: 1960-1964
    While many of these early US songs may have been intending to refer to US troops in Germany, or Korea, or representing general Cold War fears, they were released in the run-up to the "Vietnam era" and the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964), which led to a major escalation of US involvement in the conflict, and thus included in this list, as cultural perspectives. The criteria is the same as for the war years - the songs included mention Vietnam, or the lyrics deal with war-related themes, such as combat, the US draft, weapons such as napalm, prisoners of war, demonstrations, references to soldiers and veterans, war & peace, and expressions of patriotism.

  • War Years: 1964-1975
    Released during the key war years, the songs included mention Vietnam, or the lyrics deal with war-related themes, such as combat, the US draft, weapons such as napalm, prisoners of war, demonstrations, references to soldiers and veterans, war & peace, and expressions of patriotism.

    While the war goes back to the 1954 Geneva conference, following the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964), the US significantly expanded its presence in the region and its defence of South Vietnam, and thus using this date as the beginning of the core war years. These run to the collapse of South Vietnam (30 April 1975), in two periods: (a) 1964-1972, the years of major US combat involvement, up to the peace agreement; (b) 1973-1975, from the Paris Peace Accords (27 January 1973), which brought US troops and prisoners of war home, to the collapse of South Vietnam.

  • Post-War: 1976-present
    Themes especially found in the post-Vietnam War era are lyrics about post-traumatic stress disorder, prisoners of war and the missing in action, the plight and treatment of veterans, and agent orange, in the years after the collapse of South Vietnam and the unification of North and South Vietnam.

Phil Ochs

Phil Ochs, a leading protest / topical singer, born 19 December 1940 in El Paso, Texas, USA, and died on 9 April 1976, in Far Rockaway, New York, USA. He often played songs at anti-war and civil rights rallies in the 1960s and early 1970s, including outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968.1 He released many anti-Vietnam War songs during the era, which included "Talking Vietnam", one of the first Vietnam songs released, on his 1964 album All the News That's Fit to Sing. Other prominent songs included "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Draft Dodger Rag", and "Days of Decision" on I Ain't Marching Anymore (1965), "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" and "The War Is Over" on Tape From California (1968), "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed", "Where Were You in Chicago" and "Another Age" on Rehearsals for Retirement (1969), "What Are You Fighting For", on Sings for Broadside (1976), the single Here's to the State of Richard Nixon (1974), and spoken-word tracks on the album Interviews With Phil Ochs (1976). He also recorded the song "We Seek No Wider War" in 1965, which appeared on the compilation The Best of Broadside 1962-1988 (2000).
Sources

1964

#1 Phil Ochs Talking Vietnam 1964 · Album · All the News That's Fit to Sing · Elektra # EKL 269 · USA
Annotation
The track "Talking Vietnam" , on the album All the News That's Fit to Sing (Elektra Records # EKL-269) told the story of a US soldier sent to South East Asia to train the South Vietnamese. Ochs took a critical view of the US government's objectives - to establish an independent, non-communist South Vietnam: "sailing over to Vietnam...training a million Vietnamese, to fight for the wrong government, and the American way" . The lyrics of the song first appeared in the New York based publication Broadside # 32, 20 September 1963. A mimeographed publication, Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen founded the magazine in 1962 to promote contemporary folk and protest songs. It also had a music label: Broadside Records. It usually published both lyrics and notations of songs, as well as articles and interviews about folk music, and newspaper clippings of current events. While many of the songs would have been played at the folk clubs and festivals, not all of the artist recorded the songs.

Written in 1963 before the major US military escalation, Ochs drew attention to an issue that many people did not know - in the 1964 presidential election 2/3rds of Americans said that they paid little or no attention to Vietnam.2 However, the Vietnam conflict had started to rise in the news agenda. The US had over 15,000 personnel in South Vietnam - mainly military experts, for training and support. Furthermore, on 7 August 1964, the US Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, following a naval clash between North Vietnam and US forces, which permitted President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) to send conventional forces to Vietnam.3 Thus, Vietnam started to become a focal point in the news and with topical singers. Ochs turned his attention to the soldiers devastating activities, further indicating his anti-war stance. Ochs also criticised the South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem (1955-1963), which some people called an American "puppet" president. A Roman Catholic, he came into conflict with South Vietnam's Buddhist majority. Note the reference to Chiang Kai-shek - the former leader of mainland China (before World War Two), and later the leader of Taiwan. His forces were in Vietnam in 1946 following the Japanese surrender.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
We burned some villages down to the floor
Yes we burned out the jungles...
Threw all the people in relocation camps
Under lock and key, made damn sure they’re free...
Who should I meet but President Diem
Said you’re fighting to keep Vietnam free...
That means rule by one family...
He said: "I was a fine old Christian man
Ruling this backward Buddhist land'...
It sure beats hell out of Chiang Kai-shek
I’m the power elite, me and the 7th fleet

