I'm Going To Say It Now -- Phil Ochs

As promised, a more serious take on student affairs, by one of my favourite
singer/songwriters...

(Poem #1909) I'm Going To Say It Now Oh I am just a student, sir, and only want to learn But it's hard to read through the risin' smoke from the books that you like to burn So I'd like to make a promise and I'd like to make a vow That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now Oh you've given me a number and you've taken off my name To get around this campus why you almost need a plane And you're supporting Chang Kai-Shek, while I'm supporting Mao So when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now I wish that you'd make up your mind, I wish that you'd decide That I should live as freely as those who live outside Cause we also are entitled to the rights to be endowed And when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now Oh, you'd like to be my father you'd like to be my Dad And give me kisses when I'm good and spank me when I'm bad But since I've left my parents I've forgotten how to bow So when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now And things they might be different if I was here alone But I've got a friend or two who no longer live at home And we'll respect our elders just as long as they allow That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now I've read of other countries where the students take a stand Maybe even help to overthrow the leaders of the land Now I wouldn't go so far to say we're also learnin' how But when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now So keep right on a-talkin' and tell us what to do If nobody listens my apologies to you And I know that you were younger once 'cause you sure are older now And when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now Oh I am just a student sir, and only want to learn But it's hard to read through the risin' smoke from the books that you like to burn So I'd like to make a promise and I'd like to make a vow That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now -- Phil Ochs

Student activism has a long and complex history; in the United States of the
'60s it was a two-pronged affair, mainly concerning itself with the
educational system, but gaining increasing political focus and prominence.
Ochs addresses both these concerns in his typically edgy, sardonic style,
setting the tone immediately with the hard-hitting

 But it's hard to read through the risin' smoke from the books
 that you like to burn

and then throwing down the gauntlet with

 So I'd like to make a promise and I'd like to make a vow
 That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now

An interesting thing to note about today's song is the way that Ochs's
lyrics combine deceptively simple word choices with complex metrical
patterns and strong rhymes - a combination that suits both his music and the
nature and purpose of the folk song almost ideally. Like most of the poems
in the current "Bright College Days" theme, it has achieved a certain
measure of timelessness; the song became one of the anthems of the 1960s
free speech movement, but the problems it addresses are faced by students
today no less than those of fifty years ago.

martin

[Links]

A brief clip of Ochs singing the fourth verse:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_D5yTGzACc&search=phil%20ochs

Wikipedia on student activism:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_activism

An interesting discussion of the song:
  http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0202d&L=ads-l&P=19728

The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo -- Phil Ochs

Today's lyrics are from _Phil Ochs in Concert_; I've transcribed the
introductory patter below, since it ought to count as part of the song...

 There's been a drastic change in American foreign policy in recent months.
 Take the Dominican Republic - which we did [pause while audience laughs and
 applauds] - a little while ago, killing a few people here and there (mostly
 there), saving the day for freedom and democracy in the western hemisphere
 once again, folks. I was over there, entertaining the troops (I won't say
 which troops) - over there with a USO group including Walter Lippman and
 Soupy Sales. I played there in a small coffeehouse called The Sniper, and
 this was my most unpopular song, with the poetic, symbolic title of _The
 Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo_ ...

(Poem #1843) The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth, the sand is burning And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight, their courses turning As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest the sea is churning. The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo. The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets, the day's a-borning As the warships sway and thunder in the bay, loud in the morning. But the boy on the shore's throwing pebbles no more, he runs a-warning That the the marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo. The streets are still, there's silence in the hills, the town is sleeping And the farmers yawn in the grey silver dawn, the fields they're keeping As the first troops land and step into the sand, the flags are weeping. The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo. The unsmiling sun is shining down upon the singing soldiers In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls, they're getting bolder Ah, the old women sigh, think of memories gone by, they shrug their shoulders. The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo. Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed, now they are rolling And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks where fear's unfolding All the young wives afraid, turn their backs to the parade with babes they're holding The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo A bullet cracks the sound, the army hits the ground, the sniper's calling So they open up their guns, a thousand to one, no sense in stalling He clutches at his head and totters on the edge, look now he's falling The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo In the red plaza square, the crowds come to stare, the heat is leaning And the eyes of the dead are turning every head to the widows screaming But the soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids, their teeth are gleaming The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo Up and down the coast, the generals drink a toast, the wheel is spinning And the cowards and the whores are peeking through the doors to see who's winning But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end, when it's beginning The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth, the sand is burning And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight, their courses turning As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest, the sea is churning The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo -- Phil Ochs

