Final Draft: Protest Music of the Vietnam War

Jamie Porter

Stephanie Brown

Research Paper

December 1, 2016

Songs of Protest: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War

In August 1969, in the middle of a dairy farm in New York, 300,000 people gathered together under the hot sun, drinking, smoking, and dancing at Woodstock. Country Joe McDonald had just finished playing his set of songs and was leaving the stage before stopping himself and returning to the microphone.  Suddenly, he yells, “Give me an F!” The crowd responds back with enthusiasm, as he continues on with the last letters “U” “C” and “K.” “What does that spell?” he yells as the crowd responded with screamed responses before he launched into his next song, “Fish Cheer.” This is a glimpse into the countercultural movement, the hippie movement, the peace movement, a result of the Vietnam War.

            The Vietnam War caused for huge cultural changes in the United States, affecting music, art, and literature. The war produced fear and sadness in the hearts of almost every American citizen. It caused for the production of anti-war protest groups to be constructed, littering the nation with anti-government and anti-establishment protests. One of the most influential and widespread forms of protest that occurred during this time was musical protests, in the form of protest songs. As stated by Johnny Cash, “the only good thing that ever came out of a war was a song” (Perone 66), and that is exactly what happened with the Vietnam War. Hundreds of songs were produced in opposition for the war, though others were in full support of it; “both sides of the Vietnam issue were largely propaganda devices, songs meant as rallying cries for people sharing the songwriter’s views or possibly meant to try to convince those on the other side or those who might be swayed to accept the songwriter’s views.” (Perone 9).

            The many of the anti-war protest music of this time period was directed towards the identity of those young men who were influenced – and afraid – of the draft. They spoke of the hardships and fears of those who were sent over seas, as well as indicating the need for an end to such violence and so much death. They were able to demonstrate these feelings through music, which became the anti-war protest movements personal anthems. In Les Cleveland’s book, Dark Laughter: War in Song and Popular Culture, he states, "contemporary popular music [became] related directly to the passions and anxieties of an entire generation of people to the point where, in the hands of the peace movement, it became a political weapon” (Cleveland 129). The music that was produced during this time period of war were extremely influential for the anti-war movement, reaching thousands of people and unifying those in one force against the war.

            In the following pages, I will give a background on the Vietnam War, such as its causes and major events that took place. Then, I explore the rhetorical nature of the protest songs that were created and used by the protest movement. Finally, I analyze Joe McDonald’s song, “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” in depth.

The start of the Vietnam War was in 1964, following a series of conflicts between North and South Vietnam that had taken place over a number of years. Ten years earlier marked the end of the First Indochina War between Vietnam and France, which caused for the removal of French influence in Vietnam and Vietnamese government. This allowed for the Vietnamese to get to decide on their own government, spurring the conflict of the North and South Vietnam. The war was located in various locations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Though the war was officially between the communistic North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam, the two sides had a number of powerful allies that came to their aid. North Vietnam was backed by the Soviet Union and China, as well as other communist nations. South Vietnam was assisted by the United States, Australia, Thailand, and South Korea, all of which were allied against communism.

            America was one of the most powerful influences in the Vietnam War, which became of great conflict back at home. In 1962, there were already over 9,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, whereas in the year priors there were only around 500 troops. Three years later, in June 1965, 82,000 US troops were stationed in Vietnam. This incredible increase in numbers represents the draft that had been occurring back in the United States, and was a number that continued to grow every year the United States remained involved with the war. The year that the United States was most involved was in 1969, in which over 500,000 US military troops were placed in Vietnam (Tully 63). It the America’s strong involvement in the war, especially in 1969, that caused for a great amount of issues back home.

            In the time period of 1968-1969, a large amount of antiwar protests were appearing all over the country, happening alongside the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement (Auslander 108). The anti war protests were started by a small group of peace-loving activists who were opposed to the war and desired peace. This group was known as Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS. Similar groups appeared in many other states, spread across a number of US campuses, increasingly growing in popularity. These pacifists were referred to as hippies.  This protest became a national movement when the US became more violent against North Vietnam, conducting mass bombings. Those who protested the war desired peace, and did not like America’s involvement in the murder of innocent Vietnamese civilians, believing the war to be “undemocratic.”

