Phil Ochs is the best political musician/lyricist dude ever

[Mass_Liberal]

he's tha man.

[Blue-Jay]

1. He's one of the best "lyricists" ever.

As a musician, he's good, but not outstanding.

Of course I'm splitting hairs.

[skooooo]

3. errr...ummmmm

<---------

[Blue-Jay]

7. YES! You said what I could NOT say in a few grunts.

In other words, "HUH?"

[Mass_Liberal]

5. fine dammit

you pedantic bufoon!!

[Earth_First]

2. Love me, love me, love me...

I'm a liberal...

[Canuckistanian]

4. Agreed /nt

[PragMantisT]

6. Sadly, Phil committed suicide a few years ago.

He never caught on like Dylan.

But "Small Circle of Friends" is still one of the greatest songs ever.

God bless him, we sure could use him, now.

[sleepyhead]

8. Just finished his biography

"There But for Fortune" (can't remember author's name at the moment). Sad story - he inherited his father's manic depression and it spiraled out of control, causing him to end his life in 1976, at the age of 35. Maybe if he'd been born later, he might have been helped by medication. I fully agree, we do need him now.

[PragMantisT]

9. Thanks for the reading recommendation

I'll look it up.

Ochs was one of the few musicians who was willing to take his own to task on their complacency. It took The Dead 20 years to come up with Touch of Grey, one of the few scathing indictments of a generation by the same generation that succeeded on it's merits.

Thanks again for the title

[gpandas]

10. is this part of a phil ochs line...

"...the sound of the mukluks scraping across the living room floor..."

[ConsAreLiars]

11. Ochs' voice is timeless and true

(Thanks to Bozita for drawing my attention to this thread about a poet who saw the painful realities behind the curtains. We have many heroes on our side, but Ochs is unique.)

Here are most of his song lyrics:
http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics.html

If you haven't heard his voice, Amazon has several (short) samples you can listen to. Listen to him until you really begin to hear.


Here's the text of just one song:
http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics/what-are-you-fighting-for.html

What Are You Fighting For
By Phil Ochs

C F Em
Oh you tell me that there's danger to the land you call your own

F Em Am
And you watch them build the war machine right beside your home

C F Em
And you tell me that you're ready to go marchin' to the war

Dm G7 C
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?

Before you pack your rifle and sail across the sea
Just think upon the Southern part of the land that you call free
Oh, there's many kinds of slavery and we've found many more
I know you're set for fightin', but what are you fighting for?

And before you walk out on your job in answer to the call
Just think about the millions who have no job at all
And the men who wait for handouts with their eyes upon the floor
Oh I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?


Turn on your TV, turn it on so loud
And watch the fool a smiling there and tell me that you're proud
And listen to your radio, the noise it starts to pour
Oh I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?

Read your morning papers, read every single line
And tell me if you can believe that simple world you find
Read every slanted word till your eyes are getting sore,
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?

And listen to your leaders, the ones who won the race
As they stand right there before you and lie into your face
If you ever try to buy them, you know what they stand for
I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?

Put ragged clothes upon your back and sleep upon the ground,
And tell police about your rights as they drag you down,
And ask them as they lead you to some deserted door,
Yes, I know you're set for fightin', but what are you fightin' for?

But the hardest thing I'll ask you, if you will only try
Is take your children by their hands and look into their eyes
And there you'll see the answer you should have seen before
If you'll win the wars at home, there'll be no fighting anymore

Notes:

Toby Everett supplied this from memory, Al Barker ([e-mail]) supplied corrections based on the sheet music, then Toby provided more corrections.
21 Apr 97 trent

[Bozita]

13. Yes, a poet who chose music as his delivery system

If you hear it for the first time, you'd swear that it was recorded two days ago.

If you've never heard Phil Ochs, you're really missing something.

[Zinfandel]

12. Woody was the best.

Guthrie.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

14. Man. I haven't listened to Ochs for awhile

I'm going to have to dig through my CD's. He's still timeless.
I first heard him on Tampa/St. Petes public radio station WMNF, on "the 60's show". That station turned me on to alot of great music.