Phil Ochs

1. Phil Ochs “There is an urgent need for Americans to look deeply into themselves and their actions, musical poetry is perhaps the most effective mirror available. Every newspaper headline is a potential song.” Phil Ochs

2. Essential Questions • What impact do songs have on social movements? • What is the historical context in which these songs are written and performed? • What makes a song effective in a cause?

3. Role of Music • Music has been used to lift the spirits of poor, oppressed and rebels. • Music has been used to communicate the ideas of change and protest. • From different historical eras from slavery, The Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam, individuals have shared their opinions of injustice.

4. Phil Ochs • Phil Ochs was born in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 19. 1940. • His songs were humorous and political. • He wrote about the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement and famous people. • He committed suicide on April 9, 1976 at the age of 35.

5. Wade into the riverThrough the rippling shallow waterSteal across the thirsty borderBraceroCome bring your hungry bodiesTo the golden fields of plentyFrom a peso to a pennyBraceroOh, welcome to CaliforniaWhere the friendly farmersWill take care of youCome labor for your motherFor your father and your brotherFor your sisters and your loverBraceroCome pick the fruits of yellowBreak the flowers from the berriesPurple grapes will fill your belliesBraceroOh, welcome to CaliforniaWhere the friendly farmersWill take care of youAnd the sun will bite your bodyAs the dust will draw you thristyWhile your muscles beg for mercyBracero In the shade of your sombreroDrop your sweat upon the soilLike the fruit your youth can spoilBraceroOh, welcome to CaliforniaWhere the friendly farmersWill take care of youWhen the weary night embracesSleep in shacks that could be cagesThey will take it from your wagesBraceroCome sing about tomorrowWith a jingle of the dollarsAnd forget your crooked collarBraceroOh, welcome to CaliforniaWhere the friendly farmersWill take care of youAnd the local men are lazyAnd they make too much of troubleBesides we'd have to pay them doubleBraceroAh, but if you feel you're fallin'If you find the pace is killingThere are others who are willingBraceroOh, welcome to CaliforniaWhere the friendly farmersWill take care of you Bracero

6. I cried when they shot Medgar EversTears ran down my spineI cried when they shot Mr. KennedyAs though I'd lost a father of mineBut Malcolm X got what was comingHe got what he asked for this timeSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberalI go to civil rights ralliesAnd I put down the old D.A.R.I love Harry and Sidney and SammyI hope every colored boy becomes a starBut don't talk about revolutionThat's going a little bit too farSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberalI cheered when Humphrey was chosenMy faith in the system restoredI'm glad the commies were thrown outof the A.F.L. C.I.O. boardI love Puerto Ricans and Negrosas long as they don't move next doorSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberalThe people of old MississippiShould all hang their heads in shameI can't understand how their minds workWhat's the matter don't they watch Les Crain? But if you ask me to bus my childrenI hope the cops take down your nameSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal I read New Republic and NationI've learned to take every viewYou know, I've memorized Lerner and GoldenI feel like I'm almost a JewBut when it comes to times like KoreaThere's no one more red, white and blueSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberalI vote for the democratic party They want the U.N. to be strongI go to all the Pete Seeger concertsHe sure gets me singing those songsI'll send all the money you ask forBut don't ask me to come on alongSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberalOnce I was young and impulsiveI wore every conceivable pinEven went to the socialist meetingsLearned all the old union hymnsBut I've grown older and wiserAnd that's why I'm turning you inSo love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal Love Me, I’m A Liberal

7. I'll sing you a song about a southern town where the devil had his ruleWhen marshalls faced an angry mob to send one man to schoolHis name was jimmy meredithThe tide he helped to turnFor he chose to stay on that terrible dayThe land was soon to learnThere was blood, red blood, on their hands,Yellow dirt on their clothesWhat they thought they were doing,Only God and the devil knowsThere was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,Shot from their souls like a gunAnd as they threw their stones and bricks,They screamed, "see what you have done!"The governor made a promise he would keep the trouble downBut when the mob got ugly no troopers could be foundAnd men were filled with hate and fear,They screamed into the nightThe rebel flag waved in the airThe symbol of state's rights There was blood, red blood, on their hands,Yellow dirt on their clothesWhat they thought they were doing,Only God and the devil knowsThere was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,Shot from their souls like a gunAnd as they threw their stones and bricks,They screamed, "see what you have done!"Gas was fired into the mob after each attackAnd though the gas was running low, they never fired backAnd when the smoke had cleared and the fury felt it's painTwo men were dead and a hundred bledThe south had risen againSo listen mr barnet, and mr walker, tooThe times are changing mighty fast, they'll roll right over youBut someday you'll head for the south, to the southern tip of hellAnd it's hot down there, white-hot down thereLet's hear your rebel yell!There was blood, red blood, on their hands,Yellow dirt on their clothesWhat they thought they were doing,Only God and the devil knowsThere was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,Shot from their souls like a gunAnd as they threw their stones and bricks,They screamed, "see what you have done!""see what you have done!" Ballad of Oxford (Jimmy Meredith)

