Uncle Ho
1971 · Columbia C 30739 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Pete Seeger
- Title
- Uncle Ho
- Release
- Rainbow Race
- Year
- 1971
- Label
- Columbia # C 30739
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Pete Seeger
- Genre
- Folk · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
The song "Uncle Ho", also on the 1971 album Rainbow Race (Columbia # C 30739) - the title referenced the North Vietnamese leader Hồ Chí Minh - which presented the North Vietnamese side, and their fight for independence. It called on Americans to protest the war and refuse to fight: "if soldier boys in every land say 'hell no, we won't go'".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: He educated all the people, he demonstrated to the world / If a man will stand for his own land, he's got the strength of ten / And if we'd only learn the lesson, it could even be a blessin' / He and me might disagree, but we needn't go to shooting again / And if soldier boys in every land say 'hell no, we won't go'... / I'll have to say in my own way, the only way I know / That we learned power to the people and the power to know / From Teacher Uncle Ho!
About the artist
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. His body of songs referencing the Vietnam War is significant in both themes and volume: "The Willing Conscript" on the album Broadside Ballads Volume 2 (1963); "Beans in My Ear", "King Henry", and "The Draft Dodger Rag" on Dangerous Songs!?…
Themes
From the release Rainbow Race
In collections
Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Pete Seeger Songs