Please Mr. Johnson (I Don't Wanna Go)

Annotation

A novelty protest record about the draft - as suggested by the title of the band ("Put On", meaning it is not true). In addition, they called the private label Jest Records, while the Social Climbers produced the song. So the track "Please Mr. Johnson (I Don't Wanna Go)" (Jest Records # J-101), written by Doug Salamanca and Gary Paxton, started with a spoken-word disclaimer: "this record was sung and produced in complete jest, for fun, it is in no way meant to be unpatriotic, the greatest of statesmen throughout our United States history have made jest of serious situations in hopes that it might ease world tension. This is our full and complete intention". The one-off novelty group directed the song at President Johnson (LBJ), begging him: "please don't make me go" to South Vietnam. It described a draft letter arriving. With the narrator expected at the induction centre for his health check, he had his mind on his new car, guitar strings, and forthcoming marriage. The song ended with a comedy exchanged at the induction centre, in which the boy tried to draft dodge, by highlighting his bad eye sight and teeth. Note the reference to the Vietcong (or "VC") - the National Liberation Front (NFL), the political and military resistance to the US and South Vietnamese government from within South Vietnam. Moreover, note the reference to "1-A" - the classification for those "eligible for military service", established in 1971 (under the Military Selective Service Act of 1967). Other common classifications were 1-AO (Conscientious Objector available for non-combatant military service), and 1-O (Conscientious Objector available for alternate community service).1Sources1Called to Serve: Draft classifications during the Vietnam War (archived copy)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Please Mr. Johnson, please don't make me go / Now honest Mr. Johnson, I don't wanna go / There's Vietcong awaiting over there... / I might let you cut my hair, but please don't send me to South Vietnam / Now I know I'll feel a whole lot better if you never sent to me this letter / Cause I got to take a physical today and I'll be Saigon bound as I'm 1-A / Well, I just bought a brand new car and new strings for my guitar / And I'll do anything you say, but please let me stay in the USA / Back here I thought I was so smart / I getting married and going to school / Now you've gone and broke my heart / Cause you just up and changed your rules... / You can't take me, I got bad eyes / 'Now that's alright boy, we'll going to put you right up in front so the you don't miss a thing' / But I got bad teeth too / 'You're going to shoot them, not bite them' / Oh no, you got to be making a mistake, you can't mean me? / 'March on boy, next

Notes

Jest Records, P.O. Box 349, Hollywood, Calif. 90028, J-101 (J-1001-A), 45 RPM, yellow label; "Please Mr. Johnson (I Don't Wanna Go)" (D. Salamanca - G. Paxton), 2:59, Garpax Music (BMI); The Put On Company featuring Doug Salma; produced by The Social Climbers. [From the record sleeve and labels]

Themes

Draft · Draft Dodger · Anti-War · LBJ · Saigon · VC

In collections

Draft Songs · Garage Rock Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]