"And it's 1-2-3 what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn". They were exactly my thoughts when I stepped off the plane at Tan Son Nhut in July 1967, even before this great song was released. I was a naive young Army lieutenant trying to make sense of it all; but I thought, "Well, Uncle Sam must know what he's doing". How totally wrong I was, as I soon found out...
Unfortunately we were all clueless about the insanity of this senseless war/conflict. It was the politicians war, not the Americans war to be involved with. I was just a clueless kid in high school & many of my friends who went there never came back. The ones who did return where haunted by PTSD for decades. Just a total disaster, but I think that many who volunteered or were drafted were influenced by their relatives who served in WW2. BEYOND MY SCOPE! But it's still happening today. Very Haunting, God Bless everyone who went to that hell hole. So heartbreaking! We will never forget you and your sacrifice.😓 😓
The song says to be the first one on your block to have your boy to come home in a box. Well in December 1968 I was the only one on my block to have my father come home in a box.
mary farrell, my bride, and I, were there to see it all live in-person shortly after returning from my 2nd tour in Vietnam of doing medevac duty. We rode our 650cc BSA motorcycle there from CT. 3 days living inside an evergreen bush for shelter covered with two rain ponchos. Luckily, we brought enough food rations with us.
This showed up on my feed today, May, 5th 2022. My cousin PFC GREGORY AMBROSE would be 75 today had he not been killed in action in Vietnam. This song helped me express my absolute rage that my cousin wasn't coming home. I was 12 years old, Greg was killed in acttion 2 months short of his 20th birthday. I would close the bedroom, when no one else was in there, and SCREAM the lyrics at the top of my lungs - the most helpful : "5 6 7 open up the Pearly Gates, ain't no time to wonder why. Woopie we're all gonna die". Thank you Country Joe, absolutely perfect time for this record to come out, we needed that song 🎵 then.
I’m sorry for your loss. I remember the first time I lost someone I knew. And I remember my friend who was in the marines and went to Nam. He died young in 1994. He was killed by agent orange but even though he’s a victim of that horrible war his name won’t be on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. He’s one of thousands who died from effects of the war. No one knows the number of soldiers who committed suicide because they were ordered to harm and kill countless innocent people.
@@MovieMakingMan The harm from that horrible war is still with us today and you're right, no one knows the true numbers of those who served but died back in the States after the war. Nor do we now how many couldn't find their way back into society ( too many). Thank you for your condolences, sorry for your lose as well. Be well and safe.
I feel your pain brother, my uncle was killed 28th June 1966 IIRC he was only months from coming home. And the same brand of assholes keep trying to get us into more wars. Eisenhower warned us about the Military industrial complex formed during WW2. Now it's the Multinational industrial complex.
Sorry for your loss. May his soul and all of the others killed in that war rest in peace, in WW1 the Brits used to say their troops were lions, led by donkeys. No where was that analogy more true than us troops in Vietnam. Peace to you.
When I was 15 I had was attacked and stabbed and almost bled to death because I had long hair in 1969. A good Samaritan got me off the ground and took me to the hospital and they saved my life. God is good
@@MegaMindYt0909 George Lazenby would have made more James Bond movies, but the producers fired him because after he made the first one, he let his hair grow long.
@George. They told me while they were beating me and stabbing me "Let's give this fucking hippie a haircut"! Only GOD saved me and I forgave them because they knew not what they did! I believe they repented and will be my brothers in the Kingdom! Amen! Jim
52 years ago half the population between the ages of 15 & 25 could sing this damn near word perfectly. Smiled when I came across this vid ~ and found myself singing right along. And most of the same age group today would probably not recognise it and wonder waht the hell its all about if they did. I feel suddenly *old* But kind of happy too.
@@llothar68 Why is the western world accepting evil when it is not inevitable? I suppose this has been brewing for a long time. It's too much trouble for people to wake up. Eternal vigilance was too much trouble.
I only knew about it after the fact. I was too young to go but the Fish Chant, I'm fixin to Die Rag and Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner were standouts, I remember.
My dad who dodged the draft said that these lyrics were really in your face for that time. When I first sang it to him a few months ago he got so jovial and dancy, and I could tell that his and likely everyone's favorite part to loudly sing back then was "be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box!"
@@mc-qx6ue it's similar. Government wants to sacrifice our children and many don't want that to happen. And it's 1, 2, 3 what are we fighting for Just know Bidens insane Next stop is Ukraine And 5, 6, 7 Open up the pearly gates...
A year after this concert I was in the army stationed in El Paso. Every morning about 500 soldiers went to the area between three story barracks and got in formation. I stayed in my 3rd floor room and I put high powered speakers in the open windows. I played this song to the wild cheers of every soldier in formation. They especially liked the beginning when Country Joe said, “Give me an F, give me a U, give me a C, give me a K!” Then “What’s that spell?” The entire formation yelled out f**k! It took quite awhile before they tracked down the room where I was playing that song, but not before I played it 4-5 times! I didn’t get punished at all. I was just playing music in my room. And we were allowed to do that. They never said we couldn’t play certain songs or how loud. So I drove through their huge loopholes and made a lot of soldiers happy. None of them wanted to be in the army. Everywhere you went the initials FTA were painted or etched onto a wall. Btw, FTA stands for F**k the army. I’ve always loved this song and every time I hear it I remember that day when I caused 500 soldiers to cheer. A lot of people who claim to be patriots have no idea what veterans think. I never knew one guy who wasn’t anti-war and wanted the Vietnam War to end. They knew that war was a just a way to funnel billions to defense contractors. And they knew they didn’t matter a whit to all those pro-Nixon, pro-war idiots.