1965

#2 Phil Ochs I Ain't Marching Anymore 1965 · Single · I Ain't Marching Any More / That Was the President · Elektra # EKSN 45002 · USA
Annotation
The song"I Ain't Marching Anymore" (Elektra Records # EKSN 45002), also featured on the album of the same name: I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287), cataloged a series of US military interventions. The narrator concluded that war was futile, and thus, taking an anti-war stance, declared that he would not be marching off to war. Also of significance, the chorus portrayed the war as a generational problem: "It's always the old that leads us to wars, always the young that fall" . This became a signature song for Ochs. He famously performed it outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968, leading to people to burn their draft cards. Following the arrest of seven protesters, called the "Chicago Seven", Ochs had to appear at their trial as a witness, where the judge requested that he recite the song.1 Originally published in Broadside # 54 on 20 January 1965, with notation and lyrics, the song featured on the album I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287), which contained a few more Vietnam War / protest related tracks, including the humorous "Draft Dodger Rag" (dealt with below in the draft section) and "Days of Decision". Produced by Paul A. Rothchild & Jac Holzman.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Elektra EKSN 45-002 A, 4-prong centre single label; "I Ain't Marching Any More" (Ochs), Phil Ochs; publisher Harmony Music Ltd. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans at the...early British war
The young land started growing, the young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore
For I've killed my share of Indians in a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn...
It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun...
For I stole California from the Mexican land
Fought in the bloody Civil War...
For I marched to the battles of the German trench in a war... to end all wars...
For I flew the...mission in the Japanese sky
Set off the...mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning I knew that I was learning...
Now the labor leader's screamin' when they close the missile plants
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore
Call it 'peace' or call it 'treason'
Call it 'love' or call it 'reason'
But I ain't marchin' any more
Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans at the...early British war
The young land started growing, the young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore
For I've killed my share of Indians in a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn...
It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun...
For I stole California from the Mexican land
Fought in the bloody Civil War...
For I marched to the battles of the German trench in a war... to end all wars...
For I flew the...mission in the Japanese sky
Set off the...mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning I knew that I was learning...
Now the labor leader's screamin' when they close the missile plants
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore
Call it 'peace' or call it 'treason'
Call it 'love' or call it 'reason'
But I ain't marchin' any more
Show full lyrics (39 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War
#3–6 Phil Ochs I Ain't Marching Anymore 1965 · Album · Elektra # EKS 7287 · USA
All 3 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection
Annotation
The song "Draft Dodger Rag" , on the album I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287), a satirical anti-war song that became an anthem of the peace movement in the 1960s, reached a more mainstream audience than other contemporary folk anti-war tracks, and several artists covered the song (although it made little commercial impact). Before the release of this 1965 album, Ochs performed the song at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival (23-26 July) - the live recording featured on the LP Newport Folk Festival 1964: Evening Concerts - Vol. 1 (Vanguard Records # VRS-9184). Broadside subsequently published the lyrics and notation in the # 53 edition, 20 December 1964. In the song, Ochs listed every conceivable excuse available for somebody to avoid the draft. But firstly, it started with a young man expressing his hate of communism: "I knew better dead than red", and thus his patriotism:

But when the draftee gets to the draftboard, the excuses started to pour out - drug addiction, enrollment in full-time education, a full-time carer for his disabled aunt, asthma, allergies, poor eyesight, working in a key defense industry, and the suggestion of being a homosexual ("I always carry a purse"). At the end, the draftee re-affirmed his hate of the communists, hoping that Chou En Lai would die (the Premier of the People's Republic of China, 1949-1976). However, he only wanted to go to "a war without any gore".
Covers
Chad Mitchell Trio – Draft Dodger Rag (1964: Mercury # SR 60949)
The Moonshiners – Draft Dodger Rag (1965: Village Gate # VLG 104)
Denis Gibbons - National Service Blues (Draft Dodger Blues) (1965: W&G # 2594)
Pete Seeger – The Draft Dodger Rag (1966: Columbia # 4-43699)
Four in the Morning – Draft Dodger Rag (Crossroad # 7001)