8. It was just a little while ago I glued my ears to the radioThe announcer was sayin' we'd better bewareA crisis was hanging - a wave from the airCrawlin' on the groundSwimmin' in the seaHeadin' for meWell, I didn't know if I was for or agin' itHe was yellin' and screamin' a mile a minuteWell, he said "here comes the presidentBut first this word from pepsodentHave whiter teethHave cleaner breathWhen you're facin' nuclear death"And then president john began to speakAnd I knew right away he wouldn't be weakWell, he said he'd seen some missile basesAnd terrible smiles on cuban facesClose picturesCarryin' land reform too farGiving land to the Ussr Well, he said we mustn't be afraidWe're settin' up a little blockadePut our ships along the Cuban shoresAnd if the Russian bear yells and roars,We'll let him have it From turkey and Greece, Formosa and SpainThe peaceful west European plainFrom Alaska and Greenland we'll use our meansAnd twenty thousand submarinesWe're gonna teach the Russians a lessonFor trying to upset the balance of powerNow most americans stood behindThe president and his military mindsBut me, I stood behind a barDreamin' of a spaceship getaway carHead for marsAny other planet that has barsLike gerde's folk cityYes, it seemed the president's stand was strong and plainBut some republicans was a-goin' insaneAnd they still areThey said our plan was just too mildSpare the rod and spoil the childLet's sink Cuba into the seaAnd give 'em back democracyUnder the waterWell, the deadline was set for ten o'clockFor a cold war it was a-gettin' hotWell, the Russians tried, the Russians failedHomeward bound those missiles sailedMr. Khrushchev said, "better red than dead." Talking Cuban Crisis

9. In the state of Mississippi many years ago A boy of 14 years got a taste of southern law He saw his friend a hanging and his color was his crime And the blood upon his jacket left a brand upon his mind CHORUS: Too many martyrs and too many dead Too many lies too many empty words were said Too many times for too many angry men Oh let it never be again And the boy became a man, the man became a cause The cause became the hope for the country and it's laws. They tried to burn his home and they beat him to the ground But deep inside they both knew what it took to bring him down *chorus* The killer waited by his home hidden by the night As Evers stepped out from his car into the rifle sight He slowly squeezed the trigger, the bullet left his side It struck the heart of every man when Evers fell and died. *chorus* And they laid him in his grave while the bugle sounded clear Laid him in his grave when the victory was near While we waited for the future for freedom through the land The country gained a killer and the country lost a man *chorus* Ballad Of Medgar Evers

10. Walkin' down to Birmingham,way down south in Dixieland.I thought that I would stop a whileTake a vacation Southern styleGot some Southern hospitality...down there in a Southern hospital.Well, all the signs said Welcome in,Welcome if you're white my friend.Come along and watch the fightsWhile we feed our dogs on civil rights.We believe in segregation...Negroes in one mob...Policemen, politicians, dogs in the otherWell I've seen travel in many waysI've traveled in cars and old subwaysBut in Birmingham some people choseTo fly down the street from a fire hose.Doin' some hard travelin'...from hydrants of plenty.Well a pack of dogs was standin' byI walked up to them and I said "Hi"Well I asked one dog what they all were doin'He walked up to me and started chewin'It was a black dog...seems everybody down there is prejudiced. Well I said there must be some men aroundThere can't be only you dogs in townThey said "Sure we have old Bull Conner There he goes, walkin' yonderThrowin' some raw meat to the mayor...feedin' bones to the City Council" Well I said "there's still something missing here,You must have a governor somewhere."Sure, he's doin' his duty, he ain't no foolHe's blocking out kids from our schoolsStandin' in the doorway...crackin' jokes...gettin' re-elected.So, I asked em' how they spend their timeWith segregation on their mind.They said if you don't like to live this wayGet outta here, go back to the U.S.A.Live with all them Russians...New York agitatiors...yeah.Some say they've passed their darkest hourThose moderates are back in power.But listen close with open earsThey'll help us out in a couple a hundred years.But don't push 'em...whatever you do...or else you get those extremists back in.You see Alabama is a soveriegn stateWith soveriegn dogs and soveriegn hateThey stand for the Bible, for the ConstitutionThey stand against Communist revolution.They say: "It's pinkos like you that freed the slaves." Talking Birmingham Jam

