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This is a cross-university blog project between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina - Upstate for the Spring 2008 semester. In this forum, our collaborative efforts will discuss the arguments found in popular war-based music from the 1960s.
Contributors
- Joey Schumacher - Clemson University
- Erin McCoy - USC Upstate
- Chase Hart - Clemson University
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24 comments:
Country Joe & the Fish – “Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag (Next Stop Vietnam)” (1965)
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 Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam
And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates
ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee we're all gonna die
Come on generals, let's move fast
your big chance has come at last
now you can go out and get those reds
cos the only good commie is the one that's dead and
you know that peace can only be won when we've
blown 'em all to kingdom come
Come on wall street don't be slow
why man this war is a go-go
there's plenty good money to be made by
supplying the army with the tools of its trade
let's hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
they drop it on the Viet Cong
Come on mothers throughout the land
pack your boys off to Viet Nam
come on fathers don't hesitate
send your sons off before it's too late
and you can be the first ones on your block
to have your boy come home in a box
Hello people!
My first reaction to this song was that it had a really good meaning and it made you want to sing the song. They were describing how they were ready to go to Vietnam and kill people and come back home. Pack your guns and don't hesitate to pull the trigger. When we all die open the pearly gates and there will be no more trouble. The only victory is killing everyone but not really caring if you live or not! That's crazy but I know that I'm not going to any kind of war knowing that I could be killed on the front line! I do give a damn and I want to know what I'm fighting about.
Thanks for your support
Kemorin
Hi group!! My name is Randi Sharpe. I am a business major at Clemson University! I do have a facebook if you would like to find me and learn more about me!
The song "Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag (Next Stop Vietnam)", written by Country Joe & the Fish has such a strong meaning. I can only imagine how the people are feeling at this time. I feel that the song is showing the frustrations of the people towards the war in Vietnam.
The soldiers and people have no idea why they are fighting, they just know they are fighting. When the song looks from a mother and a father's point of view it is really sad. The mothers and fathers are having to send their sons off and most of them never return home unless it is in a box. So most parents knew when they were sending their sons off to war that they would only see them again at their funeral. This had to be such a sad and lonely time. I know how mothers and fathers have such an attachment to their children. I imagine that the parents were furious and did not understand why their sons had to go fight a war no one approved of.
There were also frustrations about the economic status. The economy was supposed to be stimulated by the war. In the song, they speak directly to Wall Street, "Come on Wall Street don't be slow". Everyone thought in the beginning that the economic state of the United States would be a lot better, but it never turned out that way. The song also says, "There's plenty good money to be made by supplying the army with the tools of its trade". The United States was trading with places and a lot of the money was going towards the war. So the people were disappointed at the economic state of the US.
Overall, the song just shows how many Americans were frustrated with how everything was going with the war in Vietnam.
Randi S. (26)
Hey ya’ll. My name is Lexie. I am a freshman Genetics major at Clemson University.
Country Joe and the Fish’s song, “Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag” has a lot of sarcasm to it. I feel like it would really offend a lot of people hat fought in Vietnam. While over there our soldiers saw things that changed them forever, and having family that fought I’ve seen how being over there affected the rest of their life. The whole song takes the war as sort of a joke. People leaving to fight did it to help not just to go kill people.
I hate how the U.S. always rushes off to help all of these foreign countries out when they are at war either within their own country or with another country. We help them, but when the U.S. needs help they say they can’t because they don’t want to become enemies of a country they are currently at peace with.
Alexandria M.(50)
Hey guys! My name is Megan and I am a Nutrition major at Clemson.
I think that this song is very ironic. It is making light of a very tragic time. It is also putting blame on all of the people that are responsible for Viet Nam. It pulls greed into the story by referencing all of the money to be made by the war. I looked at Joe McDonald’s webpage to try to figure out his thoughts on the piece. Apparently, he wrote this song in a mere thirty minutes in 1965 when the war was all the talk. He says he is trying to get people to realize the absolute devastation that the war causes. But I think that he does it in a really interesting way. The almost comical tone of the song really grabs people’s attention. Anyways, I thought it was a pretty cool song, especially when you listen to it.
Hope y’all enjoyed it too!
Megan S. (26)
Whattup I'm Will from Clemson University.
"Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Rag(Next Stop Vietnam)" echoes the anti- war sentiments of many of Americas citizens at the time. Instead of plainly stating that the Vietnam war was not their favorite idea Country Joe & the Fish used sarcasm to mock the soldiers, generals, the government, and the idea of war as a whole. This song strongly states its opinion throughout itself. The lyrics also leave the reader with a shocking image of a young man returning to his parents in his coffin. This song no doubt gets its message across but leaves a wake of destruction along the way. I do not believe that it is right to insult and mock the very people that keep our rights safe. The writer(s) would not have been able to write this song if soldiers in the past had just decided that they did not agree with their respective wars. Each and every person has the right to his or her own opinion but in this case, this opinion was stated too harshly.
Will H. (50)
Hey everyone! I'm Kelley and I'm an Economics major at Clemson.
After reading the lyrics to "Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag (Next Stop Vietnam)" my first thought was how the artist uses satire to get their point across. With lines such as, "So put down your books and pick up a gun we're gonna have a whole lotta fun" and "whoopee we're all gonna die" they sarcastically express how ridiculous they feel the war is. Also, with words such as pearly gates they allude to death and express how men are dying for a cause they don't believe in.
I really see the artist’s frustration with the war. They really seem to feel as if the war is an excuse for power hungry prominent men to "blow em all to kingdom come." They really express how the war was really a way for the United States to make some money at the expense of the young men of the country. Obviously the artist felt the war was a corrupt one. In particular the last line did a good job of sarcastically pointing out the folly that was the Vietnam War by saying how mothers and fathers can be the first ones to receive their son in a box. This really caught my attention because of the emotion involved. The artist seems to be ridiculing the lack of compassion they felt the American government had at that time towards families and families that lost loved ones during the war.
Overall I thought the song showed just how ridiculous people thought the Vietnam War was during the 1960's. After reading the lyrics I had a better understanding of how a lot of people felt during that time.
Kelley S. (26)
Hey group,
My name is Dan Adams. I'm a freshman business major at Clemson.
I really like the way he presents the song. Instead of just saying people are going to die, he says fathers “you can be the first ones on your block, to have your boy come home in a box.” This really makes it much more personal. Some people may have thought that some Americans dying would be bad, but the war was still worth it. But when they actually picture their own son coming home in a box, it may change their mind.
One thing I didn’t like was when he made fun of the army, implying that they didn’t know what they were doing. He said “let's hope and pray that if they drop the bomb, they drop it on the Viet Cong.” This implies that they aren’t skilled enough to hit their target, they can only hope and pray that they do.
Dan Adams (60)
I thought the posts from everyone else were very interesting to see. I love how everyone picks something out from the song that grabs their attention. I agree with Will H.'s post on how the writers of the song used sarcasm to get their point across. They criticized the soldiers, generals, the government, and the idea of war as a whole. This was very obvious throughout the song.
Also, I completely agree with Kelly S.'s post on the frustrations of the war. They are very apparent that the artists were not supportive of the war. They were frustrated at how the war was playing out.
I love the point that Dan A. makes in his post about how the writers play to the listener's senses and feelings. They do make it a personal matter. It is personal for every mother and father when they talk of their sons coming home in a box. It is personal for students, when they tell them to put down their books and pick up a gun. The writers knew what they were doing when they chose the lyrics to this song.
I feel that everyone's points are very good and I have enjoyed seeing what everyone else thought about the song.
The post above was made by me! Sorry I meant to do this!
Randi S. (26)
Hey guys! I think everyone did a great job analyzing this song! Anyways, here’s what I thought...
“I do give a damn and I want to know what I'm fighting about.” I really like this comment by Kemorin. I think that it says a lot. She is saying that she cares. She is not just going off to war blindly. She says that it does matter what you are fighting for and why you choose to fight. I like that she “gives a damn.”
Dan, I loved this comment: “Some people may have thought that some Americans dying would be bad, but the war was still worth it. But when they actually picture their own son coming home in a box, it may change their mind.” You touched on the personal side of this song and I think that is very important to note. You are right: this comment does make people think about more than just the war. It makes them think about all of the other effects of war, the bad effects.
Ok, well y’all have a fun weekend and have a great time at cup if you are going! Thanks!
Megan S (26)
In reading " Feel Like Im fixin to Rag (Next Stop Vietnam)" I felt as though they described what was going on so much that it seemed too vivid to my imagination. I interpreted so much from this song, like in the beggining how the song talks about all the trouble that Uncle Sam (the government) gets into and that strikes a war in Vietnam. One line says "Put down your books and pick up a gun" to me means that these were young men who were probably in school and drafted into this war for a cause that maybe forced to make them to do as neccessary and pick up a gun. There is so much negativity with all of this that the song lets you know that the only time that things will become calm is once the war is over and the only way for the war to be over as they so drastically describe it is to see these men come home in caskets, ready to be buried. I agree with kelly S when she makes note of how it gets to a point of being sarcastic about dying in the war. This song is nothing but a different but unusual way to view the war.
