Best Anti-War Songs?

[theHandpuppet]

What's your favorite?

Here's a real oldie but goodie for those of you familiar with early American folks songs, though I believe this one was more of a spiritual:

Down By the Riverside

Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Ain't gonna study war no more.

refrain

I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.

Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand;
Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand
Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my long white robe;
Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna put on my long white robe; Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my starry crown; Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna put on my starry crown;
Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.

refrain

Gonna put on my golden shoes;
(etc)
Gonna talk with the Prince of Peace;
(etc)
Gonna shake hands around the world;
(etc)

[Dying Eagle]

1. Its on the tip of My tongue

What was that Anti-Vietnam song from Woodstock?? The funny one.

Also i like System of a Downs "BOOM" from last year before the war.

[quispquake]

3. "Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag" by Country Joe & the Fish

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Huh!

Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

[livetohike]

2. Eve of Destruction

The Eastern World
It is explodin'
Violence flarin'
Bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill
But not for votin'
You don't believe in war
But what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'


But you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction


Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to say
And can't you feel the fears I'm feelin' today
If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away
There'll be no one to save
With the whole world in a grave
Take a look around you boy,
It's bound to scare you boy


And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction


Yeah, my blood's so mad
Feels like coagulatin'
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth
It knows no regulation
Handful of senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world
Is just too frustratin'


And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction


And think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
Ah you may leave here for four days in space
But when you return it's the same old place
The poundin' of the drums
The pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace


But you tell me over, and over, and over, and over again my friend
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
No, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

[theHandpuppet]

4. Oh yes!

That was a good one!

[livetohike]

6. The song is almost 40 years old!

Not much has changed in the world, has it? Sad......

[Whitacre D_WI]

5. 2 + 2 = ?

by the Bob Seger System

[TN al]

7. Where have all the flowers gone

When will they ever learn?

[On the Road]

8. "Save the Country" by Laura Nyro

Covered more famously by the Fifth Dimension.

Come on people
Come on children
Come on down to the glory river
Gonna wash you up
And wash you down
Gonna lay the devil down
Gonna lay that devil down

Come on people
Come on children
There's a king at the glory river
And the king loved to sing
In the sun -
"We shall overcome"

I got fury in my soul
Fury's gonna take me
To the glory goal
In my mind I can't study war no more
Save the people
Save the children
Save the country..

And just for kicks, I have to mention the classic acid rock tour de force from the Jefferson Airplane http://www.letssingit.com/jefferson-airplane-the-house-at-pooneil-corners-gzsfhp1.html">The House at Pooneil Corners

[fameless]

9. Lives in the Balance - Jackson Browne

I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear

You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war

And there's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs

On the radio talk shows and the T.V.
You hear one thing again and again
How the U.S.A. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend

But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can't take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone

There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
There's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can't even say the names

They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars

I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die

And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

[ET Awful]

10. I'll agree, but I prefer the way Richie Havens did it :)

I just liked Richie's version better.

[liberalitch]

11. Ohio....

By NSNY
OOOOps CSNY (Put two nashes in)

[greendog]

12. "I Ain't Marching Anymore" by Phil Ochs

Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans
At the end of the early British war
The young land started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I've killed my share of Indians
In a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn
I heard many men lying I saw many more dying
But I ain't marchin' anymore

chorus)
It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all

For I stole California from the Mexican land
Fought in the bloody Civil War
Yes I even killed my brothers
And so many others But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I marched to the battles of the German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore

(chorus)

For I flew the final mission in the Japanese sky
Set off the mighty mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning I knew that I was learning
That I ain't marchin' anymore

Now the labor leader's screamin'
when they close the missile plants,
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore,
Call it "Peace" or call it "Treason,"
Call it "Love" or call it "Reason,"
But I ain't marchin' any more,
No I ain't marchin' any more

[sleepyhead]

34. yes.

Call it peace or call it treason
Call it love or call it reason....
Phil Ochs is much missed.

