I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag

[Cat Brules]

Joe McDonald (Country Joe and the Fish) was a counter-culture rock band from the mid-late 1960’s+, out of Berkely, California.  Today, for some reason, one of their songs that I haven’t thought about it in a lifetime, began repeatedly playing in my mind (with all the lyrics)..... an anti-Vietnam War song called, I believe, “I Feel Like I’m Fixing to Die Rag”.  
 

This song was popular during the 60’s and early 70’s.  
 

I was immediately struck by the thought that by changing maybe two(2) words, the song could have come current several years ago:   I don’t know how many troops we still have in Afghanistan, maybe 20,000 or fewer.

 

Those words are:

- change “Viet Nam” to “Afghanistan“

- change “Viet Cong” to “Taliban”

 

Thats it, and it plays.  The video (this rendition has very clear lyrics) is below.  Give it a listen, and (Maybe) substitute the “new” lyrics.

Cat Brules

 

 

[MizPete]

Scary then, scary now.  Whoopie! we're all gonna die.

[bgavin]

The Country Joe tune sounds a whole lot like a filk of the "Muskrat Ramble" tune.
Harry Connick, Jr. does a fine rendition on piano of this old Kid Ory tune from 1926.

[Cat Brules]

Yes, the music isn’t unique,  it follows a tinky-tonk rythmn and it was meant to be....the music was basically copied.    BUT,

The lyrics are shocking and profane on purpose.

When I listened to it today, I found it very sad.  AND there are many here who will not comment.......it hurts too much and I don’t blame them at all.

 

Cat Brules

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

Cat is right, it is sad and funny and even nostalgic. I know the words.

 

Imis

[Pat Riot]

Johnson was a piece of... uh, work. Dirty SOB was  making money off the "police action" in Vietnam but you won't find that on Google. He was making money off of "Air  America" the CIA run airline in Southeast Asia.

[Utah Bob #35998]

We sang most of the anti war songs when I was in the army. Good toe tappers. Some of us drew peace symbols on our helmets and wrote Make Love, Not War. And we still kicked a**. I loved those guys.

[Subdeacon Joe]

I imagine that anti-war songs go back as long as people had both singing and war.  A fair number of popular songs from the War of 1861 era are anti-war.

ADDED:  A few examples
 

 

 

 

 

[Trailrider #896]

Troop lives matter!  But statistically you are safer in Afghanistan than on the South and West Sides of Chicago and some areas of NYC!  And that is sad!    Nonetheless, God Bless our troops deployed!

[J.D. Daily]

11 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Johnson was a piece of... uh, work. Dirty SOB was  making money off the "police action" in Vietnam but you won't find that on Google. He was making money off of "Air  America" the CIA run airline in Southeast Asia.

I recall that he and Lady Bird had an interest in PA&E, Pacific Architects & Engineers, who had a huge logistics contract in VN.

[J.D. Daily]

11 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

We sang most of the anti war songs when I was in the army. Good toe tappers. Some of us drew peace symbols on our helmets and wrote Make Love, Not War. And we still kicked a**. I loved those guys.

I am sure many popular anti VN war songs were played on "WTLB" in An Loc when the 11th ACR had the pirate radio station & I know I & other DJ's played them in Dau Tieng when 25th ID had it before leaving country for Schofield Barrack's.  I remember how sad it was to load all the equipment & LP's in a CONEX to be stored in Long Binh.   Didn't have enough time in country to leave with the division, bummer! 

[Mad Dog Jack, SASS #77862]

Country Joe and the Fish! There's a blast from the past! Saw them in San Francisco at the Fillmore once. I have "Eastern Jam" on my regular playlist on iTunes to remind me of what psychedelic music was