Toshae' F.
Hello Everyone!! It's me Kemorin again and I would just like for everyone to know that they did a good job on their post. Oh yeah it's kinda funny that Megan thinks I'm a girl. I was laughing with tears and still laughing. Trust me it's no biggie but I understand that I do have a weird name. But I still give a damn what we are fighting for!! :-)
Hey guys! I thought everyone did an awesome job with their posts, and I thought it was cool how everyone interpreted the lyrics.
I loved the comment Randi S. made about the attachment mothers and fathers have to their children, and how the line talking about their son coming home in a box really shows how sad the Vietnam War was for everyone.
Dan A. also made an interesting note how the song implies the army didn't know what they were doing. I think it's good that Dan was critical of the lyrics because not everyone then and now agrees with the artist’s opinions.
Also it was awesome how Megan S. did some back research into the song and how it was written. I would never have guessed it took Joe McDonald thirty minutes to write it. I guess when people feel so passionately about a topic it's easy to express their thoughts through lyrics.
Overall I think everyone did an awesome job! Everyone really had a personal touch to put into the commentaries.
Kelley S. (26)
Hey guys, it’s Dan Adams.
Megan S. the information that you found from researching is really interesting. I agree that the artist does a good job of showing all of the devastation in a sarcastic way. The sarcasm added a lot to the song. It makes it so much better than if he was just preaching in the song.
Will H. I agree with you that the artist really exaggerates his points and the song is full of opinion. That kind of relates to what Randi S. said,
Randi S. I agree with a lot of what you said and I also couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a child come home in a coffin. You also said “The soldiers and people have no idea why they are fighting, they just know they are fighting.” I really don’t know enough about the war to make any judgments on it, but this is really only this one person’s opinion and he is biased and uninformed. I don’t know how he would know what the soldiers know, since he isn’t a soldier himself and he doesn’t seem to be the kind of person that would have friends that are in the military. I just don’t think he had good sources for that information, it seemed like opinion to me.
Dan Adams (60)
Well being able to go back and read everyone’s post has been cool. It was interesting to see what about the song caught the most attention. The line about someone’s son coming back “in a box” seems to have gotten the most attention. It seemed like a lot of us tried to identify with how someone who loses a son to war would act. And most of us identified by saying., “I don’t know what I would do.”
Other than which lines got the most attention it was neat to see what all ya’ll thought about the song as a whole. Everyone had a lot of different opinions/emotions about the song. Some said it was ironic, others said humorous, and a few of us said sad.
I haven’t seen too many people’s post from Upstate?
My name is Toshae' F. and I attend USC UPstate.
This song was an eye opener to me because as I read it for the third time I am feeling like the song kind of poked fun toward the war because many of its lyrics are so sarcastic like the wone that said "you know the peace can only be won when we've blown em' all to kingdom come." That line does not have a serious attitiude toward the war its just like yea lets go kill em'!!!?!! Uhh no! Alexandria M. responds and makes a statement that those who did fight in the Vietnam war would be offended by the lyricsa in this song and I do agree with her! How can someone sit there and pick so mucha at a war that they obviously dont know to much about because they sing about it like it was nothing.
Hey y’all! It’s Megan S. and Kemorin I really want to start out by saying that I am so sorry for thinking you were a girl.. I guess the name just through me off but I’m glad we can both laugh about it! ☺
Anyways, I really enjoyed reading everyone’s reactions to the first posts- I think we have all done a great job! A. P. Moon, I think that it was really interesting how you analyzed which line from the song seemed to get the most attention! And I couldn’t agree with you more; it is definitely the most vivid, eye-popping lyric! Also, Dan, I think that you were rightfully critical of the fact that this is just one man’s opinion—one man that obviously isn’t fighting in the war and doesn’t have much personal experience with it. I like the fact that you are challenging his thoughts, because sometimes it’s easy to just blindly believe things that we are told.
http://www.countryjoe.com/woodstock.htm
This is a link to a picture of Country Joe playing the song at Woodstock. Take note of the caption underneath—I think it is interesting to note that he didn’t even want to play the song that day. I think that just seening this picture makes the song come to life. It makes it feel more real rather than just reading words on a computer screen. It give you more of a sense for the time and what was going on and especially of people’s attitudes.
