When Lyrics Meant Something – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and “Ohio” 6 Replies May 4th Marks the Anniversary of Four Kent State University Students Murdered For Protesting The U.S. Invasion of Cambodia and the Vietnam War
Do today’s songs have meaning?
One of the things I am confronted with in the 21st century is the degraded state of music today, especially lyrically. Do people really listen to the lyrics of songs and give them any serious thought? Or are the majority of songs being written not worthy of deep examination?
In the 1960’s and 70’s music listeners certainly did pay attention to the words being sung. They pored over lyric sheets which were inserted into LP albums with artwork that was meant to be contemplated, pondered, discussed, interpreted and argued over. Beginning with the shift to CD’s in the late eighties with their micro-printing of lyrics and the current predominance of online purchasing of music, lyrics have become obfuscated behind imagery or ignored by casual music listeners.
Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote what I think is one of the most important rock songs of all time and people who are not familiar with the band may not know the backstory of the song Ohio or even have heard the song.
On May 4 ,1970 students at Kent State University in Ohio were protesting the recent announcement by President Richard Nixon for U.S. forces to invade Cambodia and expand the Vietnam war. National Guard troops opened fire on the students, killing four of them:
Neil Young saw photos of the shooting in the Life Magazine issue of May 15, 1970. He went for a walk in the woods, and came back with the lyrics to one of the most powerful songs ever written. The song was quickly recorded on May 21, 1970 and was released as a single shortly thereafter. Many radio stations refused to play it because of the anti-Nixon and anti-war sentiments. This was a time when to speak against the war or the government or the president was considered a risky thing to do. That did not stop Neil Young from openly criticizing President Nixon through this song. Through underground FM radio airplay and a resonating message that appealed to the counter-culture, Ohio reached #14 on the top 100 Billboard music chart. Ohio ended up becoming one of the anti-war anthems for the remainder of the Vietnam war.
Here are the lyrics:
Ohio (Neil Young)
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it Soldiers are gunning us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?
Gotta get down to it Soldiers are gunning us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.
Not a fabulous addition, but it was a popular, had-to-own-it status album back in the Vinyl Times of the Dark Round Ages: "War Pigs" from Black Sabbath's Paranoid album. Spooky how something so unthinkable when Ozzy put it out there now seems within our grasp.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
I went back to Ohio But my city was gone There was no train station There was no downtown South Howard had disappeared All my favorite places My city had been pulled down Reduced to parking spaces A, o, way to go Ohio Well I went back to Ohio But my family was gone I stood on the back porch There was nobody home I was stunned and amazed My childhood memories Slowly swirled past Like the wind through the trees A, o, oh way to go Ohio I went back to Ohio But my pretty countryside Had been paved down the middle By a government that had no pride The farms of Ohio Had been replaced by shopping malls And Muzak filled the air From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls Said, a, o, oh way to go Ohio
Songwriters: Christine Hynde / Dave Brock / N. Turner
Great song....JMHO, you are biased FOR Mr. Cooke, according to wikipedia you left out some facts and embellished his death. Fact, he was drunk when he died. He was probably with a prostitute. Two women involved with his death passed lie detector tests on their testimony. Lastly, the civil courts awarded $30000 to shooter for injuries from Mr. Cooke. He WASN'T murdered.....good song, but the guy didn't die well.
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
When Lyrics Meant Something – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and “Ohio” 6 Replies May 4th Marks the Anniversary of Four Kent State University Students Murdered For Protesting The U.S. Invasion of Cambodia and the Vietnam War
Do today’s songs have meaning?
One of the things I am confronted with in the 21st century is the degraded state of music today, especially lyrically. Do people really listen to the lyrics of songs and give them any serious thought? Or are the majority of songs being written not worthy of deep examination?
In the 1960’s and 70’s music listeners certainly did pay attention to the words being sung. They pored over lyric sheets which were inserted into LP albums with artwork that was meant to be contemplated, pondered, discussed, interpreted and argued over. Beginning with the shift to CD’s in the late eighties with their micro-printing of lyrics and the current predominance of online purchasing of music, lyrics have become obfuscated behind imagery or ignored by casual music listeners.
Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote what I think is one of the most important rock songs of all time and people who are not familiar with the band may not know the backstory of the song Ohio or even have heard the song.
On May 4 ,1970 students at Kent State University in Ohio were protesting the recent announcement by President Richard Nixon for U.S. forces to invade Cambodia and expand the Vietnam war. National Guard troops opened fire on the students, killing four of them:
Neil Young saw photos of the shooting in the Life Magazine issue of May 15, 1970. He went for a walk in the woods, and came back with the lyrics to one of the most powerful songs ever written. The song was quickly recorded on May 21, 1970 and was released as a single shortly thereafter. Many radio stations refused to play it because of the anti-Nixon and anti-war sentiments. This was a time when to speak against the war or the government or the president was considered a risky thing to do. That did not stop Neil Young from openly criticizing President Nixon through this song. Through underground FM radio airplay and a resonating message that appealed to the counter-culture, Ohio reached #14 on the top 100 Billboard music chart. Ohio ended up becoming one of the anti-war anthems for the remainder of the Vietnam war.
Here are the lyrics:
Ohio (Neil Young)
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it Soldiers are gunning us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?
Gotta get down to it Soldiers are gunning us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.
