April 9, 1976. Phil Ochs' life ended.

[ConsAreLiars]

Many of you may have never heard his name or his voice.
Here's the Wiki if you've never heard the name: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs

For his music, his voice, maybe start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTjRPugJ8CA
And here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5pgrKSwFJE
And here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqqJf6YZJVk

And more at: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Phil+Ochs&search=Search

(edit typo)

[mdmc]

1. yes

thanks for the links

[bluestateguy]

2. I didn't know he was dead

RIP

My condolences to the family.

[ConsAreLiars]

6. Which of his songs were your favorites?

Did you listen to the youtube links and do you think those were a good representation of the range of his music, or would you suggest others?

[annabanana]

11. "That's What I Want to Hear" is my hands down favorite.

He did some damn good Union music. I also loved "In the Heat of the Summer" and "That was the President"...

[DangerDave921]

13. Good lyrics

Always the old who lead us to the war
Always the young to fall
Now look what we have won
With a saber and a gun
Tell me was it worth it all.

So true.

[annabanana]

17. The part that always gets me "riled" is

Now it's a sin and a bloody shame
'bout the way they're pushing you 'round.
But when you decide not to take no more
You know I'll put my money down.

'Cause I've seen your kind many times before
And I'll see 'em many times again.
Oh but every bad thing that's happened to you
Has happened to better men.

So don't explain that you've lost your way
That you've got no place to go.
You've got a hand and a voice and you're not alone
Brother that's all you need to know.

[Bozita]

3. His stuff is more than relevant today.

[seemslikeadream]

4. Thanks ConsAreLiars

It is wrong to expect a reward for your struggles. The reward is the act of struggle itself, not what you win.

Phil Ochs



lyrics
http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics/

[ConsAreLiars]

5. That lyrics site you linked to is of unique value.

Unlike the vast number of lyrics sites that operate only as money machines, the creator and contributors to that site respected his music and his messages. There are notes and commentary about the songs as well as chords for those who can read them, and much more about Ochs at http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/ . This link to the Lyrics is a bit easier to navigate, although the content is the same: http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics.html

[seemslikeadream]

7. As you're buildin' all your links on the chain.

Come you ranks of labor, come you union core,
And see if you remember the struggles of before,
When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door
And you started building links on the Chain.
On the Chain, you started building links on the Chain.

When the police on the horses were waitin' on demand,
ridin' through the strike with the pistols in their hands,
Swingin' at the skulls of many a union man,
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain,
As you built one more link on the chain.

Then the army of the fascists tried to put you on the run,
but the army of the union, they did what could be done,
Oh, the power of the factory was greater than the gun,
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain,
As you built one more link on the chain.

And then in 1954, decisions finally made,
The black man was a-risin' fast and racin' from the shade,
And your union took no stand and your union was betrayed,
As you lost yourself a link on the chain, on the chain,
As you lost yourslef a link on the chain.

And then there came the boycotts and then the freedom rides,
And forgetting what you stood for, you tried to block the tide,
Oh, the automation bosses werre laughin' on the side,
As they watched you lose your link on the chain, on the chain,
As they watched you lose your link on the chain.


You know when they block your trucks boys, by layin' on the road,
All that they are doin' is all that you have showed,
That you gotta strike, you gotta fight to get what you are owed,
When you're building all your links on the chain, on the chain,
When you're building all your links on the chain.

Amd the man who tries to tell you that they'll take your job away,
He's the same man who was scabbin' hard just the other day,
And your union's not a union till he's thrown out of the way,
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain, of the chain,
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain.

For now the times are tellin' you the times are rollin' on,
And you're fighting for the same thing, the jobs that will be gone,
Now it's only fair to ask you boys, which side are you on?
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain, on the chain,
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain.

[ConsAreLiars]

8. Listening again, now.

This is from the album "I ain't marching anymore." The playlist on that album provided all one needed to know about why marching in step was not in our class's interest. Starts with "Ballad of a Carpenter," not his lyrics but surely his message:

(before that, edit to add: Those graphics you added really made his message clear. As I listen again to that whole album, his message was, over and over, we are one common people and the class war is real and present in every aspect of our lives.)