            On October 1, 1967, there was the largest anti-war protest in American history. Starting at the Lincoln memorial, over 100,000 protestors marched to the Pentagon in Washington DC, where they were stopped by armed personnel, but remained peaceful. Other large antiwar protests occurred on college campuses, as a result of the antiwar movement being very popular amongst younger individuals (Zaroulis 139). The antiwar protests became more urgent the more stories of what was happening over in Vietnam got reported back. One event that made a large impact on not just the antiwar movement but the nation as a whole was the My Lai massacre. In March 1968, a company of US soldiers murdered over 500 Vietnamese citizens, including women, children, and the elderly. Such an act fueled the antiwar movement, adding to the thousands of lives that were lost in Vietnam (Zaroulis 160).

            One form of protest that grew in popularity over the time span of the war was called draft dodging. “The draft was a cloud that hung over the life of every healthy male student of fighting age” (Jeffreys-Jones 55). From 1968-1969, approximately 40,000 young men were drafted every month, with a death count of American soldiers increasing every day. “There was as many as 570,000 draft offenders in the Vietnam War, compared with 2,215,000 drafters and 8,720,000 who served in the military. Many of these were just AWOLs (absent without leave from military duty), but, according to the resistance movement, 200,000 draft offenders were series objectors to military service” (Jeffreys-Jones 56). Many of these conscientious objectors fled to Canada in order to escape federal consequences, choosing to leave their homes behind rather than be sent to Vietnam and fight a seemingly hopeless war. Refusing the draft, or not enlisting was a federal offence, and many other individuals were arrested and jailed as a result of this form of protest. Draft dodging included burning draft cards, stopping troop trains, desertion, emigration, and even training for a religious calling (Jeffreys-Jones 56). It should be recognized that there were many individuals who were draft dodgers, but did so out of plain fear, not out of protest of the war. This similarity between the two caused there to be certain liabilities to the peace cause (Jeffreys-Jones 56).

            The Vietnam War was tearing America apart from the inside (Tully 54). There was a great amount of people who were strongly against the war effort, while on the other side there was still a group of people who supported the government, and by association the war. On November 3, 1969, President Nixon made a broadcast to the public calling for national unity in terms of the war effort. He appealed to the “silent majority,” referring to the individuals who supported the war effort yet remained silent in the midst of so much antiwar protest. This broadcast was created to encourage the calming of the antiwar movement as a whole, attempting to unify the country after the war had divided it so significantly. However, there was not much to be done in terms of repairing the damage that had already been caused by the war. “The war traumatized the United States seems certain - it divided the country more deeply and bitterly than any other foreign war.” (Clymer vii). In Nancy Zaroulis’ book, Who Spoke Up? American Protest Against the War in Vietnam 1963-1975, she states, “The ‘silent majority,’ was less real than putative. The reality was that millions of Americans, often at considerable personal discomfort and cost, had spoken, marched, and demonstrated in opposition to the war” (Zaroulis 296). The true majority of individuals in the United States actually opposed the war, even acting out against it.

            President Nixon called for the end of the draft in 1972, before the withdrawal of US troops in 1973. The war finally came to an end on April 30, 1975. In total, over 3 million people were killed in Vietnam, with over half of these deaths including Vietnamese civilians.

Approximately 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam. “The Vietnam War was lethal to young Americans, black or white”(Rodnitzky 110). The large amount of Americans that were killed, coupled with the draft that made up 1/3 of the troops that were sent to war, caused the Vietnam War to be an event that divided the country (Clymer 41).