The best Vietnam era protest song, hands down. And to think that pretty much everyone there is north of 70 now. Many years later, at an open mic in the West Village, I watched as David Bennett Cohen, keyboard player for Country Joe & The Fish, banged out the “Feelin’ Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” on an old upright. I may not have been at Woodstock, but seeing DBC perform that song was an experience I’ll never forget.
@@UncleJoeHikes Try buying RFK Junior's book The Real A F from any of the outlets that can't wait to sell you books, until you ask them for the wrong one...
Awesome school man!!! The massive distribution of L.S. D. was a gift from the C.I.A. because they were worried about a "Excess of Democracy"....Viva Revolution!
Excellent...I was in nursing school in the late 60s + early 70s..The song applies to today. As the saying goes "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Peace, J=
Brilliant! This song means a lot to Vietnam Veterans. It's right up there with WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE by Eric Burdon and the Animals. A classic song of the era.
@@johannarichmond106 Johanna, Could NEVER forget Creedence! They were another great band of the era. Still love Creedence today. I have a CD (yes, CD) of their greatest hits and I play it often. RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE and FORTUNATE SON were extremely popular - and, of course, we can't forget PROUD MARY!
@@johnjaco5544 Yep.... that's another one we can add to the list. SKY PILOT was released in 1968 (right at the height of the war) and fits in perfectly. It was much loved by airmen. I say airMEN because there were no female combat pilots in those days. Those helicopter pilots and crews were extremely brave - especially MEDEVAC birds. Many grunts owe their very lives to those incredibly brave and dedicated individuals. Thanks, sky pilots!
if only America wasn't so 'communist paranoid' and stayed out of another countries civil war, there'd be less deaths from countries who had no business being there to begin with
One song the brass did not want played in Nam. At 75 I still love this song, I sing it loud, and I sing it with heart. And, I often do it while enjoying bowls of good weed. Still hoping the world can find that elusive Peace & Love.
perchance came across this song, i'd almost forgotten it... so good to read the comments, like yours, and realize there are still a lot of us out there with the same mindset we had back then... :-) now its time to roll me some wackybacky and settle down for the evening... greetings from europe... :-)
@@23merlino Read this as I finished work on my small bit of land in the woods of the Pacific Northwest and sat down with a bowl of fine homegrown bud. Greetings to you, and happy belated 420! Toke up.
@mrfairchap. Thank you for your service. None of us knew then how evil and corrupt our so-called leaders were. Like the Who song: We won't get fooled again!" GBY. So grateful you're still here! Amen!
My sister worked at The Valley Forge Army Hospital, she brought this story home: At a showing of Woodstock, this came on, & all the grunts in wheel chairs & with crutches pounding the floor, sang along with the bouncing ball. The brass, left the Hall.
When I went to my first anti-war rally vs Nam I remember a cop on horseback swinging a billy club at me. At 22 years old I could easily get away from that. Now at 75 it’s not so easy but then again no one trying to hit me. lol
One thing I learned as a kid when 2 men show up at the soldiers house you can hear his mother's anguish for 3 blocks . A cry you'll remember so well into old age
1:07 my friend Magick is in the audience!! She's wearing a black hat (scarf?) and a striped shirt. She worked at NASA and Hewlit Packard, very smart lady, I miss her.
So she gave in to it all and became part of the problem you were there to fight against . Crazy huh how your against it all when your young then cave to the money later
To some of the guys that didn't have a choice. Thank you guy's....And still remember this song.from a younger age. Just I hope NO MORE WARS EVER! 💜 & ☮ 2 all.
I was in the Army 1971. I was in Virginia in the barracks on a Saturday, when the First Sergeant came through. Coincidentally, I had this playing on my stereo at the time. As he was walking out, I cranked it up, just a bit. He looked a little disgusted, but didn't say a word
Great days and times amongst Crazy days and times. My Uncle was a Marine in Vietnam and dug this but it was painful for him too. The late 60s is romanticized and much of it should, so much was ugly. This/ Woodstock a welcomed Bright spot, A Flower.
My Brother sent me a tape he made in his college audio video department that had Country Joe, The Beatlles and Firesign theatre and we played it in the Officers Club in Kontum Viet Nam in1970!
@@MemeYou88 ‘When it suits them’?? Believe it or not, most of the kids shipped to SE Asian theaters by the tens of thousands to do all of killing and dying were not exactly the Sgt. Carter type. Can’t imagine what you think doing what it took to survive a hellscape like Hue or Binh Long had to do with whether you smoked dope, liked the Airplane and owned a Nehru jacket.
Young people in the late-'60s knew Americans were being lied to every night on the news, hearing, "We are winning the war," when the reality was just the opposite. Those angry years marked the first time Americans would learn that government leaders will blatantly lie to us when it comes to starting a war.
OMG when i first heard that song i didn't speak English... haven't heard it in a looooong time, and now i understand de language, i'm gobsmacked by the lyrics... always thought it was a 'happy song'... actually a very sarcastic one!