11. In the state of Mississippi many years agoA boy of 14 years got a taste of southern lawHe saw his friend a hanging and his color was his crimeAnd the blood upon his jacket left a brand upon his mindToo many martyrs and too many deadToo many lies too many empty words were said Too many times for too many angry menOh let it never be againHis name was Medgar Evers and he walked his road aloneLike Emmett Till and thousands more whose names we'll never knowThey tried to burn his home and they beat him to the groundBut deep inside they both knew what it took to bring him down Too many martyrs and too many deadToo many lies too many empty words were said Too many times for too many angry menOh let it never be again The killer waited by his home hidden by the nightAs Evers stepped out from his car into the rifle sight he slowly squeezed the trigger, the bullet left his sideIt struck the heart of every man when Evers fell and died. Too many martyrs and too many deadToo many lies too many empty words were saidToo many times for too many angry menOh let it never be againAnd they laid him in his grave while the bugle sounded clear laid him in his grave when the victory was nearWhile we waited for the future for freedom through the land The country gained a killer and the country lost a man Too many martyrs and too many deadToo many lies too many empty words were saidToo many times for too many angry menOh let it never be again Too Many Martyrs

12. Silent Soldiers on a silver screenFramed in fantasies and dragged in dreamUnpaid actors of the mysteryThe mad director knows that freedom will not make you freeAnd what's this got to do with meI declare the war is overIt's over, it's overDrums are drizzling on a grain of sandFading rhythms of a fading landProve your courage in the proud paradeTrust your leaders where mistakes are almost never madeAnd they're afraid that I'm afraidI'm afraid the war is overIt's over, it's overAngry artists painting angry signsUse their vision just to blind the blindPoisoned players of a grizzly gameOne is guilty and the other gets the point to blamePardon me if I refrain I declare the war is overIt's over, it's overSo do your duty, boys, and join with prideServe your country in her suicideFind the flags so you can wave goodbyeBut just before the end even treason might be worth a tryThis country is to young to dieI declare the war is overIt's over, it's overOne-legged veterans will greet the dawnAnd they're whistling marches as they mow the lawnAnd the gargoyles only sit and grieveThe gypsy fortune teller told me that we'd been deceivedYou only are what you believeI believe the war is overIt's over, it's over The War Is Over

13. Sailing over to vietnam,Southeast asian birmingham.Well training is the word we use,Nice word to have in case we lose.Training a million vietnameseTo fight for the wrong government and the american way.Well they put me in a barracks houseJust across the way from laos.They said you're pretty safe when the troops deployBut don't turn your back on your house boyWhen they ring the gong, watch out for the viet-cong.Well the sergeant said it's time to trainSo I climbed aboard my helicopter plane.We flew above the battle groundA sniper tried to shoot us down.He must have forgotten, we're only trainees.Them commies never fight fair.Friends the very next day we trained some moreWe burned some villages down to the floor.Yes we burned out the jungles far and wide,Made sure those red apes had no place left to hide.Threw all the people in relocation camps,Under lock and key, made damn sure they're free. Well I walked through the jungle and around the bendWho should I meet but president diem.Said you're fighting to keep vietnam freeFor good old de-em-moc-ra-cy (diem-ocracy).That means rule by one familyAnd 15,000 american troops, give or take a fewThousand.American.Troops. He said: "i was a fine old christian manRuling this backward buddhist land.Well it ain't much but what the heckIt sure beats hell out of chiang kai-shekI'm the power elite. me and the 7th fleet." He said: "meet my sister, madam nhuThe sweetheart of dien bien phu"He said: "meet my brothers, meet my auntsWith the government that doesn't take a chance.Families that slay together, stay together."Said: "if you want to stay you'll have to payOver a million dollars a day.But it's worth it all, don't you see? If you loose the country you'll still have me.Me and syngman rhee, chiang kai-shek, madam nhu.Like I said on _meet the press_'i regret that I have but one country to give for my life.'"Well now old dien is gone and deadAll the new leaders are anti-red.Yes they're pro-american, freedom sensationsAgainst red china, the united nations.Now all the news commentators and the ciaAre saying, "thank God for coincidence." Talking Vietnam