A large portion of the American population had different levels of negative reactions to the war. The result of these emotions and feelings are reflected through the popular culture of the time period including literature, film, and especially through music. “Popular music reflects the diversity of human experiences and views about the war,” and therefore the protest songs of this time period demonstrates an overall feeling of distaste (Clymer 170). Protest songs began to gain popularity around the initiation of the protest movement, but gained tremendous popularity around the time of the crisis of the movement in 1968-1969, as the US became more involve in the war (Griffin). Artists such as Bob Dylan, Country Joe & the Fish, and Pete Seeger are only a few individuals who created popular protest songs of this era. Artists creating protest music during this time “[insisted] that they had a right to protest the war, they were saying that protesting the war was their duty,” and therefore wrote songs in protest (Rodnitzky 120).These songs were not always demonstrated as popular by making the top charts – and in the end that was not necessarily important in the bigger picture of the protest. In terms of protest music, “even if a song [does not] register on the charts, it does not mean it was not meaningful. That it was heard and remembered makes it significant enough” (Clymer 170). These protest songs were popular to the movement and to those with any sense of distaste for the war. Radio stations often shied away from playing many protest songs in general, such as “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire and Country Joe’s, “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag,” in order not to alienate any listeners (Rodnitzky 111). However, that does not mean that these protest songs were not heard by hundreds of thousands of people who bought the albums. “Music was always simply there: one could not escape the presence of songs at patriot rallies in support of the troops or at anti-war demonstrations. And the sales figures and power of radio simply don’t lie: many more Americans heard anti-war songs, pro-war songs, and songs dealing with the plight of servicemen and women via purchased records or via the medium of radio than those who heard music or sang along at political rallies” (Perone 8).

The medium of music as a form of protest against the war allowed for the anti-war movement to reach thousands of people, even if they did not attend anti-war protest gatherings. Hearing the protest songs was different than reading the news about a protest or even seeing an anti-war protest first hand. The rhetoric of the songs were able to influence people by first encouraging them to listen.  People are most open to persuasion “when the listener is motivated and able to process the persuasive message. The level of motivation is determined by the receiver’s interest in the presentation, the medium by which the message is presented, or the source of the message” (Mondak 26). In order for someone to be influenced by a persuasive idea, they must be interested in the way that that piece of information is provided to them. Music is such a universal medium that is available and pleasant to a majority of people, which makes people more open to listen to a song about protest than to listen to loud mobs of people with signs.

Because of the wide outreach that this form of protest had, they had many different targeted audiences depending on the song and the rhetoric that was used. Overall, however, their main purpose was to educate people on the horrors of the war. Each song spoke of the wrongness and shocks of the war, providing their audience with perspectives of boys that were absolutely terrified of the war and everything that came with it: death, destruction, and hopelessness. They painted stories of the men that died in Vietnam, such as Bob Seger’s song “2+2=?” which mentions a friend from high school who’s, “buried in the mud/ over foreign jungle land” (Seger). The horrors and fear that were described in each song conveyed how horrendous it was. This produced a powerful emotional response from listeners. However, this use of pathos does not always produce the most persuasive impressions of listeners, and is therefore coupled with logos in order to truly call for a change. In his article, “Protest Music as Political Persuasion,” Jeffrey J Mondak states, “While many protest songs encourage emotional response, emotion-stirring content is not a necessary feature of protest music. Most protest songs do give some lyrics that are specifically intended to provoke intellectual response; protest songs typically include a balance of emotional and intellectual appeals” (Mondak 28). In Bob Seger’s song, he states, “Yes it's true I am a young man/ but I'm old enough to kill/ I don't wanna kill nobody/ but I must if you so will” (Seger). The situation is presented in such a way that listeners would immediately see the problem that comes with the war, and especially with the draft. Coupled with the strong emotional feeling that is taken away from protest songs such as the example of Seger’s “2+2=?,” the logic of the songs provide a very persuasive suggestion to stand with the anti-war movement. Most anti-war protest music followed with similar rhetorical strategies, using both pathos and logos to be extremely persuasive with their messages.