I loved always America such a beautyfull cöuntry with then so much love live then Nam as before Korea.last ever as 2nd WWar justified.not nam not Irak Iran Afghanistan that lopking at retrebution hate as the weopnsindustrie( come on wall street) as Now Co vit.here as well.how can we so democratiç country "help"these so whatevèr hatedriven as mainly rich where ever and how now zo get rid of all the twitter lies as all.do never forget where he came from .Where his so omnious rise to fame power ( including thexTrump Tower!) As as.think was ever a real promise done?;no no as hextakes he is undermining the real onDemocracie which even the slaveryholdervThomas Jefferson signed.the Declaration of imdipendence.first Step of a Democtacie.I am no studied proffesor no but with my heart & mind soul & all .we fought against peacefully denonstrated for freedom in Greece in Germany ( old Nazies still ln s democratic voted Parliament we also have still the rising 2nd lot from the East.As you our middle class getting broken..Oh Who now can Help? KARINLOVE❣
To this NO JUSTIN BIEBER.A NEW WISTFULL COUNTRY Joe must come.no vote before we all can openly listen to music!! Do all ANTI TRUMP DEMONSTATION AS ANTI RACIST DEMONSTRATIONS.Freedom is just another word if we vain't free.!! To all I do know that real 1 by Kris Kristofferson.but that fits.KARIN💗
There are other songs like that. Next time you hear 'Born in the USA' by Bruce Springsteen or Rockin in the Free World' by Neil Young, read the lyrics to see what they are really about.
That one line made many people gasp, in the audience, when hundreds of us were watching the first release of the Woodstock movie..it still is such a sardonic, sarcastic, nasty-but truthful- reminder of what really the end result of war is.
This guy really represented the feelings of a majority of my fellow, then-young, Boomers...the whole idea was to "let it all hang out",, "do your own thing", etc...and that attitude did indeed eventually help stop the horrible mistake of VietNam...it is interesting to me, now an old man, how many of my "time travelers" nowadays, returned to the lifestyle that they were ostensibly rebelling against!..."selling out" was such a taboo back then, but by the late 1970s, most of my generation had done just that!...In the 80s, I would occasionally attend parties, and indelicately ask my era of people what they had been doing, b ack in the late 60s/early 70s--they would usually get angry with me--"that was then; this is now" and proceed to sing the praises of Reagan, etc. After awhile, I stopped going to parties!
Also...Country Joe had been in the service, prior to becoming a "hippie icon"...he knew what it was like, to potentially sign up to give your life to your country, even when the "cause" might be so wrong...He was really a patriotic dude, just telling us to wake up to how wrong the government was at the time.
no song epitomizes woodstock like this one. coming off the bloodiest year for americans in vietnam (1968) and heading into the 2nd worst year, while woodstock played, the war raged on. i bought this (double) record while in 9th grade, (worked as a grocery bagger during the summer) would have been about 15 years old i guess, but i'll never forget it... i was playing the record for the first time, cranked up in my room, at some point i went to the bathroom to take care of some paperwork... as i sat there the words blared... *GIVE ME AN F!!! GIVE ME A U...* i hurried up to get back in the room, my mom coming in right behind me, i don't remember the exact conversation but it went something like, "what are you listening to?" "it's woodstock mom". she grabbed the record and threw it out not knowing there was a 2nd one. happy mothers day mom.
Brilliant. It had an effect on me then even though I was in the UK. I knew an American in London who got a letter from US military saying he would be eligible for the. draft. I remember he looked ill 😱
I saw Country Joe & the Fish perform this tune in Madison, Wisconsin for free at the Student Union. Super show. I don't that there was one person there that wasn't smoking weed🤯😊👌
He played in my school in the70s as an opening act. This song mean so much to me now and seeing those young people and I am their age then, and I wanted to cry. War never end but peace always end. I am siding with no sides. Just men's stupidity and greed.
From a musicianship point of view, there were some moments that eclipsed this song like soul sacrifice, Villanova junction, wooden ships but no song expressed the sentiment that inspired Woodstock like this one.
Country Joe seemed to be in sync with the audience , he came on stage confident in himself and the song he was singing and the audience picked up on that.
Happy Birthday Country Joe McDonald born on January 1, 1942. He is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960's psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Joe_McDonald
I was too young for Woodstock and my much older brother was an Army pilot, at this time, in Viet Nam. I hated the war, but loved my brother, quite a conflict for a 5th grader. Then I heard this song on my cousin’s soundtrack, and realized this song said it all. Took up humming it, my parents never knew what I was up to. GIvE ME A F......
Hey Quida Let me first say that I Hope your brother came home alive and well. I did and I hated the situation as well...Give Me a F... give me a R... give me a E... give me a E! .... What's that spell. Peace Love And Understanding too✌😃
My dad loved this song when I was a kid and so did I. I didn't truly understand the gravity of what the song was talking about when I was 7 years old, but I got it as much as I was able to. I understood that it was a protest song, even though I didn't truly understand the realities of Vietnam and the Summer of Love and Woodstock. This song was very extensively sampled in a track called "Dirt" by electronic group Death in Vegas in 1997. My ear instantly picked up on it when I heard it from all the times my dad had played Country Joe for me, and honestly, I love both tracks for entirely different reasons and it's a cool bridge between generations in that way. This song is still every bit as relevant now, and will be for as long as we keep bringing our kids home in boxes and let Wall Street run the country.
I love Country Joe. Another good one is Edwin Starr' War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!!! Say it again. Ain't nothing but a heartbreaker. Got one friend that's the undertaker!
I heard Joe do this song at the last Bath Blues festival ,held at Shepton Mallet,southern England here in the UK in 1970. But I think it was emotionally much more meaningful to those at Woodstock,who's brothers and sisters were drafted into the that horrendous war. .
I had the album in grade school...It was one of the best!!!.... not one bad cut....The album had three records....I believe it could of been four records...and Still every song would still be Good....it still Rocks Today also this Great Sing A Long!!!