Well I hope y’all enjoyed that! And have a great week!
Megan S. 26
Hey yall I agree with Kimorin that this song is very catchy. I can see why this song was popular and why people enjoy it so much.I also agree with Megan that this song catches people's attention with its unusual style and its stinging sarcasm.
Dan's comment: “Some people may have thought that some Americans dying would be bad, but the war was still worth it. But when they actually picture their own son coming home in a box, it may change their mind.” I think that Dan hits the nail on the head with this comment. People look at war as though they will never be affected and this song illustrates what it really feels like to have war affect an individual. The writers tried to put a real image in the mind of their listeners. In my opinion they did a very good job in making the song personal.
Will H. (50)
Hey everyone
I think that Toshae' F. makes an interesting point that the writer's are writing about a subject that they do not fully understand. Many people in our day and time are quick to important topics that they know little or nothing about. I'm sure that in 1965 it was no different.
Everyone's opinions on this song have been great. All of the different insights on the song hyelped me to look at the song in a different light than I normally would have.
Here is a visual representation of the Vietnam era that I think is interesting. This picture voices the anti-war feelings of much of the population.
http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070619/images/PAR37859.jpg
Will H. (50)
Hey guys! It's Randi again!
I am loving how weveryone is analyzing everyone's thoughts and ideas!
I just wanted to touch on Dan A.'s comment that it was the writer's opinion that the people and soldiers did not know what they were fighting for. I looked up on google.com some things about the Vietnam War, and i found some interesting information. The Vietnam War was the longest war in history and the country began to divide. Everyone lost the reasons of why we initially went to war. It's kind of like the war today. People just want the war to be over, but they forget the reasons of why we initially went to war. That is exactly what happened with the Vietnam War. That's all I meant when I said the people and soldiers did not know why they were fighting, they just knew they were. Just wanted to clear that up.
I love how Toshae' F. made the comment of her different emotions as she read it for the third time. That is so true. When I read everyone's comments and then the song's lyric; I see the song in a different light and have different emotions.
I also loved when Dan said that most people only looked at the bad effects of the war, but that the war was still worth it. I completely agree with that statement.
As I was looking on-line I found this picture at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40336000/jpg/_40336521_us_protests300.jpg
This picture is very interesting to me. I have been to Washington, D.C. quite a few times and it's neat to see the Smithsonian in the background of this picture. This picture is displaying a protest of the Vietnam War. This shows how divided the country was during this time.
Randi S. (26)
Hey guys! It’s Kelley S. I just wanted to say what a fabulous job everyone was doing!
Toshae' I liked your observation about how the song points out how young the soldiers were; possibly too young to go so far away and fight in such a dangerous war. Many soldiers were just out of high school and still kids. I can't imagine being in their position and having to go off to war right now. Also, Dan I liked how you stated that the sarcasm in the song made it more convincing rather than if they had just preached.
After searching for a picture to represent our song, I found this picture--- http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/rshields30127/ourbrotherscopy.png
I thought it was particularly relevant to our song because of how the peace necklace is in color while the rest of the picture is in black in white. The artists of the song really emphasized peace and how they didn't think the war was justified. This picture also shows that many of the soldiers in Vietnam held this same opinion. The man in the picture is a soldier and he is much like the soldiers the song refers too.
Kelley S. (26)
Hey guys, its Dan Adams from Clemson.
Kelly S., I completely agree. I am the same age as many of the soldiers were, and yet there is no way I could imagine being thrown into a foreign country with a gun and told to fight. I just don’t feel that I am ready for that, and I assume that they weren’t either.
Randi S., that is a good point that the soldiers had been in Vietnam for so long that the war probably just became a way of life, rather than a fight for something specific.
Here is a picture I found. http://www.vietnamwar.com/memorywall.jpg. It shows a long list of people that had died in the war, and a man there and you can see his pain in the way he is standing. This long list shows just how many parents had their son come home in a box, or worse yet, an empty box coming home to their house.
Dan Adams (60)
Well ya'll. I think we all did a great job putting our thoughts into words with "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag." Getting to see people build even more observations as they read it more helped me get a further understanding of the song, and as we read it more we found new lines that we could all empahsize on. The links that were provided in some of the blogs above really helped show more about what led up to the song. Did anyone find anything about Country Joe and the Fish. I was just wondering if they were anti war or what.
Alexandria M. (50)
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