# The Best Anti-War/Protest Songs of All Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374 "2003-03-06T00:21:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/21 "2003-03-06T04:02:04Z")
A lot of the same ones others have mentioned: “For What It’s Worth” - Buffalo Springfield “Ohio” by C,S,N, & Y (Has special relevance for me, since I’m a native Ohioan, and my mother attended Kent State U.) “Fortunate Son” - CCR And, of course. . . . “Born in the USA” - Bruce Springsteen. Not as strident as some, but it still made a point. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/22 "2003-03-06T04:10:51Z")
I’m not sure if it qualifies, but i was quite impressed with Steve Earle’s recent song, “John Walker’s Blues.” It wasn’t really and anti-war song or a protest song in the traditional sense; it was more of an attempt to get inside the head of someone who had been demonized and understand why he made the choices he did. Lyrics [here](http://www.steveearle.net/ly-jerusalem.html), for those who haven’t heard the song. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/23 "2003-03-06T04:20:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dr hermes \* > \*\*I recall Pete Seegar did a song “Big Muddy”. In a real life training exercise, soldiers drowned because an officer ordered them to march into a river that was too fast and wide to cross. The last lines were about the war in the papers and “We`re waist deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool says to push on…” \*\* The Ribbon Creek Incident: [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1557508143/qid=1046924376/sr=1-2/ref=sr\_1\_2/103-4633496-0959840?v=glance&s=books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1557508143/qid=1046924376/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-4633496-0959840?v=glance&s=books) ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/24 "2003-03-06T04:24:53Z")
Another vote for **Eve of Destruction**. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/25 "2003-03-06T05:10:01Z")
I am shocked–_shocked_–that no one has mentioned “The War Song” by Culture Club. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/26 "2003-03-06T05:25:07Z")
Not much respect for this 80’s one, but I like Men At Work – _It’s A Mistake_ The original target seems to have been Ronald Reagan, the ending though, makes me think of the current commander in chief and the protesters world wide telling him what it is: \*Tell us commander, what do you think? 'Cos we know that you love all that power Is it on then, are we on the brink? We wish you’d all throw in the towel We’ll not fade out too soon Not in this finest hour Whistle your favourite tune We’ll send a card and flower Saying It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake \* ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/27 "2003-03-06T05:29:32Z")
Andy Irvin has a snappy little number written by Marcus Turner called _When the Boys Are on Parade_. With all due respect for the copyright rules and policy here is a verse: We may well decide we need it and we’ll pay to arm and feed it But can you tell me who will lead it when the decisions must be made And you may well prefer abstention but I feel compelled to mention You’d do well to pay attention when the Boys are on Parade. That gives a little of the flavor of the thing. Buffy StMarie’s _Universal Soldier_, as has already been mentioned as a classic as has Pete Seeger’s _Waist Deep in the Big Muddy (and the Big Fool Said Move On)_. All three emphasize not so much that war is a hideous and destructive thing–which is pretty obvious–as that there is a duty to control what the tools of war are use to do. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/28 "2003-03-06T05:32:16Z")
More from the Antipodes. John Schumann and Redgum _I Was Only 19_ And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep? And night-time’s just a jungle dark and a barking M16? And what’s this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only ninteen. [lyrics](http://www.geocities.com/kingsideau/lyrics19.html) Cold Chisel’s _Khe Sanh_ I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man I’ve had the Vietnam cold turkey From the ocean to the Silver City And it’s only other vets could understand [lyrics](http://www.coldchisel.com.au/l1_khesahn.html) ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/29 "2003-03-06T05:43:34Z")
The’re not anti-war, per se, but they are protest songs: “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott Heron “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley and The Wailers “Fuck Tha Police” by NWA “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” by The Beastie Boys. (Really – what kind of world is it where one’s mother is allowed to throw away one’s best porno mag?) And, on the anti-war front: “Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono “War” by Edwin Starr “Heaven Help Us All” by Stevie Wonder. Gets me nearly every time I hear it. “Heaven help the boy who won’t reach 21/Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun” and “Heaven help the man who kicks the man who has to crawl/Heaven help us all”, especially. ---
**Author:** ![Cruktar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d9b06d/32.png) [@Cruktar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cruktar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/30 "2003-03-06T06:03:18Z")
Not a classic, but I appreciate “Combat Rock” by Sleater-Kinney. > [@](#): > > Hey, look, it’s time to pledge allegiance > I love my dirty Uncle Sam > Our country’s marching to the beat now > and we must learn to step in time > … > Show you love your country > Go out and spend some cash > Red white blue hotpants > Doing it for Uncle Sam ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/31 "2003-03-06T07:23:10Z")
