Artifact Analysis: Anti Vietnam War Protest Music

Jamie Porter

Stephanie Brown

Artifact Analysis

November 9, 2016

Fixin’ To Die: Antiwar Protest Music

            From the beginning of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, many US citizens opposed the war and responded with great amounts of protests. These protests included huge gatherings of people at significant government locations, such as the Pentagon and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as the production of art and literature that expressed people’s negative emotions in regards to the 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. 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, with over 500,000 US soldiers in Vietnam (Tully). 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.

            “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 (Hillstrom). 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 (Hillstrom). 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 who 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 increase 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 (Tully). 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” in Woodstock, in what was the height of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. 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 the video that was taken of the performance, 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.

Questions:
1. Is it alright that I didn't actually put larger chunks of the song in the essay - were you able to get a good idea of what the song was saying without it?
2. Is the paragraph where I talk about his performance in Woodstock prevalent to the essay as a whole? Or should I just remove that?
3. Do you think that the song that I chose connects to the audience well enough? 

Works Cited:

McDonald, Country Joe. I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag. Country Joe McDonald. Vanguard, 1967.

Hillstrom, Kevin, and Laurie Collier Hillstrom. The Vietnam Experience: A Concise Encyclopedia of American Literature, Songs, and Films. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.

Tully, John Day., Matthew Masur, and Brad Austin. Understanding and Teaching the Vietnam War. Madison, Wisc.: U of Wisconsin, 2013. Print.