I Wish I Had a Draftcard

Annotation

The song "I Wish I Had a Draftcard" (Beverly # 112) took a strong patriotic line on the draft issue, criticising draft card burners and draft dodgers. A spoken-word track, the narrator marched along, with a nine year old, at a patriotic demonstration on Veteran's Day, carrying a sign in support of the draft, which represented "a calling card for freedom". Composed by J. Kelvie and J. Long.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: 'I wish I had a draft card', read the crudely printed sign / Carried by a little lad whose age was only nine / He was marching with the legion at the Veterans Day parade / And I was curious for the meaning of the sign he had made.... / So I marched along with him, and from his explanation my eyes with tears grew dim / It seemed he had heard too much of beatniks burning up their draft cards to stay out of Vietnam... / As we marched he said, 'I wish I had a Draft card'... / You'd never see me burn it up... / A calling card for freedom in the dear old USA... / And when I get my greeting from Mr. President, I wouldn't try to dodge the draft / I'd go where I was sent / Of course I'd have to leave my mother and give up my baseball games / But in my soldiers uniform I'd never feel ashamed / I love the land of the free and the home of the brave / And I'd rather fight than ??? to a communistic slave/ And with the star and stripes for ever... / Our flag will be my banner and I will fight to keep it free

Notes

Beverly Record No. 112 (SO 3075), red label with silver print; "I Wish I Had a Draftcard" (J. Kelvie/J. Long), Sandalwood Music – BMI and Curt Gibson Music – BMI; "Distributed nationally by Sounds of Nashville", Nashville, Tennessee. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Distrbuted Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Themes

Draft · Patriotic · Anti-Protest · Beatnik · Draft Card Burning · Draft Dodger · Anti-Communism · Flag

In collections

Draft Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]