I remember when I first heard this song. It was the summer of 1970. I was 12. We thought it was cool as hell that someone said the "F" word in public like that. It gave us permission to use it. ;)
I was 15 when the Woodstock film came out . we all went to see it and it was just one big party in the theater . great memories of a turbulent time, but looking back, it was nothing to what is happening today.
@@MarieProvost77 and we are just as much at fault as Russia. Ever hear the word "cannonfodder" thats how we treat Ukrainians for a MIC pay day. Stop blaming just Russia, we are just as guilty if not more.
If you were old enough to be there you wouldn't because when you get to our age, you would be in overdraft territory. Like Tom Waits said, "Even Jesus wanted just a little more time When he was walking Spanish down the hall"
Wonder how many folks are here now watching this that were at Woodstock in 69. I am one and I am also a Vietnam vet. I loved this song now and then
Very few sadly! I’d love to sit down and hear your story’s for hours.
Thank you for your service. Hope the years have treated you well.
Glad you made it back.
thanks a ton stud
That awesome, hope you’re still kickin. Thank you.
❤️
"Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box." No better words against war,ever.
didn't stop the war in Vietnam one iota
"And it's 1-2-3 what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn". They were exactly my thoughts when I stepped off the plane at Tan Son Nhut in July 1967, even before this great song was released. I was a naive young Army lieutenant trying to make sense of it all; but I thought, "Well, Uncle Sam must know what he's doing". How totally wrong I was, as I soon found out...
Unfortunately we were all clueless about the insanity of this senseless war/conflict.
It was the politicians war, not the Americans war to be involved with. I was just a clueless kid in high school & many of my friends who went there never came back. The ones who did return where haunted by PTSD for decades.
Just a total disaster, but I think that many who volunteered or were drafted were influenced by their relatives who served in WW2. BEYOND MY SCOPE!
But it's still happening today.
Very Haunting, God Bless everyone who went to that hell
hole. So heartbreaking!
We will never forget you and your sacrifice.😓
😓
yeah, me too
@@cathyberry9579 We are just as clueless today as we were back then. Why do we never learn (sounds like something PP&M might say)?
The song says to be the first one on your block to have your boy to come home in a box. Well in December 1968 I was the only one on my block to have my father come home in a box.
Sorry that happened to u and him,his sacrifice was and is appreciated ❤
Those lyrics are brutal. I memorized them over 50 years ago, and still sing along every time. Gimme an F!
F
U
Yes, brutal often comes with funny if it's relevant and has a message.
I ..... "C"...can I hear a "K"? Wooopie!
F
This is a dedication to my Dad who passed in October 2022. God Bless Soldier in heaven. 🙏😇
So happy to see that Country Joe is alive and well at the age of 82 and still belting this out.
holy crap, he's 82? time flies.
@@kwd-kwd Arroyo High School Class of 62??? My HS came up with a few great ones.
mary farrell, my bride, and I, were there to see it all live in-person shortly after returning from my 2nd tour in Vietnam of doing medevac duty. We rode our 650cc BSA motorcycle there from CT. 3 days living inside an evergreen bush for shelter covered with two rain ponchos. Luckily, we brought enough food rations with us.
@@sergeantmasson3669 BSA 650, you had good taste, I'm well impressed - so much more old-school character than a HD 👍🏻 🇬🇧🤝🏻🇺🇸
Joseph Allen McDonald was born 1 January, 1942, in Washington, D.C.
Don't stop singing guys! We ain't done yet!
This showed up on my feed today, May, 5th 2022. My cousin PFC GREGORY AMBROSE would be 75 today had he not been killed in action in Vietnam. This song helped me express my absolute rage that my cousin wasn't coming home. I was 12 years old, Greg was killed in acttion 2 months short of his 20th birthday. I would close the bedroom, when no one else was in there, and SCREAM the lyrics at the top of my lungs -
the most helpful :
"5 6 7 open up the Pearly Gates, ain't no time to wonder why. Woopie we're all gonna die". Thank you Country Joe, absolutely perfect time for this record to come out, we needed that song 🎵 then.
I’m sorry for your loss. I remember the first time I lost someone I knew. And I remember my friend who was in the marines and went to Nam. He died young in 1994. He was killed by agent orange but even though he’s a victim of that horrible war his name won’t be on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. He’s one of thousands who died from effects of the war. No one knows the number of soldiers who committed suicide because they were ordered to harm and kill countless innocent people.
@@MovieMakingMan The harm from that horrible war is still with us today and you're right, no one knows the true numbers of those who served but died back in the States after the war. Nor do we now how many couldn't find their way back into society ( too many). Thank you for your condolences, sorry for your lose as well. Be well and safe.
I feel your pain brother, my uncle was killed 28th June 1966 IIRC he was only months from coming home. And the same brand of assholes keep trying to get us into more wars. Eisenhower warned us about the Military industrial complex formed during WW2. Now it's the Multinational industrial complex.
Sorry for your loss. May his soul and all of the others killed in that war rest in peace, in WW1 the Brits used to say their troops were lions, led by donkeys. No where was that analogy more true than us troops in Vietnam. Peace to you.
@@togaplop Thank you for your kind words. Never heard that expression before "lions led by dinkeys" - perfect for war. Be well ☮
When I was 15 I had was attacked and stabbed and almost bled to death because I had long hair in 1969. A good Samaritan got me off the ground and took me to the hospital and they saved my life. God is good
Because you had long hair? What is wrong with people
@@MegaMindYt0909 George Lazenby would have made more James Bond movies, but the producers fired him because after he made the first one, he let his hair grow long.
