Phil Ochs

ohhaiharry:

Phil Ochs - Here’s To The State Of Richard Nixon

astitchtowear:

Oh, you tell me that your last good dollar is gone
And you say that your pockets are bare
And you tell me that your clothes are tattered and torn
And nobody seems to care

Now don’t tell me your troubles
No I don’t have the time to spare
But if you want to get together and fight
Good buddy that’s what I want to hear

And you tell me that your job was taken away
By a big ol’ greasy machine
And you tell me that you don’t collect no more pay
And your belly is growing lean

Now if I had the jobs to give
You know I’d give them all a way
But don’t waste your breath calling out my name
If you don’t have nothing to say

And you tell me that you don’t have nothing to do
And you keep on wasting your time
And you say when you want to get your family some food
You gotta stand in a relief line

Now it’s a sin and a bloody shame
‘Bout the way they’re pushing you ‘round
But when you decide not to take no more
You know I’ll put my money down

‘Cause I’ve seen your kind many times before
And I’ll see ‘em many times again
Oh, but every bad thing that’s happened to you
Has happened to better men

So don’t explain that you’ve lost your way
That you’ve got no place to go
You’ve got a hand and a voice and you’re not alone
Brother that’s all you need to know

And if you’re still wondering what I’m trying to say
Let me tell you what it’s all about
Now nobody listens to a single man
When he’s walkin’ ‘round down and out

So if you’re looking for an answer
He’s standing there by your side
And you’ll never really know how far you’ll go
‘Til you join together and try

So you tell me that your last good dollar is gone
And you say that your pockets are bare
And you tell me that your clothes are tattered and torn
And nobody seems to care

Now don’t tell me your troubles
No I don’t have the time to spare
But if you want to get together and fight
Good buddy that’s what I want to hear

l0w-lif3:

Kind of Like Spitting - I’m Tired

nixonplumbingco:

“What Are You Fighting For?” by Phil Ochs

And listen to your leaders, the ones who won the raceAs they stand right there before you and lie into your faceIf you ever try to buy them, you know what they stand forI know you’re set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
Put ragged clothes upon your back and sleep upon the ground,And tell police about your rights as they drag you down,And ask them as they lead you to some deserted door,Yes, I know you’re set for fightin’, but what are you fightin’ for?
But the hardest thing I’ll ask you, if you will only tryIs take your children by their hands and look into their eyesAnd there you’ll see the answer you should have seen beforeIf you’ll win the wars at home, there’ll be no fighting anymore

knifeladder:

Phil Ochs “Crucifixion” (live / ripped from vinyl)

Live version, recorded at Carnegie Hall, NYC on March 27, 1970

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
‘Til the universe explodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he dies.

In the green fields a turnin’, a baby is born
His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn
An assault upon the order, the changing of the guard
Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard
And the only single sound is the sighing of the stars
But to the silence and distance they are sworn

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
‘Cause we love you

Images of innocence charge him go on
But the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawn
To a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gate
And a blinding revelation is laid upon his plate
That beneath the greatest love is a hurricane of hate
And 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 ignored
For the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregs
And the merchants of the masses almost have to be begged
‘Til the giant is aware, someone’s pulling at his leg,
And someone is tapping at the door.

To dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
‘Cause we love you

Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads across the land
The rewarding of his pain is the following of the man
But ignorance is everywhere and people have their way
Success is an enemy to the losers of the day
In the shadows of the churches, who knows what they pray
For blood is the language of the band.

The Spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled,
The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style
Excitement is ecstatic, passion places bets
Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets
But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
‘Cause we love you

Then this overflow of life is crushed into a liar
The 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 light
All the (canons|heavens) are horrified, they stagger from the sight
As the cross is trembling with desire.

They say they can’t believe it, it’s a sacrilegious shame
Now, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game?
But you know I predicted it; I knew he had to fall
How 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 dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
‘Cause we love you

Time takes her toll and the memory fades
but his glory is broken, in the magic that he made.
Reality is ruined; it’s the freeing from the fear
The drama is distorted, to what they want to hear
Swimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tear
As they wait for a new thrill parade.

The eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blind
To the safety of sterility, the threat has been refined
The child was created, to the slaughterhouse he’s led
So good to be alive when the eulogy is read
The climax of emotion, the worship of the dead
And the cycle of sacrifice unwinds.

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
‘Cause we love you

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
‘Till the universe explodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he died.