[Amerpie]

37. Draft Dodger Rag - Phil Ochs

Oh, I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in God and Senator Dodd and a-keepin' old Castro down
And when it came my time to serve I knew "better dead than red"
But when I got to my old draft board, buddy, this is what I said:

CHORUS
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
And I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a-goin' to school
And I'm working in a DEE-fense plant

I've got a dislocated disc and a wracked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes
I can hardly reach my knees
And if the enemy came close to me
I'd probably start to sneeze

I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
And I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a-goin' to school
And I'm working in a DEE-fense plant

Ooh, I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies,
Onething you gotta see
That someone's gotta go over there
And that someone isn't me
So I wish you well, Sarge, give 'em Hell!
Kill me a thousand or so
And if you ever get a war without blood and gore
I'll be the first to go

Yes, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
And I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a-goin' to school
And I'm working in a DEE-fense plant

[King_Crimson]

13. The Dogs of War...Pink Floyd

The Dogs of War
(Gilmour/Moore)

Dogs of War and men of hate
With no cause we don't discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather round and haggle
For hard cash we will lie and decieve
Even our masters dont't know the web we weave

One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world...one world

Invisible transfers long distance calls
Hollow laughter in marble halls
Steps have been taken a silent uproar
Has unleashed the Dogs of War
You can't stop what has begun
signed sealed they deliver oblivion
We all have a darkside to say the least
And dealing in death is the nature of the beast

One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world...one world

The Dogs of War don't negotiate
The Dogs of War won't capitulate
They will take and you will give
And you must die, so that they may live
You can knock at any door but wherever you go
You know they've been there before
Well winners can lose and things can get strained
But whatever you change you know the dogs remain

One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world...one world

:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

[carolinayellowdog]

14. One More Parade-- Phil Ochs/Bob Gibson

One More Parade
Phil Ochs
Written by Phil Ochs and Bob Gibson

Hup, two, three, four, marchin' down the street
Rollin' of the drums and the trampin' of the feet
General salutes and the mothers wave and weep
Here comes the big parade
Don't be afraid, price is paid
One more parade

CHORUS
So young, so strong, so ready for the war
So willin' to go an' die upon a foreign shore
All march together, everybody looks the same
So there is no one you can blame
Don't be ashamed, light the flame
One more parade

Listen for the sound and listen for the noise
Listen for the thunder of the marching boys
Few years ago their guns were only toys
Here comes the big parade
Don't be afraid, price is paid
One more parade

CHORUS

Medals on their coats and guns in their hands
Trained to kill as they're trained to stand
Ten thousand ears need only one command
Here comes the big parade
Don't be afraid, price is paid
One more parade

CHORUS

Cold hard stares on faces so proud
Kisses from the girls and cheers from the crowd
And the widows from the last war cry into their shrouds
Here comes the big parade
Don't be afraid, price is paid
Don't be ashamed, war's a game
World in flames
So start the parade!!

[carolinayellowdog]

15. Masters of War/Dylan

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead



Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. Six White Horses---Waylon Jennings..

Man, I miss him. :cry:

Six White Horses Lyrics
Artist(Band):Waylon Jennings

Six White Horses Lyrics

Verse 1:

Come here and look through the window Marie
Open up the shutters,tell me what you see
Was that his knock that i heard at the door
Or is it six white horses coming down the road


Verse 2:
Come here and touch me and say that it's alright
You know that to my eyes the days are as the nights
Read again the letter that tells me where he's gone
To hell with the fighting i want my son home


Verse 3:

I taught him to fish and i taught him to be strong
I taught him that killing any man was wrong
But tommorrow in battle i'd run to where he stood
If the help of a blind man would do any good



Verse 4

Last night i went to his room for awhile
And touched all the things he used as a child
I rocked the cradle where he used to lay
I found his tin soldiers and threw them away


Verse 5
Come here and look through the window Marie
Open up the shutters,tell me what you see
Was that his knock that i heard at the door
Or is it six white horses coming up the road

[dbt]

17. Willie McBride, aka The Green Fields Of France

(written by Eric Bogle)