@@MegaMindYt0909 That's right, we were called long haired freaks of Jesus. I, too, was one. I was ridiculed because I looked like a girl at the time.
Nobody stabbed you because of your hair maybe they stabbed you because they were a criminal
@George. They told me while they were beating me and stabbing me "Let's give this fucking hippie a haircut"! Only GOD saved me and I forgave them because they knew not what they did! I believe they repented and will be my brothers in the Kingdom! Amen! Jim
This is the greatest protest footage ever. Peaceful, filled with unified voices.
With the most scathing lyrics in the best protest song of the time, IMO
As USMC veteran I approve of this song!
52 years ago half the population between the ages of 15 & 25 could sing this damn near word perfectly.
Smiled when I came across this vid ~ and found myself singing right along.
And most of the same age group today would probably not recognise it and wonder waht the hell its all about if they did.
I feel suddenly *old*
But kind of happy too.
77 now and was inna army at the time. We all knew it.
Next stop is now Ukraine
@@llothar68 Why is the western world accepting evil when it is not inevitable?
I suppose this has been brewing for a long time.
It's too much trouble for people to wake up.
Eternal vigilance was too much trouble.
I still know every word and love this song as much as I hate war.
And so did I and I'm from the UK
Man. I've made it to 2022.
Wishing all those who were at Woodstock an still alive and remember this, ALL THE BEST!
Yeah! It was a great performance!
I only knew about it after the fact. I was too young to go but the Fish Chant, I'm fixin to Die Rag and Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner were standouts, I remember.
Yeah and maybe a little shout out to the ones that survived Vietnam and a shout out for the ones that didn't survive
My dad who dodged the draft said that these lyrics were really in your face for that time. When I first sang it to him a few months ago he got so jovial and dancy, and I could tell that his and likely everyone's favorite part to loudly sing back then was "be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box!"
The greatest moment is when the crowd stands on their feet, not to just applaud Joe and the Fish, but to sing a song that demands passion.
Kid Ory was applauding until they refused to pay performance royalties for his tune.
My Oldest Brother Had this Album in the Early 70's.I listened to it all the time just to hear Country Joe Mcdonald.I was 10.
And we need this song even more today...looks like we're heading in a similar direction...
You're delusional if you think today is worse than 1969
@@mc-qx6ue it's similar. Government wants to sacrifice our children and many don't want that to happen.
And it's 1, 2, 3 what are we fighting for
Just know Bidens insane
Next stop is Ukraine
And 5, 6, 7
Open up the pearly gates...
Absolutely 💯
@@mc-qx6ue I lived through this era and if you think Afghanistan and Ukraine are not as bad as Vietnam then you are the delusional one.
@@helendanposh6168 I'm glad someone said this, Ukraine is not looking good. Putin is another Hitler, this could turn out to be FAR worse than Vietnam.
Just as I walked onto the grounds Country Joe started singing this. Blew me away.
Wow! Nice.
What'd it smell like? Actual question not being sarcastic haha. Hope you had a good time
A year after this concert I was in the army stationed in El Paso. Every morning about 500 soldiers went to the area between three story barracks and got in formation. I stayed in my 3rd floor room and I put high powered speakers in the open windows. I played this song to the wild cheers of every soldier in formation. They especially liked the beginning when Country Joe said, “Give me an F, give me a U, give me a C, give me a K!” Then “What’s that spell?” The entire formation yelled out f**k!
It took quite awhile before they tracked down the room where I was playing that song, but not before I played it 4-5 times!
I didn’t get punished at all. I was just playing music in my room. And we were allowed to do that. They never said we couldn’t play certain songs or how loud. So I drove through their huge loopholes and made a lot of soldiers happy. None of them wanted to be in the army. Everywhere you went the initials FTA were painted or etched onto a wall. Btw, FTA stands for F**k the army.
I’ve always loved this song and every time I hear it I remember that day when I caused 500 soldiers to cheer. A lot of people who claim to be patriots have no idea what veterans think. I never knew one guy who wasn’t anti-war and wanted the Vietnam War to end. They knew that war was a just a way to funnel billions to defense contractors. And they knew they didn’t matter a whit to all those pro-Nixon, pro-war idiots.
Right on brother..you did real fine for everyone listening, and everyone now reading this. All the very best to you friend ✌
Should have written a song.
@@adrianrodriguez9569 your right on...perhaps he will 👍
Gotdam hippie.
RLTW!
@@russdunn1256 give me an f give me a u give me a c give me a k what does that spell ?
The best Vietnam era protest song, hands down. And to think that pretty much everyone there is north of 70 now. Many years later, at an open mic in the West Village, I watched as David Bennett Cohen, keyboard player for Country Joe & The Fish, banged out the “Feelin’ Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” on an old upright. I may not have been at Woodstock, but seeing DBC perform that song was an experience I’ll never forget.
Check out ccr songs just as relevant if not more
North of 70 and thinking the government and Big Pharma is suddenly cool.
@@robertkelly6282 I grew up with CCR. “Fortunate Son” is one of my all time favorite songs of the era.
@@UncleJoeHikes Try buying RFK Junior's book The Real A F from any of the outlets that can't wait to sell you books, until you ask them for the wrong one...
Listen to ‘Alice’s restaurant’
- Arlo Guthrie
Friend and I played this over the PA system during lunch in High School. Hundreds of kids yelling "Fuck". Principle kicked us out of school.
Awesome!!!
Maybe it was because you couldn't spell principal.🤔
Well done!