The Apples – Draft Dodgers Rag (Act 1 # 715)
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →
#3 Phil Ochs Days of Decision 1965 · Album · I Ain't Marching Anymore · Elektra # EKS 7287 · USA
Annotation
As suggested from the title of this song, "Days of Decision" , on the album I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287) appears to be an answer or closely related theme to McGuire's "Eve of Destruction": "lookin' for an answer they're never gonna find... these are the days of decision" - a call to protest against the "far-reaching rockets" . It also contained a Civil Rights message: "warnings of fire... from the three bodies buried in the Mississippi mud" - a reference to the murders of three Civil Rights activist, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner on 21 June 1964 by the KKK.1
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Oh, the shadows of doubt are in many a mind
Lookin' for an answer they're never gonna find
But they'd better decide 'cause they're runnin' out of time
For these are the days of decision
Oh, the games of stalling you cannot afford
Dark is the danger that's knocking on the door
And the far-reaching rockets say you can't wait anymore
For these are the days of decision
In the face of the people who know they're gonna win
There's a strength that's greater than the power of the wind
And you can't stand around when the ice is growing thin
For these are the days of decision
I've seen your heads hiding 'neath the blanket of fear
When the paths, they are plain and the choices are clear
But with each passing day, boys, the cost is more dear
For these are the days of decision
There's many a cross that burns in the night
And the fingers of the fire are pointing as they bite
Oh, you can't let the smoke keep on blinding all your sight
For these are the days of decision
Now, the mobs of anger are roamin' the streets
From the rooftops they're aimin' at the police on the beat
And in city after city you know they will repeat
For these are the days of decision
There's been warnings of fire, warnings of flood
Now there's the warnin' of the bullet and the blood
From the three bodies buried in the Mississippi mud
Sayin', "These are the days of decision"
There's a change in the wind and a split in the road
You can do what's right or you can do what you are told
And the prize of the victory will belong to the bold
For these are the days of decision
Yes, these are the days of decision
Show full lyrics (34 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War
#4 Phil Ochs Draft Dodger Rag 1965 · Album · I Ain't Marching Anymore · Elektra # EKS 7287 · USA
Annotation
The song "Draft Dodger Rag" , on the album I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287), a satirical anti-war song that became an anthem of the peace movement in the 1960s, reached a more mainstream audience than other contemporary folk anti-war tracks, and several artists covered the song (although it made little commercial impact). Before the release of this 1965 album, Ochs performed the song at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival (23-26 July) - the live recording featured on the LP Newport Folk Festival 1964: Evening Concerts - Vol. 1 (Vanguard Records # VRS-9184). Broadside subsequently published the lyrics and notation in the # 53 edition, 20 December 1964. In the song, Ochs listed every conceivable excuse available for somebody to avoid the draft. But firstly, it started with a young man expressing his hate of communism: "I knew better dead than red", and thus his patriotism:

But when the draftee gets to the draftboard, the excuses started to pour out - drug addiction, enrollment in full-time education, a full-time carer for his disabled aunt, asthma, allergies, poor eyesight, working in a key defense industry, and the suggestion of being a homosexual ("I always carry a purse"). At the end, the draftee re-affirmed his hate of the communists, hoping that Chou En Lai would die (the Premier of the People's Republic of China, 1949-1976). However, he only wanted to go to "a war without any gore".
Covers
Chad Mitchell Trio – Draft Dodger Rag (1964: Mercury # SR 60949)
The Moonshiners – Draft Dodger Rag (1965: Village Gate # VLG 104)
Denis Gibbons - National Service Blues (Draft Dodger Blues) (1965: W&G # 2594)
Pete Seeger – The Draft Dodger Rag (1966: Columbia # 4-43699)
Four in the Morning – Draft Dodger Rag (Crossroad # 7001)