Well, how do you do young Willie McBride?
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?
And rest for awhile in the warm summer sun
I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done
-
I see by your gravestone, you were only nineteen
When you joined the great fallen in nineteen sixteen
And I hope you died quick, and I hope you died clean
Or young Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?
-
(chorus)
Did they beat the drums slowly?
Did they play the fife loudly?
Did they play the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play the Last Post and chorus?
Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?
-
Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined?
Although you died back in nineteen-sixteen
In that faithful heart are you forever nineteen
-
Or are you a stranger without even a name?
Enclosed and forever behind a glass frame
In an old photograph, torn, battered and stained
And faded to yellow, in a brown leather frame
-
Well the sun, now it shines, on the green fields of France
As the warm summer breeze, that makes the red poppies dance
And look how the sun shines from under the clouds
There's no gas, no barbwire, there's no guns firing now
-
But here in this graveyard that's still no-man's land
The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man
To a whole generation, that was butchered and damned
-
Young Willie McBride, I can't help wondering why
Do those that lie here know why that they died?
And did they believe when they answered the call
Did they really believe that this war would end war?
-
The sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and dying were all done in vain
Young Willie McBride, it all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again

I hate the way this song keeps becoming appropriate--again and again.

[Snow]

19. Aaaghh, simultaneous post. Mio pardono, amigo -eom -

[Snow]

18. Eroc Bogle's your man - "Waltsing Matilda'

someone once asked Bob Kerrey, when he was campaigning for Senator, about his sentiments re the Vietnam war, given that he was wounded there yet was now against it. He responded by singing "Waltzing Matilda", and very well, by all accounts.

The other well-know Bogle antiwar song is No Man's Land:

"Well, how'd you do, Private Willie McBride,
D'you mind if I sit down down here by your graveside?
I'll rest for awhile in the warm summer sun,
Been walking all day, Lord, and I'm nearly done.
I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen
When you joined the glorious fallen in 1916,
I hope you died quick and I hope you died "clean,"
Or, Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?
CHORUS:
Did they beat the drum slowly, did they sound the fife lowly?
Did the rifles fire o'er ye as they lowered ye down?
Did the bugles sing "The Last Post" in chorus?
Did the pipes play the "Floors1 O' The Forest"?
And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined?
And, though you died back in 1916,
To that loyal heart are you forever nineteen?
Or are you a stranger, without even a name,
Forever enshrined behind some glass pane,
In an old photograph, torn and tattered and stained,
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame?

Well, the sun's shining down on these green fields of France;
The warm wind blows gently, the red poppies dance.
The trenches have vanished long under the plow;
No gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard it's still No Man's Land;
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man.
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned.
And I can't help but wonder now, Willie McBride,
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you "the cause?"
Did you really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame,
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it's all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again."

And then for an odd one, there's "Galveston" by Jimmy Webb, performed by Glenn Campbell.

And for a really big, crashing piece with some tremendous anti-war poetry in it, Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem"

[CBHagman]

22. One of John McDermott's albums has both "Tne Green Fields of France"

...and "And the Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda.'" I played "The Green Fields of France" repeatedly the weekend after September 11th, 2001. It seemed one of the few appropriate songs to play.

[bedtimeforbonzo]

20. "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

by the Pogues

[FireHeart]

21. Requiem For The Masses

By the Association.

[theHandpuppet]

23. There are all great

And it's too sad that humanity never learns. Thanks to those who also provided lyrics.

This would make a great DU songbook, don't you think?

[NoSunWithoutShadow]

24. For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield

for what it's worth
buffalo springfield

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. Another that I almost forgot...Galveston.

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin'
I still see her dark eyes glowin'
She was 21 when I left Galveston

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea waves crashing
While I watch the cannons flashing
I clean my gun and dream of Galveston

I still see her standing by the water
Standing there lookin' out to sea
And is she waiting there for me?
On the beach where we used to run

Galveston, oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying
Before I dry the tears she's crying
Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun
At Galveston, at Galveston

[AntiCoup2K4]

28. Glen Campbell was a damned hippy??

Oh, they'll kick him out of the Country Hall of Fame for sure now! :evilgrin:

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. Heheheh....they weren't happy with him when the song came out.