I recently had the pleasure to read "On the thirtieth anniversary of a
suicide" [see links], Chris Clarke's beautiful tribute to Phil Ochs, and was
moved to follow suit. So here, slightly late, is a posting in memory of that
sadly vanished genius.

Ochs has, right from the moment I first discovered him, firmly taken his
place as my favourite folksinger - his combination of lyrics, music, voice
and performance is to my mind unparalleled. Furthermore, despite a genuine
passion and, often, anger driving his songs, he never loses a certain touch
of dry irony that makes his songs extremely effective.

Today's song is unusual in how well it stands without the accompanying
music. The atmosphere is skilfully built up and sustained, the word choices
revealing considerable care that is masked by the steady flow of the lines.
The relentless rhythm, the long lines with their heavy use of internal
rhymes, carry the listener along with the course of the invasion, Ochs's
commentary indirect but powerful and unmistakable.

And, as with much of Ochs's work, the song has lost none of its relevance
with the passing of the years. Chris Clarke really did say it best:

  And so this is how it is: We need you more than we did then
  and what right you had to take yourself I cannot understand.
  We had no claim on you, we could not keep you 'gainst your will
  but the songs you sang to us before we're needing once again
  and the fires that burn in Baghdad are the same that burned Phnom Penh,
  and the color of the skin on all the children that we kill.
  There are those of us who, one more time, are trying to take a stand
  and we really could have used your help here, Phil.

martin

[Links]

 "On the thirtieth anniversary of a suicide":
   http://tinyurl.com/o8xdf

http://faultline.org/index.php/site/comments/on_the_thirtieth_anniversary_of_a_suicide/

 Phil Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) on Wikipedia:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs

 Lyrics collection (including several tribute songs):
   http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics.html

 The Dominican Republic invasion:
   http://home.att.net/~jbaugher4/a26_18.html
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic#The_twentieth_century

Power and Glory -- Phil Ochs

Chiming in on the American patriotism theme:

(Poem #1803) Power and Glory Come and take a walk with me through this green and growing land Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains Walk through the sun and walk through the rain This is a land full of power and glory Beauty that words cannot recall Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom Her glory shall rest on us all From Colorado, Kansas, and the Carolinas too Virginia and Alaska, from the old to the new Texas and Ohio and the California shore Tell me, who could ask for more Yet she's only as rich as the poorest of her poor Only as free as the padlocked prison door Only as strong as our love for this land Only as tall as we stand -- Phil Ochs

Ever since I first discovered Phil Ochs, I have been mystified at his
relative obscurity and lack of popularity. Personally, at his best he's
every bit as good as his contemporary Bob Dylan (and a lot more pleasant to
listen to!), and seems to inspire an intensity of appreciation in his fans -
myself included - that many more popular singers would be hard-pressed to
match.

Today's song, while not really among his best lyrically, is nonetheless
nicely representative of his style. Ochs's songs were informed by his
journalism background; indeed, he described himself as a "singing
journalist", a description that Dylan echoed rather more disparagingly with
his "You're not a folksinger, you're a journalist". Either way, the
assessment was accurate, and even his less topical songs, like today's, have
a refreshing clarity and directness to them.

This is, predictably enough, a much better song in performance - it still
suffers a bit from inconsistency of quality, but the first and last verses
are both catchy and memorable, and lyrics that seem flat and trite on the
printed page acquire a vibrant energy with music added. While it might not
have been the song I'd have selected if asked for a Phil Ochs piece at
random, it's usually the first song I think of on the current theme, and
definitely worth a listen.

martin

[Links]

Wikipedia on Ochs:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs

Some retrospectives:
  http://www.furious.com/perfect/philochs.html
  http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/nov97carter.htm

Collections of Ochs links:
  [broken link] http://philochs.pitas.com/
  http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/