The Apples – Draft Dodgers Rag (Act 1 # 715)
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in God and Senator Dodd and an keepin' old Castro down
And when it came my time to serve I knew better dead than red
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat my asthma's getting worse
Consider my career, my sweetheart...
My poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, and I'm goin' to school
And I'm workin' in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes...
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies
But I think you gotta see that if someone's gotta go over there, that someone isn't me...
And if you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat my asthma's getting worse
Consider my career, my sweetheart...
My poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, and I'm goin' to school
And I'm workin' in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes...
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies
But I think you gotta see that if someone's gotta go over there, that someone isn't me...
And if you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go"
Covers:
Chad Mitchell Trio - Draft Dodger Rag (1964: Mercury # SR 60949)
The Moonshiners - Draft Dodger Rag (1965: Village Gate # VLG 104)
Denis Gibbons - National Service Blues (Draft Dodger Blues) (1965: W&G # 2594)
Pete Seeger - The Draft Dodger Rag (1966: Columbia # 4-43699)
Four in the Morning - Draft Dodger Rag (Crossroad # 7001)
John Berry - Draft Dodger (Sound Inc. # S1-180)
The Apples - Draft Dodgers Rag (Act 1 # 715)
Show full lyrics (42 lines) ▾
#6 Phil Ochs Draft Dodger Rag 1965 · Album · I Ain't Marching Anymore · Elektra # EKS 7287 · USA
Annotation
The song "Draft Dodger Rag" , on the album I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra Records # EKS 7287), a satirical anti-war song that became an anthem of the peace movement in the 1960s, reached a more mainstream audience than other contemporary folk anti-war tracks, and several artists covered the song (although it made little commercial impact). Before the release of this 1965 album, Ochs performed the song at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival (23-26 July) - the live recording featured on the LP Newport Folk Festival 1964: Evening Concerts - Vol. 1 (Vanguard Records # VRS-9184). Broadside subsequently published the lyrics and notation in the # 53 edition, 20 December 1964. In the song, Ochs listed every conceivable excuse available for somebody to avoid the draft. But firstly, it started with a young man expressing his hate of communism: "I knew better dead than red", and thus his patriotism:

But when the draftee gets to the draftboard, the excuses started to pour out - drug addiction, enrollment in full-time education, a full-time carer for his disabled aunt, asthma, allergies, poor eyesight, working in a key defense industry, and the suggestion of being a homosexual ("I always carry a purse"). At the end, the draftee re-affirmed his hate of the communists, hoping that Chou En Lai would die (the Premier of the People's Republic of China, 1949-1976). However, he only wanted to go to "a war without any gore".
Covers
Chad Mitchell Trio – Draft Dodger Rag (1964: Mercury # SR 60949)
The Moonshiners – Draft Dodger Rag (1965: Village Gate # VLG 104)
Denis Gibbons - National Service Blues (Draft Dodger Blues) (1965: W&G # 2594)
Pete Seeger – The Draft Dodger Rag (1966: Columbia # 4-43699)
Four in the Morning – Draft Dodger Rag (Crossroad # 7001)

The Apples – Draft Dodgers Rag (Act 1 # 715)
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in God and Senator Dodd and an keepin' old Castro down
And when it came my time to serve I knew better dead than red
English
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat my asthma's getting worse
Consider my career, my sweetheart...
My poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, and I'm goin' to school
And I'm workin' in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes...
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies
But I think you gotta see that if someone's gotta go over there, that someone isn't me...
And if you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go
Show full lyrics (21 lines) ▾
#5 Phil Ochs Draft Dodger Rag 1965 · Live · Newport Folk Festival 1964: Evening Concerts, Vol. 1 · Vanguard # VRS-9184 · USA
Annotation
Newport Folk Festival - annual folk / contemporary folk gathering in Newport, Rhode Island, which started in 1959, which became closely connected to the protest movements of the 1960s, such as the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, labor rights, environmental protections, etc. This 1964 edition featured a live version of "Draft Dodger Rag" (Vanguard Records # VRS-9184) performed by Phil Ochs.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Vanguard VRS-9184, "Newport Folk Festival, 1964 Evening Concerts, Vol. 1", side B track 3, 2:15; live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1964. [From Discogs]
Lyrics
English
I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in God and Senator Dodd and an keepin' old Castro down
And when it came my time to serve I knew better dead than red
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat my asthma's getting worse
Consider my career, my sweetheart...
My poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, and I'm goin' to school
And I'm workin' in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes...
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies
But I think you gotta see that if someone's gotta go over there, that someone isn't me...
And if you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat my asthma's getting worse
Consider my career, my sweetheart...
My poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, and I'm goin' to school
And I'm workin' in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes...
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies
But I think you gotta see that if someone's gotta go over there, that someone isn't me...
And if you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go"
Covers:
Chad Mitchell Trio - Draft Dodger Rag (1964: Mercury # SR 60949)
The Moonshiners - Draft Dodger Rag (1965: Village Gate # VLG 104)
Denis Gibbons - National Service Blues (Draft Dodger Blues) (1965: W&G # 2594)
Pete Seeger - The Draft Dodger Rag (1966: Columbia # 4-43699)
Four in the Morning - Draft Dodger Rag (Crossroad # 7001)
John Berry - Draft Dodger (Sound Inc. # S1-180)
The Apples - Draft Dodgers Rag (Act 1 # 715)
Show full lyrics (42 lines) ▾