I went back to Ohio But my city was gone There was no train station There was no downtown South Howard had disappeared All my favorite places My city had been pulled down Reduced to parking spaces A, o, way to go Ohio Well I went back to Ohio But my family was gone I stood on the back porch There was nobody home I was stunned and amazed My childhood memories Slowly swirled past Like the wind through the trees A, o, oh way to go Ohio I went back to Ohio But my pretty countryside Had been paved down the middle By a government that had no pride The farms of Ohio Had been replaced by shopping malls And Muzak filled the air From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls Said, a, o, oh way to go Ohio
Songwriters: Christine Hynde / Dave Brock / N. Turner
Always reminds me of making the trek to Cleveland
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Jeudy is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Tillman is flanked out wide to the right. Judkins and Ford are split in the backfield as Flacco takes the snap ... Here we go."
One of the songs that really meant a lot to me when I was young was Stevie Wonder's Livin for the City.
Here are the lyrics:
Quote:
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty His parents give him love and affection To keep him strong moving in the right direction Living just enough, just enough for the city
His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floors for many And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city yeah
His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff pretty Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy To walk to school she's got to get up early Her clothes are old but never are they dirty Living just enough, just enough for the city
Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many His patience's long but soon he won't have any To find a job is like a haystack needle 'Cause where he lives they don't use colored people Living just enough, just enough for the city
Living just enough for the city
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty He spends his life walking the streets of New York City He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city yeah, yeah, yeah!
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow This place is cruel no where could be much colder If we don't change the world will soon be over
Living just enough, just enough for the city!
I love this song because it shows how a young man is born into poverty, but is still showered w/love by his family and how that family worked hard and were classy people. I love the line about his sister where it says something like her clothes are old, but never are they dirty. That reminds me of our home.
The subject goes to NYC and is taken advantage of by a hustler. He is then profiled by white cops. How relevant is that............right freaking now? He is also being oppressed by the powers that be. That stuff was true of the time and Stevie did a great job of expressing those points in an amazingly complex song w/a strange use of chords and bridges that somehow work magnificently!
We don't need no education We don't need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave them kids alone Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone All in all it's just another brick in the wall All in all you're just another brick in the wall
We don't need no education We don't need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave those kids alone Hey! Teachers! Leave those kids alone All in all you're just another brick in the wall All in all you're just another brick in the wall
"Wrong, do it again!" "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?" "You! Yes, you behind the bike sheds, stand still laddy!"
After being insulted by the teacher, Pink dreams that the kids in his school begin to protest against their abusive teachers. The song talks about how he had a personal wall around him from the rest of the world, and the teachers were just another brick in the wall.
You know I've smoked a lot of grass O'Lord, I've popped a lot of pills But I mever touched nothin' That my spirit could kill You know, I've seen a lot of people walkin' 'round With tombstones in their eyes But the pusher don't care Ah, if you live or if you die
God damn, the pusher God damn, I say the pusher I said God damn, God damn the pusher man
You know the dealer, the dealer is a man With the love grass in his hand Oh but the pusher is a monster Good God, he's not a natural man The dealer for a nickel Lord, will sell you lots of sweet dreams Ah, but the pusher ruin your body Lord, he'll leave your, he'll leave your mind to scream
God damn, the pusher God damn, I say the pusher I said God damn, God damn the pusher man Well, now if I were president of this land You know, I'd declare total war on the pusher man I'd cut if he stands, And I'd shoot him if he'd run Yes, I'd kill him with my Bible And my razor and my gun
God damn, the pusher God damn, the pusher I said God damn, God damn the pusher man
I like this song. Yes, it is overplayed, but it's a good song.
I had some screwed up teachers when I was a kid and that is one of the biggest reasons I became a teacher. I wanted to be different from the teachers who always tried to hold me down. I wanted to lift kids up.
I believe him to be the most prolific protest song writer with an outsiders view of the US.I can't link many because of language,but I will list a few. The most well known would be "If a tree falls" A song about deforestation. some of his political songs, Let the bad air out,Call it Democracy,Nicarauga,Santiago Damn. And a powerful song about G.Bush and his war, Go and tell the Universe
Some folks are born to wave the flag, Ooh, they're red, white and blue. And when the band plays "Hail to the chief", Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no, Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand, Lord, don't they help themselves, oh. But when the taxman comes to the door, Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord, And when you ask them, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer More! More! More! Yoh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one. It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no, It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,
Meaning:
Huge protest song during the Vietnam War. Fogerty [lead man of the group] was talking about the gap between the privileged few who were the sons of "senators" and "millionaires" not fighting in a meaningless war vs the sons of the poor, including many who were the sons of color and thrust onto the front lines of this absurd conflict.
I think this song represents the tensions between the classes of the time period and are also relevant in 2017. Great music, writing, art, etc transcends time and it is my belief that this song does exactly that.
Some folks are born to wave the flag, Ooh, they're red, white and blue. And when the band plays "Hail to the chief", Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no, Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand, Lord, don't they help themselves, oh. But when the taxman comes to the door, Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord, And when you ask them, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer More! More! More! Yoh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one. It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no, It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,
Meaning:
Huge protest song during the Vietnam War. Fogerty [lead man of the group] was talking about the gap between the privileged few who were the sons of "senators" and "millionaires" not fighting in a meaningless war vs the sons of the poor, including many who were the sons of color and thrust onto the front lines of this absurd conflict.
I think this song represents the tensions between the classes of the time period and are also relevant in 2017. Great music, writing, art, etc transcends time and it is my belief that this song does exactly that.
Here is a recording:
That one is good, but Who'll Stop the Rain is higher on my list. CCR was special. No doubt.
Welcome back, Joe, we missed you!…. That did not age well.
![[Linked Image from i28.photobucket.com]](http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/shadedog/mcenroe2.jpg)