:hi:

[Westegg]

26. Dylan's "With God On Our Side"

Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.

[AntiCoup2K4]

27. As performed by Edwin Starr, DOA, Bruce Springteeen, and others....

WAR
(Barret Strong, Norman Whitfield/Edwin Starr)

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War is something that I despise
For it means destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction destruction
Who wants to die

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

War has shattered many young men's dreams
Made them disabled bitter and meanLife is too precious to be fighting wars
each day
War can't give life it can only take it away

War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord there's gotta be a better way
That's better than
War

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

[AntiCoup2K4]

30. Let's not forget Johnny Cash

This was not strictly an anti war song, but it was written at the height of the Vietnam mess and it was no doubt a major influence on the lyrics...



Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

[tsakshaug]

31. Your Flag decal

Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore
John Prine

While digesting Reader's Digest
In the back of a dirty book store,
A plastic flag, with gum on the back,
Fell out on the floor.
Well, I picked it up and I ran outside
Slapped it on my window shield,
And if I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel.


Chorus:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more. 


Well, I went to the bank this morning
And the cashier he said to me,
"If you join the Christmas club
We'll give you ten of them flags for free."
Well, I didn't mess around a bit
I took him up on what he said.
And I stuck them stickers all over my car
And one on my wife's forehead.


Repeat Chorus:


Well, I got my window shield so filled
With flags I couldn't see.
So, I ran the car upside a curb
And right into a tree.
By the time they got a doctor down
I was already dead.
And I'll never understand why the man
Standing in the Pearly Gates said...


"But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more."


 

[livetohike]

32. The Patriot's Dream (Gordon Lightfoot)

The songs of the wars are as old as the hills
They cling like the rust on the cold steel that kills
They tell of the boys who went down to the tracks
In a patriotic manner with the cold steel on their backs

The patriot's dream is as old as the sky
It lives in the lust of a cold callous lie
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills

The train pulled away on that glorious night
The drummer got drunk and the bugler got tight
While the boys in the back sang a song of good cheer
While riding off to glory in the spring of their years

The patriot's dream still lives on today
It makes mothers weep and it makes lovers pray
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills

Well there was a sad, sad lady, weeping all night long
She received a sad, sad message from a voice on the telephone
Her children were all sleeping as she waited out the dawn
How could she tell those children that their father was shot down
So she took them to her side that day and she told them one by one
Your father was a good man ten thousand miles from home
He tried to do his duty and it took him straight to hell
He might be in some prison, I hope he's treated well

Well there was a young girl watching in the early afternoon
When she heard the name of someone who said he'd be home soon
And she wondered how they got him, but the papers did not tell
There would be no sweet reunion, there would be no wedding bells
So she took herself into her room and she turned the bed sheets down
And she cried into the silken folds of her new wedding gown
He tried to do his duty and it took him straight to hell
He might be in some prison, I hope he's treated well

Well there was an old man sitting in his mansion on the hill
And he thought of his good fortune and the time he'd yet o kill
Well he called to his wife one day, "Come sit with me awhile"
Then turning toward the sunset, he smiled a wicked smile
"Well I'd like to say I'm sorry for the sinful deeds I've done
But let me first remind you, I'm a patriotic son"
They tried to do their duty and it took 'em straight to hell
They might be in some prison, I hope they're treated well

The songs of the wars are as old as the hills
They cling like the rust on the cold steel that kills
They tell of the boys who went down to the tracks
In a patriotic manner with the cold steel on their backs

The train pulled away on that glorious night
The drummer got drunk and the bugler got tight
While the boys in the back sang a song of good cheer
While riding off to glory in the spring of their years

The patriot's dream still lives on today
It makes mothers weep and it makes lovers pray
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills


I know I already submitted a favorite, but I forgot all about this one.

