Artist Flying Burrito Brothers

Release The Gilded Palace of Sin

Year 1969

Label A&M # SP-4175

Format LP · Album

Country USA

Language English

Songs here 2 in the archive

1969 · Album · A&M # SP-4175 · USA

The country rock song "My Uncle" (A&M Records # SP-4175) was another first person narration, from a person who received a draft letter. He decided to avoid the draft by heading to the "nearest foreign border" - Canada. Thus, this song is a good representation of draft evasion through the method of running. There are varied statistics on how many Americans fled to Canada between 1966 and 1972. An official US study put the number at over 300,000 - 209,517 cases of accused draft offenders, and 100,000 military discharges for absence offenses.¹ Lead guitarist and singer Gram Parsons had said in 1970 to a journalist that "I don't like the 'I ain't marching anymore attitude" with regards to Vietnam and the draft, thus taking a different perspective from other West Coast rock bands, like The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane (amongst others). However, a draft card eventually ended up in the hands of Parsons, who convinced the army to classify him as "4F" - unfit for military service under established physical, mental, or moral standards.²³

The songs