Jesus was a working man
And a hero you will hear
Born in the town of Bethlehem
At the turning of the year
At the turning of the year

When Jesus was a little lad
Streets rang with his name
For he argued with the older men
And put them all to shame
He put them all to shame

He became a wandering journeyman
And he traveled far and wide
And he noticed how wealth and poverty
Live always side by side
Live always side by side

So he said "Come you working men
Farmers and weavers too
If you would only stand as one
This world belongs to you
This world belongs to you"

When the rich men heard what the carpenter had done
To the Roman troops they ran
Saying put this rebel Jesus down
He's a menace to God and man
He's a menace to God and man

The commander of the occupying troops
Just laughed and then he said
"There's a cross to spare on Calvaries hill
By the weekend he'll be dead
By the weekend he'll be dead"

Now Jesus walked among the poor
For the poor were his own kind
And they'd never let them get near enough
To take him from behind
To take him from behind

So they hired one of the traders trade
And an informer was he
And he sold his brother to the butchers men
For a fistful of silver money
For a fistful of silver money

And Jesus sat in the prison cell
And they beat him and offered him bribes
To desert the cause of his fellow man
And work for the rich men's tribe,
To work for the rich men's tribe

And the sweat stood out on Jesus' brow
And the blood was in his eye
When they nailed his body to the Roman cross
And they laughed as they watched him die
They laughed as they watched him die

Two thousand years have passed and gone
Many a hero too
But the dream of this poor carpenter
Remains in the hands of you
Remains in the hands of you

Cody tells me that Phil left out some verses and changed some words, so here are the original lyrics:

Jesus was a working man,
A hero as you shall hear.
Born in the slums of Bethle-(Am)hem
At the turning of the year,
Yes, the turning of the year.

When Jesus was a little lad.
The streets rang with his name,
For he argued with the aldermen
And he put them all to shame.
Yes he...

He became a wandering journeyman
And he wandered far and wide,
And he saw how wealth and poverty
Lived always side by side,
Yes...

He said, "Come all you working men,
You farmers and weavers, too.
If you will only organize,
This world belongs to you,
Yes...

When the rich men heard what the carpenter had done,
To the Roman troops they ran.
Saying "Put this rebel Jesus down,
He's a menace to god and man,
Yes...

Jesus walked among the poor
For the poor were his own kind,
And they wouldn't let the cops get near enough
To take him from behind,
Yes...

So they hired one of the traitor's trade
And a stool-pigeon was he
And he sold his brother to the butcher's men
For a fistful of silver money.
Yes...

When Jesus lay in the prisoner's cell,
They beat him and offered him bribes
To desert the cause of his own dear folk
And work for the rich men's tribe,
Yes...

The commander of the occupying troops
He laughed and then he said,
"There's a cross to spare on Calvary Hill,
By the weekend he'll be dead,
Yes..

The sweat stood out upon his brow
And the blood was in his eye,
And they nailed his body to the Roman cross
And they laughed as they watched him die,
Yes..

Two thousand years have passed and gone,
And many a hero too,
But the dream of this poor carpenter
At last it is coming true,
Yes...

[elleng]

9. Thanks for the memories.

the tragedy, suicide maybe due to bipolar disorder.

[murielm99]

10. My favorite is Cops of the World.

I had my kids listen to it a couple of years ago.

All this time has passed, and nothing has changed. The song is as relevant now as it was then.

I saw him in concert once, at a very small venue.

[DangerDave921]

12. Nice!

Thanks for bringing up Phil. His was one of the very first albums I ever owned. A little dated nowadays, but boy -- I sure loved him 20 years ago. I ain't a-marching anymore. Draft Dodger Rag is a hoot. And I love The Highwayman. Not at all political, but a beautiful lyric and feel to it (based on an old poem if I recall).

[Beausoleil]

15. Yes, "The Highwayman" is based on a poem by Alfred Noyes n/t

[Beausoleil]

14. I love so many of his songs

I Ain't Marching Anymore
Draft Dodger Rag
Bracero
Here's To The State Of Mississippi
Cops of the World
Love Me, I'm A Liberal

to name a few


RIP, Phil.

[raccoon]

16. He was one kick-butt folk singer. I discovered him in the '80's. nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. I saw Phil Ochs 39 years ago in concert at Queens College in NY.

Although I loved his lyrics, I walked out of the concert. His music was monotonous and I couldn't take it after about a half hour.

When he hung himself, a then good friend of mine, who was quite delusional (thinking he was her soul mate), took his death very hard.