Days of Decision

Annotation — McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" & Answer Songs

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.1Sources1Wikipedia: Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner↩

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…

About the artist

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. 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…

Themes

Anti-War

In collections

McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" & Answer Songs · Civil Rights Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Phil Ochs