14. Here's to the State of Richard NixonFor underneath his borders the devil draws no lineIf you drag his muddy rivers nameless bodies you will findAnd the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimesAnd the calender is lyin' when it reads the present timeOh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart ofRichard Nixon find yourself another country to be part ofAnd here's to the schools Richard NixonWhere they're teaching all the children they don't have to careAll the rudiments of hatred are present everywhereAnd every single classroom is a factory of despairOh, there's nobody learnin' such as foreign word as fairOh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart ofRichard Nixon find yourself another country to be part ofAnd here's to the laws Richard NixonWhere the wars are fought in secret, Pearl Harbor every dayHe punishes with income tax that he don't have to payAnd he's tapping his own brother just to here what he would sayBut corruption can be classic in the Richard Nixon wayOh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart ofRichard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of And here's to the churches Richard Nixon and Billy GrahamWhere the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rustAnd the Sunday mornin sermons pander to their lustAll the fallen face of Jesus is chokin' in the dustAnd Heaven only knows in which God they can trustOh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart ofRichard Nixon find yourself another country to be part ofAnd here's to the government Richard NixonIn the swamp of their bureaucracy their always boggin' downAnd criminals are posing as advisors to the crownAnd they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the soundAnd the speeches of the President are the ravings of a clownOh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart ofRichard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon

15. And the night comes again to the circle studded skyThe stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie'Til the universe explodes as a falling star is raisedPlanets are paralyzed, mountains are amazedBut they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blazeWith the speed of insanity, then he dies.In the green fields a turnin', a baby is bornHis cries crease the wind and mingle with the mornAn assault upon the order, the changing of the guardChosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hardAnd the only single sound is the sighing of the starsBut to the silence and distance they are sworn So dance dance danceTeach us to be trueCome dance dance dance'Cause we love you Images of innocence charge him go onBut the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawnTo a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gateAnd a blinding revelation is laid upon his plate That beneath the greatest love is a hurricane of hateAnd God help the critic of the dawn. So he stands on the sea and shouts to the shore,But the louder that he screams the longer he's ignoredFor the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregsAnd the merchants of the masses almost have to be begged'Till the giant is aware, someone's pulling at his leg,And someone is tapping at the door. So dance dance danceTeach us to be trueCome dance dance dance'Cause we love you Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads across the landThe rewarding of his pain is the following of the man Crucifixion

16. But ignorance is everywhere and people have their waySuccess is an enemy to the losers of the dayIn the shadows of the churches, who knows what they prayFor blood is the language of the band.The Spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled,The matador is beautiful, a symphony of styleExcitement is ecstatic, passion places betsGracefully he bows to ovations that he getsBut the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweatAnd saliva is falling from their smiles So dance dance danceTeach us to be trueCome dance dance dance'Cause we love youThen this overflow of life is crushed into a liarThe gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire.First a smile of rejection at the nearness of the night Truth becomes a tragedy limping from the lightAll the (|heavens) are horrified, they stagger from the sightAs the cross is trembling with desire. They say they can't believe it, it's a sacrilegious shameNow, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game? But you know I predicted it; I knew he had to fallHow did it happen? I hope his suffering was small.Tell me every detail, I've got to know it all,And do you have a picture of the pain?So dance dance danceTeach us to be trueCome dance dance dance'Cause we love youTime takes her toll and the memory fadesBut his glory is broken, in the magic that he made.Reality is ruined; it's the freeing from the fearThe drama is distorted, to what they want to hearSwimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tearAs they wait for a new thrill parade. Crucifixion

17. The eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blindTo the safety of sterility, the threat has been refinedThe child was created, to the slaughterhouse he's ledSo good to be alive when the eulogy is readThe climax of emotion, the worship of the deadAnd the cycle of sacrifice unwinds.So dance dance danceTeach us to be trueCome dance dance dance'Cause we love you And the night comes again to the circle studded skyThe stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie'Till the universe explodes as a falling star is raisedPlanets are paralyzed, mountains are amazedBut they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blazeWith the speed of insanity, then he died. Crucifixion