_One_ by Metallica ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/32 "2003-03-06T07:43:54Z")
Another vote for “Eve of Destruction.” It was never a popular hit, but I always get a chill from “[The Grave](http://lyricsheaven.topcities.com/survey_d_k_bestanden/Don_McLean.htm)” by Don McLean: > [@](#): > > The grave that they dug him had flowers > Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors > And the brown earth bleached white > At the edge of his gravestone > He’s gone > > When the wars of our nation did beckon > The man, barely twenty, did answer the calling > Proud of the trust > That he placed in our nation > He’s gone > > But eternity knows him > And it knows what we’ve done > > And the rain fell like pearls > On the leaves of the flowers > Leaving brown, muddy clay > Where the earth had been dry > > . . . . ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/33 "2003-03-06T09:23:07Z")
Not an anti-war song, but certainly a protest song: _The Two Bums_: > [@](#): > > The bum on the rod is hunted down > As the enemy of mankind; > The other is driven around to his club > And feted, wined and dined. > And they who curse the bum on the rods > As the essence of all that is bad > Will greet the other with a winning smile > And extend him the hand so glad. > The bum on the rods is a social flea > Who gets an occasional bite; > The bum on the plush is a social leech, > Blood-sucking day and night. > The bum on the rods is a load so light > That his weight we scarcely feel, > But it takes the labor of dozens of men > To furnish the other a meal. > As long as you sanction the bum on the plush, > The other will always be there, > But rid yourself of the bum on the plush > And the other will disappear. > Then make an intelligent, organized kick, > Get rid of the weights that crush; > Don’t worry about the bum on the rods, > Get rid of the bum on the plush! > > –Anonymous, c. 1930 (Copyright-free, natch.) ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/34 "2003-03-06T10:30:24Z")
Propagandhi’s modern masterpiece Stick The Fucking Flag Up Your Goddamn Ass, You Sonofabitch really deserves a mention here. An excerpt: > [@](#): > > My father told me “Son, it’s futile to resist, > you can topple ideology but not the armies they enlist.” > I questioned the intentions of the boy scouts chanting war. > “Well that’s the sound of freedom, son” he said. > (free to say no more) ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/35 "2003-03-06T12:21:23Z")
For some reason I think that the contributors to this thread might be interested in [this link](http://www.sfheart.com/protest/index1.html) that leads to a collection of protest songs. ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/36 "2003-03-06T12:56:20Z")
I second Redgum’s **I Was Only 19** , Cold Chisel’s **Khe San** and **The Band Played Waltzing Matilda** written by Eric Bogle and sung by many. Also Dylan’s [Masters of War](http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/masters.html), as relevant now as then, sadly ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/37 "2003-03-06T13:36:55Z")
While I’ve got you all here…What is Jefferson’s Airplane _Lather_ about? [Lather](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/SongUnid/F7148A04D82CD45D48256BF40008EE3F) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/38 "2003-03-06T13:45:09Z")
Tom Paxton’s song “Born on the 4th of July,” based on Ron Kovic’s book. Excellent book, excellent song. The book was written by a guy who did two enlistments in Vietnam and ended up paralyzed. Now I wheel myself down to the crossroads of town To watch the young girls and thier lovers. And my mind is afire, it’s alive with desire. Christ, I’ve barely begun, now it’s over. It my wheelchair for life, my mechanical wife I’m suppose to be cheerful and stoic. I’m your old tried-and-true, Yankee Doodle to you. Clean cut, paralyzed, and heroic. I was born on the 4th of July. No one more loyal than I. When my country said so, I was ready to go And I wish I’d been left there to die. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/39 "2003-03-06T13:51:21Z")
Another vote for _Universal Soldier_. > [@](#): > > He’s five foot two, > And he’s six feet four, > He fights with missiles and with spears. > He’s all of thirty-one, > And he’s only seventeen, > He’s been a soldier for a thousand years. > > He’s a Catholic, a Hindu, > An atheist, a Jain, > A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew, > And he knows he shouldn’t kill, > But he knows he always will: > Kill you for me, my friend, and me for you. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374/40 "2003-03-06T14:06:16Z")
**The Temptations, Ball of Confusion:** > [@](#): > > People moving out, people moving in. > Why, because of the color of their skin. > Run, run, run but you sure can’t hide. > > An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. > Vote for me and I’ll set you free. > Rap on, brother, rap on. Full lyrics [here.](http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php?sid=%9A%EA%98%A5)%7CF%16) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-anti-war-protest-songs-of-all-time/159374.md?page=3)