1968

#7 Phil Ochs White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land 1968 · Album · Tape From California · A&M # SP 4148 · USA
Annotation
On the album Tape From California (A&M Records # SP 4148) featured the well known and memorable "The War Is Over". Also on this album, the track "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" , which took a strong anti-war position. It used a more poetic approach compared to Ochs' other Vietnam-related tracks, noting the destruction of villages "written in the ashes of the village towns we burn" , and the death of soldiers: "written in the empty bed of the fathers un-returned" . The lyrics first appeared in Broadside # 68.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
The pilots playing poker in the cockpit of the plane
The casualties arriving like the dropping of the rain
And a mountain of machinery will fall before a man
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
It's written in the ashes of the village towns we burn
It's written in the empty bed of the fathers un-returned
And the chocolate in the children's eyes will never understand
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
Red blow the bugles of the dawn
The morning has arrived you must be gone and the lost
Patrol chase their chartered souls, like old whores following tired armies
Train them well, the men who will be fighting by your side
And never turn your back if the battle turns the tide
For the colours of a civil war are louder than commands
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
Blow them from the forest and burn them from your sight
Tie their hands behind their back and question through the night
But when the firing squad is ready they'll be spitting where they stand...
We're fighting in a war we lost before the war began
We're the white boots marching...
Show full lyrics (21 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War
#8 Phil Ochs The War Is Over 1968 · Single · The War Is Over / The Harder They Fall · A&M # 932 · USA
Annotation
The track "The War Is Over" (A&M Records # 932) was inspired by Allen Ginsberg's 1966 declaration that the Vietnam war was over. He played the song in front of 150,000 demonstrators in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 1967, and at other famous rallies, including outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It contained the memorable line mocking soldiers for doing their duty, which would be serving "your country in her suicide" . He then suggested treason as an option, as "this country is too young to die" . It is also noteworthy for criticising the anti-war movement as well, saying that they are just playing in the game of politics: "painting angry signs...poisoned players of a grizzly game" .
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
A&M Records 932; "The War Is Over" (Phil Ochs), 2:45 (1460), Barricade Music Inc. (ASCAP); arranged by Bob Thompson, produced by Larry Marks. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
Silent soldiers on a silver screen
Framed in fantasies and dragged in dream
Unpaid actors of the mystery
The mad director knows that freedom will not make you free
And what's this got to do with me
I declare the war is over, it's over, it's over
Drums are drizzling on a grain of sand
Fading rhythms of a fading land
Prove your courage in the proud parade
Trust your leaders where mistakes are almost never made
And they're afraid that I'm afraid
I'm afraid the war is over, it's over, it's over
Angry artists painting angry signs
Use their vision just to blind the blind
Poisoned players of a grizzly game
One is guilty and the other gets the point to blame
Pardon me if I refrain...
So do your duty, boys, and join with pride, serve your country in her suicide
Find a flag so you can wave goodbye, but just before the end even treason might be worth a try
This country is too young to die...
One-legged veterans will greet the dawn
And they're whistling marches as they mow the lawn
And the gargoyles only sit and grieve
The gypsy fortune teller told me...
We'd been deceived...only are what you believe
Show full lyrics (26 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War