Large populations of people were exposed to the various songs and their messages, and were able to have an insight into the war that they might have not had before. The songs have the power to change listener’s perspectives. It is for this reason that these protest songs are meant to educate people about the war and everything that it involves, and allow them to decide for themselves whether or not they want to join the antiwar movement. They encourage US citizens to take a stand. The protest songs also provide a unifying effect for the antiwar movement. Each song provided an anthem for those protesting the war, something to stay strong with, and to remind them why they were against the war in the first place. The stories that were told through the songs have the persuasive purpose of influencing those who listen to back the antiwar movement, adding their voices to those who call for an end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. 

            Music was an influential tool in the general antiwar protest, with the ability to reach large amounts of people across the nation. Because of this wide outreach, songs were able to connect with certain identities of people, uniting them in the protest movement. First released in October 1965, the song “Fish Cheer” was written by Country Joe McDonald. It was featured in a later album released in 1967 under a different name: “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag.” The second release was during the time period in which the US was becoming increasingly involved in the Vietnam War, with already over 82,000 troops stationed in Vietnam (Tully 53). McDonald’s song was “probably the most memorable anti-war anthem of the Vietnam Conflict” (Perone 40).

 In 1969, Country Joe preformed the song in a set at Woodstock, during the time in which America was at its peak involvement in the war effort. The song was an anthem of the antiwar protest movement, written for those young men who were subjected to the draft, being dragged into a war that they did not want any part of. It connected with this group of individuals, as well as their families, unifying them together in their fear and distaste for the war.

Throughout the song, Country Joe creates an overall theme of irony through his use of dark humor and flippant diction. At the beginning of the song, he calls upon “big strong men” to help, since Uncle Sam is in a “terrible jam.” He even announces that they are “gonna have a whole lotta fun” (McDonald). His use of this kind of language is shocking when talking about something as serious as young men being shipped off to a war that could kill them. This juxtaposition is continued throughout the song, which features lines such as “whoopee! we’re all gonna die” at the end of every chorus (McDonald). It is this use of light language when referring to such a dark topic that creates the irony of the song, as well as the dark humor that makes this song so memorable. The humor that this song provides is coupled by cheery, fast-paced music provided by a guitar and Country Joe’s carefree voice. Together, these components cause this song to appear to be a happy tune, while in reality it speaks of the horrors of the war, bringing  “the moral contradictions of the war into sharp relief” (Werner 101).

“I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag” was widely known because of its outright protest rhetoric. In various versus of the song, Country Joe makes implications of the government’s intentions of being in the Vietnam War. He states, “come on, generals, let’s move fast; your big chance has come at last” (McDonald). A major idea of the antiwar movement was that the government chose to enter the war – and then to remain in war for so long – because of pride and desire for power, with their decisions and actions often thought of as “as incomprehensible or insane” (Clymer 171). President Nixon wanted “to keep America fighting so that he could achieve peace ‘with honor.,’” reflecting that pride (Jeffreys-Jones 4). Country Joe referring to general’s “big chance” indicates this knowledge of the pursuit of power through the involvement in the war. Another popular belief held by the antiwar movement was that the war provided large revenue opportunities for businesses that produced supplies and tools that could be used by soldiers. “Any war can create short-term prosperity, and American workers went along with the Vietnamese conflict when it filled order books, created employment, and drove wages up.” (Jeffreys-Jones 21). McDonald states, “Come on, Wall Street, don’t slow down… there’s plenty good money to be made by supplying the Army with the tools of its trade” (McDonald). He directly calls out businesses that may support America’s involvement in the war due to selfish reasons. These implications of those in support of the war would have been well known to those in the antiwar protest movement, therefore encouraging anti-government/anti-establishment ideologies that were growing in popularity during this time period.