Awesome school man!!! The massive distribution of L.S. D. was a gift from the C.I.A. because they were worried about a "Excess of Democracy"....Viva Revolution!
Love it 😆♥️
And belated thanks to the camera and sound crew who really caught that incredible event at the drop of a hat!
Been singing that shit over 50 years and the swamp is still getting away with it, WAKE UP PEOPLE.
unfortunately, human nature in the form of power will never change
Excellent...I was in nursing school in the late 60s + early 70s..The song applies to today. As the saying goes "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Peace, J=
Brilliant!
This song means a lot to Vietnam Veterans.
It's right up there with WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE by Eric Burdon and the Animals.
A classic song of the era.
@@johannarichmond106
Johanna,
Could NEVER forget Creedence!
They were another great band of the era.
Still love Creedence today.
I have a CD (yes, CD) of their greatest hits and I play it often.
RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE and FORTUNATE SON were extremely popular - and, of course, we can't forget PROUD MARY!
Absolutely right!
Or sky pilot by Eric burden
@@johnjaco5544
Yep.... that's another one we can add to the list.
SKY PILOT was released in 1968 (right at the height of the war) and fits in perfectly.
It was much loved by airmen.
I say airMEN because there were no female combat pilots in those days.
Those helicopter pilots and crews were extremely brave - especially MEDEVAC birds.
Many grunts owe their very lives to those incredibly brave and dedicated individuals.
Thanks, sky pilots!
Woodstock was the year I went to Vietnam
What a killer moment in history. Good on ya Joe!
As a Brit. I can only say thank you to Harold Wilson our PM at the time for keeping us out of Vietnam. Thank you Harold.
But, but, but all the profits, kickbacks and corruption you lost out on.
Just like Putin's war, no legitimate reason behind it.
if only America wasn't so 'communist paranoid' and stayed out of another countries civil war, there'd be less deaths from countries who had no business being there to begin with
This song speaks to me now more than ever
One song the brass did not want played in Nam. At 75 I still love this song, I sing it loud, and I sing it with heart. And, I often do it while enjoying bowls of good weed. Still hoping the world can find that elusive Peace & Love.
The ultimate protest song!
perchance came across this song, i'd almost forgotten it... so good to read the comments, like yours, and realize there are still a lot of us out there with the same mindset we had back then... :-) now its time to roll me some wackybacky and settle down for the evening... greetings from europe... :-)
@@23merlino the Eve of Destruction was pretty good, too!!
@@23merlino Read this as I finished work on my small bit of land in the woods of the Pacific Northwest and sat down with a bowl of fine homegrown bud. Greetings to you, and happy belated 420! Toke up.
@@lucysmith3921 - definately :-) and what about jefferson airplane - volunteers too...
Remember this well! Woodstock had some great musical talent!
@mrfairchap. Thank you for your service. None of us knew then how evil and corrupt our so-called leaders were. Like the Who song: We won't get fooled again!" GBY. So grateful you're still here! Amen!
young men fight for democracy
sacrificed for mediocrity
My sister worked at The Valley Forge Army Hospital, she brought this story home: At a showing of Woodstock, this came on, & all the grunts in wheel chairs & with crutches pounding the floor, sang along with the bouncing ball. The brass, left the Hall.
All wars are horrible. Focus on the positive
@@edwardharris1235 I’m 2 years late,what has anyone on the fucking to be positive about I’ll wait.!!
When I went to my first anti-war rally vs Nam I remember a cop on horseback swinging a billy club at me. At 22 years old I could easily get away from that.
Now at 75 it’s not so easy but then again no one trying to hit me. lol
Oh my word that has me in tears. I just can't imagine what it was like for your dear sister and all the injured veterans.
One thing I learned as a kid when 2 men show up at the soldiers house you can hear his mother's anguish for 3 blocks . A cry you'll remember so well into old age
1:07 my friend Magick is in the audience!! She's wearing a black hat (scarf?) and a striped shirt. She worked at NASA and Hewlit Packard, very smart lady, I miss her.
Saw ur friend in t audience. It's a long way from Woodstock to NASA & Hewitt Packard! Groovey ✌
So she gave in to it all and became part of the problem you were there to fight against . Crazy huh how your against it all when your young then cave to the money later
Thanks for posting. I was there, singing along, and this brings back many memories.
Santana was late getting to the stage so they pushed Joe out there solo. and this happened.. One of our marching songs in 69 for sure
To some of the guys that didn't have a choice. Thank you guy's....And still remember this song.from a younger age. Just I hope NO MORE WARS EVER!
💜 & ☮ 2 all.
This song reminds me of my dad I sure do miss him
He had good taste these are a great band country Joe and the fish
Mine died Jan 31 2016 at 215 pm on a Sunday
I was in the Army 1971. I was in Virginia in the barracks on a Saturday, when the First Sergeant came through. Coincidentally, I had this playing on my stereo at the time. As he was walking out, I cranked it up, just a bit. He looked a little disgusted, but didn't say a word
Great days and times amongst Crazy days and times. My Uncle was a Marine in Vietnam and dug this but it was painful for him too. The late 60s is romanticized and much of it should, so much was ugly. This/ Woodstock a welcomed Bright spot, A Flower.
My Brother sent me a tape he made in his college audio video department that had Country Joe, The Beatlles and Firesign theatre and we played it in the Officers Club in Kontum Viet Nam in1970!
Brought me to tears singing along.
One of the best protest songs, and this performance, ever.
Country Joe's hymn captured the moment perfectly
.
P.S. It wasn't a pacifist song, just an anti-insanity song.
