Fixin’ to Die Rag lives…!
From MetaFilter
“Country Joe’s Rag. Fixin’to Die after all these years.
Woodstock-era protest singer Country Joe McDonald still keeps an active pulse on today’s events on his website. One of what eventually came to be perhaps his most famous song, the “I-Feel-Like-Fixin’-to-Die rag” has taken new life in light of current events, which is quite simple to deduct: just substitute all the Vietnam references with “Iraq” and there you have it – as many people have been happy to do by submitting their own lyrics versions to the site, somehow confirming that the world actually hasn’t changed much in that respect 30 years after Vietnam… “
My comments:
Fixin’ to Die Rag absolutely did mobilize a generation. It was our anthem. Another equally great though lesser known group was The Fugs, whose “Kill For Peace” was maybe the best anti war song ever. The title says it all.
BTW, The Fugs are currently recording their final studio LP, and even with Tuli Kupferberg pushing 80, the fire (and humor) is still there.