1969

#9 Phil Ochs William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park And Escapes Unscathed 1969 · Album · Rehearsals For Retirement · A&M # SP 4181 · USA
Annotation
On this Phil Ochs album Rehearsals for Retirement (A&M Records # SP 4181) featured the song "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed" , which also had the song "Where Were You in Chicago" tagged on at the end, although it's not credited, both of which referred to the 1968 Chicago demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention, and thus related to the Chicago Seven / Eight. Ochs famously performed the song "I Ain't Marching Anymore" outside the convention. Ochs appeared at the trial of the Chicago Seven as a witness, where the judge requested that he recite the song.2 The song recalled the confrontation in Lincoln Park, where the Festival of Life was held, attended by MC5, and Ochs. At the end of the song, Ochs criticised the protest movement, for the lack of people who attended the demonstration: "I didn't see you there, I didn't see them crack your head" . The song contained several references to the use of tear gas by the police.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
As I went out one evening to take the evening air
I was blessed by a blood-red moon in Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, I spied a fair young maiden and a flame was in her eyes
And on her face lay the steel blue skies of Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, turning
They spread their sheets upon the ground just like a wandering tribe
And the wise men walked in their Robespierre robes through Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, the towers trapped and trembling
And the boats were tossed about, when the fog rolled in and the gas rolled out from Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, turning, like wild horses freed at last
We took the streets of wine, but I searched in vain, for she stayed behind, in Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, I'll go back to the city where I can be alone
And tell my friend she lies in stone, in Lincoln Park
The dark...Oh, where were you in Chicago?
You know I didn't see you there
I didn't see them crack your head or breathe the tear gas air
Oh, where were you in Chicago?
When the fight was being fought
Oh, where were you in Chicago?
'Cause I was in Detroit
Show full lyrics (21 lines) ▾
#10 Phil Ochs Another Age 1969 · Album · Rehearsals For Retirement · A&M # SP 4181 · USA
Annotation
Among the other Vietnam-related songs on this album Rehearsals for Retirement was the track "Another Age" , which referenced the conflict between police and students on College campus. It also mentioned a US soldier who fought in Vietnam in the intro, reference to the Vietcong, the 1968 US presidential election.12
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
As I went out one evening to take the evening air
I was blessed by a blood-red moon in Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, I spied a fair young maiden and a flame was in her eyes
And on her face lay the steel blue skies of Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, turning
They spread their sheets upon the ground just like a wandering tribe
And the wise men walked in their Robespierre robes through Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, the towers trapped and trembling
And the boats were tossed about, when the fog rolled in and the gas rolled out from Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, turning, like wild horses freed at last
We took the streets of wine, but I searched in vain, for she stayed behind, in Lincoln Park
The dark was turning, I'll go back to the city where I can be alone
And tell my friend she lies in stone, in Lincoln Park
The dark...Oh, where were you in Chicago?
You know I didn't see you there
I didn't see them crack your head or breathe the tear gas air
Oh, where were you in Chicago?
When the fight was being fought
Oh, where were you in Chicago?
'Cause I was in Detroit
I remember nothing that I memorized
The cockroach cops are crawling on a battle ground
I got my education from a black eye
The shields are in the shadows
It's a college town and they'll teach you law and orde if you dare to raise your hand
Spare the glove and spoil the man
Soldiers have their sorrow
The wretched have their rage
Pray for the aged, it's the dawn of another age...
We were born in a revolution and we died in a wasted war...
The dogs are chasing chicken bones...
If that was an election, I'm a Viet Cong
So I pledge allegiance against the flag
Show full lyrics (34 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War