Believe it or not hippies will fight when it suits them
@@MemeYou88 ‘When it suits them’??
Believe it or not, most of the kids shipped to SE Asian theaters by the tens of thousands to do all of killing and dying were not exactly the Sgt. Carter type.
Can’t imagine what you think doing what it took to survive a hellscape like Hue or Binh Long had to do with whether you smoked dope, liked the Airplane and owned a Nehru jacket.
Young people in the late-'60s knew Americans were being lied to every night on the news, hearing, "We are winning the war," when the reality was just the opposite. Those angry years marked the first time Americans would learn that government leaders will blatantly lie to us when it comes to starting a war.
@@MemeYou88 fight for the government when the democrat overlords command them to
@@UEE-kj6ek 🙌
One of my favorite moments from the 60s
Never gets old
OMG when i first heard that song i didn't speak English... haven't heard it in a looooong time, and now i understand de language, i'm gobsmacked by the lyrics... always thought it was a 'happy song'... actually a very sarcastic one!
I loved always America such a beautyfull cöuntry with then so much love live then Nam as before Korea.last ever as 2nd WWar justified.not nam not Irak Iran Afghanistan that lopking at retrebution hate as the weopnsindustrie( come on wall street) as Now Co vit.here as well.how can we so democratiç country "help"these so whatevèr hatedriven as mainly rich where ever and how now zo get rid of all the twitter lies as all.do never forget where he came from .Where his so omnious rise to fame power ( including thexTrump Tower!) As as.think was ever a real promise done?;no no as hextakes he is undermining the real onDemocracie which even the slaveryholdervThomas Jefferson signed.the Declaration of imdipendence.first Step of a Democtacie.I am no studied proffesor no but with my heart & mind soul & all .we fought against peacefully denonstrated for freedom in Greece in Germany ( old Nazies still ln s democratic voted Parliament we also have still the rising 2nd lot from the East.As you our middle class getting broken..Oh Who now can Help? KARINLOVE❣
To this NO JUSTIN BIEBER.A NEW WISTFULL COUNTRY Joe must come.no vote before we all can openly listen to music!! Do all ANTI TRUMP DEMONSTATION AS ANTI RACIST DEMONSTRATIONS.Freedom is just another word if we vain't free.!! To all I do know that real 1 by Kris Kristofferson.but that fits.KARIN💗
There are other songs like that. Next time you hear 'Born in the USA' by Bruce Springsteen or Rockin in the Free World' by Neil Young, read the lyrics to see what they are really about.
@@karinstorer3575
I can assume English isn’t your first language?
@@thegranddilligaf Wow, I had no idea
love you joe
Be the first one on the block to have your boy come home in a box
Some things never change.
Those words have stayed with me ever since I heard this song and meant even more since I had a boy of my own.
That one line made many people gasp, in the audience, when hundreds of us were watching the first release of the Woodstock movie..it still is such a sardonic, sarcastic, nasty-but truthful- reminder of what really the end result of war is.
I was only about 12 years old when I first heard this song, I'm now 65 liked it then, like it now😄😄.
This guy really represented the feelings of a majority of my fellow, then-young, Boomers...the whole idea was to "let it all hang out",, "do your own thing", etc...and that attitude did indeed eventually help stop the horrible mistake of VietNam...it is interesting to me, now an old man, how many of my "time travelers" nowadays, returned to the lifestyle that they were ostensibly rebelling against!..."selling out" was such a taboo back then, but by the late 1970s, most of my generation had done just that!...In the 80s, I would occasionally attend parties, and indelicately ask my era of people what they had been doing, b ack in the late 60s/early 70s--they would usually get angry with me--"that was then; this is now" and proceed to sing the praises of Reagan, etc. After awhile, I stopped going to parties!
Also...Country Joe had been in the service, prior to becoming a "hippie icon"...he knew what it was like, to potentially sign up to give your life to your country, even when the "cause" might be so wrong...He was really a patriotic dude, just telling us to wake up to how wrong the government was at the time.
Country Joe is so, so good.
no song epitomizes woodstock like this one. coming off the bloodiest year for americans in vietnam (1968) and heading into the 2nd worst year, while woodstock played, the war raged on. i bought this (double) record while in 9th grade, (worked as a grocery bagger during the summer) would have been about 15 years old i guess, but i'll never forget it... i was playing the record for the first time, cranked up in my room, at some point i went to the bathroom to take care of some paperwork...
as i sat there the words blared... *GIVE ME AN F!!! GIVE ME A U...* i hurried up to get back in the room, my mom coming in right behind me, i don't remember the exact conversation but it went something like, "what are you listening to?" "it's woodstock mom". she grabbed the record and threw it out not knowing there was a 2nd one. happy mothers day mom.
Love the mothers that taught us well.
Should've kept the album and thrown you out.
I got it for Xmas, and it was 3 discs.
It was the Tet Offensive in early '68. I remember the Viet Cong hitting Tan Son Nhut Airport outside Saigon.
Goosebumps....just pure Goosebumps....
Those days are long gone and I'm thankful I'm a boomer.
Brilliant. It had an effect on me then even though I was in the UK. I knew an American in London who got a letter from US military saying he would be eligible for the. draft. I remember he looked ill 😱
I saw Country Joe & the Fish perform this tune in Madison, Wisconsin for free at the Student Union. Super show. I don't that there was one person there that wasn't smoking weed🤯😊👌
What a song. Sums it up amazingly well
Brilliant song. Beautiful voice. Beautiful man.
An absolutely perfect moment. For All Time.
84 for joe 2day.... wow! thanks....
