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Artist Pete Seeger
Release Young Vs. Old
Year 1969
Label Columbia # CS 9873
Format LP · Album
Country USA
Language English
Songs here 2 in the archive
Citation: Justin A. Brummer, Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP) — Pete Seeger, Young Vs. Old; cite each song by its SongID

Young Vs. Old

1969 · Album · Columbia # CS 9873 · USA
2 songs from this release are in the archive, listed below in catalogue order. Track positions are not recorded; the release may carry other songs that do not reference the war. Most common themes: Anti-War.
Annotation
Artist background
Iconic American contemporary folk singer, Pete Seeger (born 3 May 1919 in Manhattan, New York, USA, died on 27 January 2014, same location) played a key role in the 1950s contemporary folk revival and the 1960s anti-war and Civil Rights movement. He often wrote political songs, protesting against war, segregation, and calling for environmental protection.1

His body of songs referencing the Vietnam War is significant in both themes and volume [currently 20 identified]: "The Willing Conscript" on the album Broadside Ballads Volume 2 (1963); "Beans in My Ear", "King Henry", and "The Draft Dodger Rag" on the Dangerous Songs!? (1966); "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" and "Down By the Riverside" on the album Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and Other Love Songs (1967); "Backlash Blues", "Talking Ben Tre", and "The Torn Flag" on the album Pete Seeger Now (1968); "Anti-Vietnam Songs / Waist Deep in the Big Muddy / Arts in a Changing Society / Violence and Protest" featured on the live album Sings and Answers Questions (1968); "Bring Them Home" and "Ballad of the Fort Hood Three" on the album Young vs. Old (1969); "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" (1970) [promo single-only]; "Last Train to Nuremberg", "Uncle Ho", and "Our Generation" on the album Rainbow Race (1971); Rewritten lyrics to "Everybody Has the Right to Live" (1971) with Rev. Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, published in Broadside, May/June 1971, but not recorded.
The track "Bring 'Em Home" (Columbia Records # CS 9873) - one of Pete Seeger's most well-known Vietnam protest songs. It also went by the titles "Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)" and "Bring Them Home" . Seeger wrote the song in May 1966, with the lyrics and music published in Broadside # 71 in June 1966. Several artist covered this song, or re-worked the lyrics, such as Tom Winslow, Barbara Dane, and Bruce Springsteen.2

The lyrics took an anti-Vietnam stance, opposed to government policy (rather than general anti-war), but it also displayed a degree of patriotism (for the United States) and support for the soldiers fighting. Firstly, Seeger strongly emphasised his desire for US troops to return home, repeating "bring them home, bring them home" every other line, arguing that that provided the best way "to support our boys in Vietnam" . Secondly, Seeger criticised the "generals" for wanting to "tangle with the foe" and to "test their weaponry" (i.e. war-mongering). He also said that the generals "don't have the right weaponry" and lacked "common sense" . Seeger thought that the right weapons were "teachers, books and schools" . Thirdly, Seeger argued for the "right to sing this song" and protest against the war, even if "I may be wrong" i.e. it did not represent an unpatriotic stance, and that people had a democratic right to express opposition. Fourthly, Seeger claimed that "I'm not really a pacifist" , and that if an army invaded the United States, then he would be "out on the firing line" , even if the enemy "brought helicopters and napalm" - thus, suggesting, that there are just and unjust wars, and that he considered the Vietnam conflict unjustified.

Also important on this album was the song "Ballad of the Fort Hood Three" , based on the true story of three soldiers who refused to be deployed to Vietnam in 1966. They were Private First Class James Johnson, Private David Samas, and Private Dennis Mora, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, in the 142nd Signal Company, 2nd Armored Division. Taking the case to the Supreme Court in 1967, claiming that the Vietnam conflict was an illegal war, the Court dismissed the suit (Mora v. McNamara 389 U.S. 934).3 The three soldiers were imprisoned. Published in Broadside # 74, September 1966, the lyrics changed slightly for this 1969 album. Broadside # 76 published another song about this topic, introduced in the magazine by Bill Frederick, which was unrecorded - "The Fort Hood Three's Answer to the Green Berets" by Grace Mora Newman, the sister of Dennis Mora, sung to the tune of Barry Sadler's Ballad of the Green Beret.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Collections
Songs from this release appear in these 2 curated collections.
The songs
1.
1969 · Album · Columbia # CS 9873 · New York City, New York · Young Vs. Old

Broadway musical

2.
1969 · Album · Columbia # CS 9873 · New York City, New York · Young Vs. Old

Born 3 May 1919 in Manhattan, New York, USA, died on 27 January 2014, same location