1974

#11 Phil Ochs Here's to the State of Richard Nixon 1974 · Single · Here's to the State of Richard Nixon / Power and Glory · A&M # 1509 · USA
Annotation
The contemporary folk song song "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" (A&M Records # 1509) by Phil Ochs - anti-war, anti-Richard Nixon (President 1968-1972), which criticised his administration and policies, including secret wars, such as Cambodia and Laos: "where the wars are fought in secret" . This is of course updated lyrics to Ochs' famous "Here's to the State of Mississippi" (1965), a biting critique of a segregated and corrupt America during the Civil Rights era.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
A&M 1509-S (2620-S), stereo, promotional label marked "Promotion Copy — Not for Sale"; "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" (Phil Ochs), 2:19, M. Witmark & Sons (ASCAP); produced by Garson-Ochs; ℗ 1974 A&M Records, Inc. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Lyrics
English
Here's to the State of Richard Nixon
For underneath his borders the devil draws the line
If you drag his muddy rivers nameless bodies you will find
And the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes
And the calendar is lyin' when it reads the present time
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard Nixon, find yourself another country to be part of...
And here's to the laws of Richard Nixon
Where the wars are fought in secret, Pearl Harbor every day
He punishes with income tax that he don't have to pay
And he's tapping his own brother just to hear what he would say
But corruption can be classic in the Richard Nixon way...
And here's to the government of Richard Nixon
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always boggin' down
And criminals are posing as advisors to the crown...
And the speeches of the President are the ravings of a clown
Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

1976

#12 Phil Ochs Woody Guthrie memorial concert, Vietnam, the movies 1976 · Compilation · Broadside Ballads, Vol. 11: Interviews With Phil Ochs · Broadside # FH 5321 · USA
Annotation
Phil Ochs discussed (in 1968) his views on the protest movement, his fights with Bob Dylan and his rage about not being invited to perform (like Judy Collins) at the Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert. Recorded by Broadside magazine, the second track, "Woody Guthrie memorial concert, Vietnam, the Movies" criticized the commercialization of the music industry and its impact on Vietnam protests. Released on Broadside Records # FH 5321.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
I consider the pop music scene a metaphor for the corruption of the entire country...
It has been killed by greed...
The war in Vietnam...the 2000th psychedelic group that comes out is the same as the green beret, it is lifelessness...
The American corporate image destroys all life of everybody there
The music industry was once in the vanguard....
They are now being literally strangled...Donovan, Dylan...have all fallen artistically
Theme: Anti-War
#13 Phil Ochs What Are You Fighting For 1976 · Archival · Sings for Broadside · Folkways # FD 5320 · USA
Annotation
The Phil Ochs songs "What Are You Fighting For?" was originally published in Broadside # 40, February 1964, so one of the earliest anti-Vietnam War songs. However, it was not recorded on an album at the time. A live version later appeared on the LP Sings for Broadside, released by Folkways Records (# FD 5320) after Ochs' death. The lyrics noted the war industry: "watch them build the war machines right beside your home" . It targeted the actions of the US president, Lyndon B. Johnson: "watch the fool a smiling there and tell me that you're proud" . The title of the song was a popular term used during the war period, from both sides of the political spectrum, referenced in 100s of songs.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Oh you tell me that there's danger to this land you call your own
And you watch them build the war machines right beside your home
And you tell me that you're ready to go marching to the war
Oh, I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
Before you pack your rifle and sail across the sea
Just think upon the southern part of the land that you call free
Oh, there's many kinds of slavery and we've found many more
Yes, I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
And before you walk out on your job and answer to the call
Just think about the millions who have no job at all
And the men who wait for handouts with their eyes upon the floor
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
Turn on your TV, turn it on so loud
And watch the fool a smiling there and tell me that you're proud
And listen to your radio, the noise it starts to pour
Oh, I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
Read your morning papers, read every single line
And tell me if you can believe that simple world you find
Read every slanted word till your eyes are getting sore
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
And listen to your leaders, the ones that won the race
As they stand right there before you and lie into your face
If you ever try to buy them, you know what they stand for
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
Put ragged clothes upon your back and sleep upon the ground
And tell police about your rights as they drag you down
And ask them as they lead you to some deserted door
Yes, I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
But the hardest thing Ill ask you, if you will only try
Is take your children by their hands and look into their eyes
And there you'll see the answer you should have seen before
If you'll win the wars at home, there'll be no fighting anymore
Show full lyrics (33 lines) ▾

2000

#14 Phil Ochs We Seek No Wider War 2000 · Archival · The Best of Broadside 1962-1988 · Smithsonian Folkways # 40129 P · USA
Annotation
Written and recorded in 1965, the track "We Seek No Wider War" by Phil Ochs looked at the "credibility gap" - expressing skepticism regarding President Johnson's statements on the Vietnam War - similar to the Tom Paxton song "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation". The title of the song was taken directly from Johnson's statement on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (4 August 1964), as noted above, when he said that "we still seek no wider war".1 The notation and lyrics were first published in Broadside # 63 (15 October 1965). The only available recording of this took place at the New York apartment of Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen, the founders of Broadside Records, stored on Broadside tape reel SC.049. The 1965 recording made its first appearance on the 1997 compilation Farewells and Fantasies (Rhino Records # R2 73518), and then The Best of Broadside 1962-1988 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings # 40129 P), released in 2000.