Rock on Brother I survived - SSG US Army, 72yo vet of the Viet Nam "Conflict"
LoL, "Conflict." Same here. I remember when insurance companies tried to use that to not pay off claims. "It was never declared a war."
More than half a decade ago
Seems so vibrant and present in 2022
This performance was the center of the cultural universe.
Happy Birthday Country Joe McDonald ✌️☮️✌️
He's still alive,80 years old and still living in Berkeley, glad to know that!
He played in my school in the70s as an opening act. This song mean so much to me now and seeing those young people and I am their age then, and I wanted to cry. War never end but peace always end. I am siding with no sides. Just men's stupidity and greed.
From a musicianship point of view, there were some moments that eclipsed this song like soul sacrifice, Villanova junction, wooden ships but no song expressed the sentiment that inspired Woodstock like this one.
I have not heard that song in over 50, and I still know the lyrics.
Not all of our brain cells were killed in 69, great tune..
Some things we never forget in life.
Country Joe was a hell of a confident musician.
can you elaborate in what way this confidence revealed itself
Country Joe seemed to be in sync with the audience , he came on stage confident in himself and the song he was singing and the audience picked up on that.
@@jaamesanderson4253
like thousands of performers before or since
Beautiful song , fantastic music concert, amazing singing in the open area.
Thanks for your wonderful song.
Thank Kid Ory, he wrote the tune but died without a cent for it.
Happy Birthday Country Joe McDonald born on January 1, 1942. He is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960's psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Joe_McDonald
I was too young for Woodstock and my much older brother was an Army pilot, at this time, in Viet Nam. I hated the war, but loved my brother, quite a conflict for a 5th grader. Then I heard this song on my cousin’s soundtrack, and realized this song said it all. Took up humming it, my parents never knew what I was up to. GIvE ME A F......
F!!!
F
F
Eff
Hey Quida Let me first say that I Hope your brother came home alive and well.
I did and I hated the situation as well...Give Me a
F... give me a R... give me a E... give me a E! .... What's that spell. Peace Love And Understanding too✌😃
My dad loved this song when I was a kid and so did I. I didn't truly understand the gravity of what the song was talking about when I was 7 years old, but I got it as much as I was able to. I understood that it was a protest song, even though I didn't truly understand the realities of Vietnam and the Summer of Love and Woodstock. This song was very extensively sampled in a track called "Dirt" by electronic group Death in Vegas in 1997. My ear instantly picked up on it when I heard it from all the times my dad had played Country Joe for me, and honestly, I love both tracks for entirely different reasons and it's a cool bridge between generations in that way. This song is still every bit as relevant now, and will be for as long as we keep bringing our kids home in boxes and let Wall Street run the country.
I well remember singing this song with my fellows on the plane as we landed in Vietnam. in 1969. didn't sing it coming back though.
yeah, c'mon on all you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
he's got himself in a terrible jam
way down yonder in Afghanistan
Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box.
Happy 82nd!
I didn't know it but I love Country Joe McDonald
So in time, history´s repeating itself again..
BEST COUNTRY JOE HE DESSERVES IT MORE THAN SOME EVER KNOW.LOVE KARIN
I love Country Joe. Another good one is Edwin Starr' War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!!! Say it again. Ain't nothing but a heartbreaker. Got one friend that's the undertaker!
I heard Joe do this song at the last Bath Blues festival ,held at Shepton Mallet,southern England here in the UK in 1970. But I think it was emotionally much more meaningful to those at Woodstock,who's brothers and sisters were drafted into the that horrendous war. .
This is my ringtone when work calls.
Man if I go back in the way back machine I'd hit Woodstock early on my list.. what a time to be alive!
Yup. Even the plain guys were getting laid.
Love this dude . Helped stop a war AND dated Janis !
What a memory this brings back..🥴🎼🖤
It seems every generation has to learn the message espoused in this song the hard way.
I had the album in grade school...It was one of the best!!!.... not one bad cut....The album had three records....I believe it could of been four records...and Still every song would still be Good....it still Rocks Today also this Great Sing A Long!!!
I remember when I first heard this song. It was the summer of 1970. I was 12. We thought it was cool as hell that someone said the "F" word in public like that. It gave us permission to use it. ;)
absolutely brilliant, and perfectly relevant for today's world
We got out of Afghanistan though
Great song!!
The Year 2019:
50th Anneversary Woodstock.
Was pulling border patrol in west Germany
The most sardonic, scathing protest song of all time.
I was 15 when the Woodstock film came out . we all went to see it and it was just one big party in the theater . great memories of a turbulent time, but looking back, it was nothing to what is happening today.
Afghanistan boys welcome back 2021.
53 years later and this badly needs re releasing for the Russian market. Wonderful and powerful.
NPC
Yup (4 months after your comment) - ATM many resistant Russian draftees could just replace "Vietnam" with "The Ukraine."
Russian market? We have the biggest MIC in the world, have you been watching what we have been doing since Vietnam?
@@MarieProvost77 and we are just as much at fault as Russia. Ever hear the word "cannonfodder" thats how we treat Ukrainians for a MIC pay day. Stop blaming just Russia, we are just as guilty if not more.
@@DH-ij9pe Sorry. I don’t understand your point. What is mic.
The best festival that ever was...id give 10 years off the end of my life to go back in time and experience this
If you were old enough to be there you wouldn't because when you get to our age, you would be in overdraft territory. Like Tom Waits said, "Even Jesus wanted just a little more time
When he was walking Spanish down the hall"
This is what I came home to and loved it