[They_LIHOP]

33. Top 3 Faves...

1. U2 - Like A Song (from War, 1983)

And we love to wear a badge, a uniform,
And we love to fly a flag.
But I won’t let others live in hell,
As we divide against each other,
And we fight amongst ourselves.

Too set in out ways to try to rearrange.
Too right to be wrong, in this rebel song.
Let the bells ring out, is there nothing left?
Is honesty what you want?

A generation without name, ripped and torn,
Nothing to loose, nothing to gain,
Nothing at all.
And if you can’t help yourself,
Well take a look around you
When others need your time.
You say it’s time to go ...
it’s your time.
Angry words won’t stop the fight.
Two wrings won’t make it right.
A new heart is what I need,
Oh god, make it bleed,
Is there nothing left?

2. Steve Earle - Jerusalem (title track, 2002)
I'm sure everyone here knows this song. Steve is Gawd. Period.

3. Dylan - Masters of War (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963)
You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

[Bog Frog]

35. Four Dead in Ohio

Just typing out the title took my breath away. I still can't believe that happened.

[northofdenali]

36. Another, lesser known, by Country Joe and the Fish

Untitled Protest – Country Joe and the Fish, “Together”, August 1968

Red and swollen tears tumble from her eyes
While cold silver birds who came to cruise the skies
Send death down to bend and twist her tiny hands
And then proceed to target B in keeping with their plans

Khaki priests of Christendom, interpreters of love
Ride a stone Leviathan across a sea of blood.
And pound their feet into the sands of shores they’ve never seen,
Delegates from the Western lands to join the death machine.

And we send cards and letters.

The oxen lie beside the road, their bodies baked in mud.
And fat flies chew out their eyes, and bathe themselves in blood.
And super heroes fill the skies, tally sheets in hand,
Yes, keeping score in times of war takes a super man.

The junk crawls past sudden death, it’s cargo shakes inside.
And soldier children hold their breath, and kill them as they hide.
And those who took so long to learn the subtle ways of death
Lie and bleed in paddy mud with questions on their breath.

And we send prayers and praises.

Country Joe MacDonald 2:45

[Amerpie]

38. Fortunate Son

FORTUNATE SON (J.C. Fogerty)

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,

[AlabamaYankee]

39. The traditional "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

A bitter lament over a maimed young man by teh woman he left behing.

The last verse is:

Ye haven't an arm and ye haven't a leg,
Ye haven't an arm and ye haven't a leg,
Ye haven't an arm and ye haven't a leg,
Ye're an eyless, boneless, chickenless egg.
Ye'll have to be put with a bowl to beg,
Johnny I hardly knew ye

[ElsewheresDaughter]

40. country joe and the fish..."and it's 1 2 3 what are we fighten for"..

[Malikshah]

41. The Grave by Don Maclean

Song: The Grave Lyrics


The grave that they dug him had flowers
Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors,
And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone.
He's gone.

When the wars of our nation did beckon,
A man barely twenty did answer the calling.
Proud of the trust that he placed in our nation,
He's gone,
But Eternity knows him, and it knows what we've done.

And the rain fell like pearls on the leaves of the flowers
Leaving brown, muddy clay where the earth had been dry.
And deep in the trench he waited for hours,
As he held to his rifle and prayed not to die.

But the silence of night was shattered by fire
As guns and grenades blasted sharp through the air.
And one after another his comrades were slaughtered.
In morgue of Marines, alone standing there.

He crouched ever lower, ever lower with fear.
"They can't let me die! The can't let me die here!
I'll cover myself with the mud and the earth.
I'll cover myself! I know I'm not brave!
The earth! the earth! the earth is my grave."

The grave that they dug him had flowers
Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors,
And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone.
He's gone.

[elperromagico]

42. "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,"

by Pete Seeger

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That's how it all begun.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on."
We were -- neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

(...)

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

[noonwitch]

43. Give Peace a Chance, Imagine.

When the weather's nice, I blast my redneck neighbors with Lennon, U2 and Dylan music. I have to do something to drown out the Toby Keith music or the constant rap booming from cars driving by.