In the first section, Ochs recalled the failure of the French in the First Indo-China War, the splitting of Vietnam into the 'North' and 'South', and Ngo Dinh Diem becoming the president of South Vietnam: "over the ruins of the French...the country was split...Ngo Dinh diem was the puppet" . Ochs then turned to the escalation of the US war, even though the "finest Washington minds" assured the opposite. Ochs ended the song be condemning the actions of the US government in Vietnam: "the evil is done...a world...will always remember" .
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English
Over the ruins of the French fortress of a failure
Over the silent screams of the dead and the dying
Saying please be reassured, we seek no wider war
The treaties were signed, the country was split into sections...
Ngo Dinh diem was the puppet who danced for the power
Machine gun bullets became the bloody baptizers
And the falcon copters don't care if someone's the wiser...
And fires were spitting at forests in defoliation
While the people were pressed into camps not called concentration
And the greater the victory the greater the shame of the nation...
As the finest Washington minds found slogans for slaughter
But the shattered schools never learned that it's not escalation
But please be reassured, we seek no wider war
And the evil is done in hopes that evil surrenders
But the deeds of the devil are burned too deep in the embers
And a world of hunger in vengeance will always remember
So please be reassured, we seek no wider war
Show full lyrics (18 lines) ▾

2014

#15 Phil Ochs White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land 2014 · Live · A Hero of the Game (Historic 1965 New York Radio Broadcast) · Let Them Eat Vinyl # LETV162LP · USA
Annotation
As noted in the title, this 1965 radio broadcast featured live versions of some Vietnam and other protest songs by Phil Ochs, including "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" (Let Them Eat Vinyl # LETV162LP).
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Let Them Eat Vinyl LETV162LP (UK, 11 August 2014), side A track 2; from a 1965 New York radio broadcast (date and station not given). [From Discogs]
Lyrics
English
The pilots playing poker in the cockpit of the plane
The casualties arriving like the dropping of the rain
And a mountain of machinery will fall before a man
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
It's written in the ashes of the village towns we burn
It's written in the empty bed of the fathers un-returned
And the chocolate in the children's eyes will never understand
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
Red blow the bugles of the dawn
The morning has arrived you must be gone and the lost
Patrol chase their chartered souls, like old whores following tired armies
Train them well, the men who will be fighting by your side
And never turn your back if the battle turns the tide
For the colours of a civil war are louder than commands
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land
Blow them from the forest and burn them from your sight
Tie their hands behind their back and question through the night
But when the firing squad is ready they'll be spitting where they stand...
We're fighting in a war we lost before the war began
We're the white boots marching...
Show full lyrics (21 lines) ▾
Theme: Anti-War

Key stats

14 songs · 12 releases · 1 artists · 7 labels · 1964–2014 · 1 more list entries have no record page yet and are not counted here

Time period
Artists
  • 1 artists for 14 songs. The most represented is Phil Ochs, with 14.
Songwriters
  • Songwriter gender is recorded for 14 of the 14 songs: 14 by men.
  • By performer: 14 men (recorded for 14).
  • 1 named songwriters. The most often credited is Phil Ochs, with 14.
Labels
  • 5 of the 7 labels appear exactly once; A&M has the most, with five.
  • Eleven sit on a major or well-known imprint — A&M, Elektra, Folkways, Vanguard. The other 3 are on independent, regional or private labels.
Locations
  • All 14 are American. New York leads with six, then California four and Rhode Island one.
  • New York City accounts for six records, more than any other city; Los Angeles has four, Newport one.
Themes
  • By perspective: 13 peace, protest and anti-war; one post-war.
  • 14 distinct sub-themes across 14 songs.
  • Diem is the single biggest subject — 2 songs, one in ten.
  • Next come Draft (2), Draft Dodger (2) and Novelty (2).