I remember the singing on the radio. Sung to the tune of "Bob-bob-bob. Bob-bob-a-ram" the words had been changed to "Bomb-bomb-bomb. Bomb-bomb-Iran." The year was 1979. Or somewhere between November 4, 1979 and January 20, 1980 at any rate. I had a poster hanging on my side of the hallway depicting an American cartoon soldier crushing Ayatollah Khomeini. A neighbor took it down when I wasn't looking. The catchy tune with the changed lyrics got banned from the radio. The hostages remained in Iran for 444 days. I kept wondering why Jimmy Carter was even trying to negotiate with the Ayatollah. I figured in my youthful zeal that if the nine hostages were to be sacrificed in the mass bombing of Iran, that would have been better than doing nothing. Reagan won the election the next year. I guess some other people mighta thought so too.
When I was in sixth grade, the first Woodstock happened. I wanted to go and hang out with the hippies. I was a flower child waiting to happen. I remember the macabre body counts on the radio every afternoon. "One-two-three. What ar'we fighin' for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn. Next stop is Vietnam." I was born too late. As I got older, I would sometimes think I got born too early.
Bob Dylan during my first couple of years clean. "If God's on our side then he'll stop the next war." But God didn't stop the next war nor the one after that.
Operation Desert Storm and the resurrected chanting in the streets: Hell No. We won't go. Hell No. We won't go.
There is no Bob Dylan today. No Woody Guthrie. No Arlo Guthrie. No Joan Baez crooning, "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night." No little boxes full of tickie tackie looking all the same on the hillside. Where have all the flowers gone? Peter, Paul, and Mary ignore my question.
sapphoq on life
2 comments:
It's been replaced by "Courtesy of The Red White and Blue" and country music that talk about revenge ... Times have change ... Peace got it's chance yanno? ;-) JC
That's right!!!
spike q.
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