            This protest song not only speaks to antiwar protestors in general, but to specifically those that are impacted by the draft, including those who have loved ones that are influenced by the draft. McDonald is literally addressing these men directly, saying, “come on all you big strong men” in the very first line of the song (McDonald). With the increased rate of the draft, more than 40,000 men were being sent to Vietnam every month. It was incredibly difficult to avoid being drafted, with draft dodging being a federal offence and causing many individuals to be imprisoned as a result (Jeffreys-Jones 56). Country Joe wrote this song for these men, who were in reality helpless kids who were not given a choice on whether they were going to join the war or not. At the beginning of the song he states, “so put down your books and pick up a gun” (McDonald). This simple statement implies the loss of the future that they are leaving behind them by being sent to war. This includes their progression in their education, which is indicated by the reference of putting down the books. He acknowledges the true fear that comes with the idea of going to war – and that is the fear of dying. With each chorus, he states “open up the pearly gates,” in which he refers to going to heaven, and “we’re all gonna die” (McDonald). Country Joe continues by addressing the mothers and fathers of those affected by the draft. Creating a dark image, he states, “you can be the first ones in your block to have your boy come home in a box” (McDonald). Even though the music accompanied in this song is cheerful, these words send a solemn reminder of what being drafted means. However, because of the way in which they are presented, the words have the effect of unifying listeners who are included in the drafting-identity. Their protests against the Vietnam War grow and strengthen with every reminder of what is in store for them and those around them if the US remains involved with the war.

            In 1969, Country Joe McDonald preformed “Fish Cheer” at Woodstock, during the time that the height of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War, which was appropriate as “the Joe McDonald piece better represents the free form, hippie side of the peace movement” (Perone 40). He was dressed with a brightly colored scarf around his head and he wore an unbuttoned Army uniform. His appearance added to the strength of his performance at this time. In an interview recorded in Craig Werner’s book, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, he stated, “‘I consider myself a veteran first and a hippie second.’ All of a sudden the combat jacket McDonald wore at Woodstock came into focus as something more than a counterculture prop” (Werner 96). Over 300,000 people attended Woodstock, and a vast majority of these people attending were high. (Binham 3). However, as can be seen in the video taken of Woodstock, the audience sang along passionately with every word. At one point during the song, he paused and said, “Listen people, I don’t know how you expect to stop the war if you can’t sing any better than that,” which encouraged the response of the entire audience (of around 300,000 individuals) rising to their feet to scream out the protesting words of the song. This reaction by the audience demonstrates the impact that this song had during this time period, including the popularity and its outreach.

            During the Vietnam War, there was a group identity of those who were afraid of the draft, and what it might mean for them and their future. Thousands of US soldiers were constantly being returned to the states in coffins, making it clear to those at home that not everyone that went to war would actually be able to come home. Many had questions of what they were actually fighting for, in which McDonald replied, “Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn”

(McDonald). However, McDonald acknowledges this fear throughout his song, using this communal sense of fear to unify this group of individuals. Many people during the time period believed that the war was wrong and wanted it to end, but few were as directly impacted by the war as those who had to be sent to Vietnam to fight and to kill. Those who were directly influenced by the war in this war used this song as strength to continue on with the antiwar effort.

            The music that was produced in protest to the Vietnam War was very influential during this time, and touched many people’s lives. It had the effect of unifying a group of people that felt very alone and misunderstood, being afraid to put their lives on the line over in Vietnam.

According to Mondak, in order for music “to be effective vehicles for political persuasion, protest songs should induce sympathetic reactions from listeners” (Mondak 25). It is difficult to determine exactly the result of the protest music on the era in terms of how much is helped to end America’s involvement in the war. However, based off of people’s reactions to the music, as well as the wide popularity of the songs, indicates that they were successful in at least connecting with a large amount of people. “Hits that relate to the war were largely determined by the public and not so much by the music industry… These hits, then, probably reflect the feelings of certain segments of the American public on the political issues of the war in Southeast Asia with a certain degree of accuracy” (Perone10). These feelings of unhappiness about the Vietnam War would eventually lead people to speak out against the war, helping the anti-war protest movement forward with increasing numbers and therefore leading to the protest movements eventual success. The protest music of the Vietnam War changes American culture, and was a crucial part of the protest against the Vietnam War.

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