unknown

pre>
D g a
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
D g a
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
G
Sasa sasa (now now)
A d
Twende mbele (let's go ahead)

Chakula haina taabu (food is no problem)
Tunana mbuzi tunakula (we kill goats and we eat)
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
Sasa sasa (now now)
Twende mbele (let's go ahead)

Nguo haina taabu (clothes are no problem)
Tunauza ngombe sokomi (we sell cows at the market)
Taabu tunavumilia (problems...we perservere)
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
Sasa sasa (now now)
Twende mbele (let's go ahead)

Maisha hapita (life will pass)
Sisi tutazeeka (we will get old)
Natoto wangu watalinda ngombe (my children will take care of the cows)
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
Sasa sasa (now now)
Twende mbele (let's go ahead)

Havunjika kivulini (i will rest in the shadow)
Na pombe karibu yangu (and beer next to me)
Niko mchunga ngombe (i take care of cows)
Sasa sasa (now now)
Twende mbele (let's go ahead)
/pre>

And love is a rainbow curving down from the sky
Falling crystals of colour, shades of warm that never die
Red melodies burning still lead me to the night
And sing about the sights that they are sighing
Silver shadows returning, dazzle with desire
Now freezing in a fire, they are flying

And love is a rainbow curving down from the sky
Falling crystals of colour, shades of warm that never die
Brown cascades are flowing, tinged upon your skin
Like strings of violins they are playing
Green breezes are blowing, cooling songs of tone
Now dancing in a moan as they are swaying

And love is a rainbow curving down from the sky
Falling crystals of colour, shades of warm that never die
Oh the yellow of the flowers, petals everywhere
Showing how to share the dreams of dawning
Blue fades in the hours, swallowed by the wine
To still the hands of time until the moring

And love is a rainbow curving down from the sky
Falling crystals of colour, shades of warm that never die

She comes from kansas city, in the middle of the land
She was the queen of the game
But love never came with a man, with a man
Now all they know is her name
She's the kansas city bomber, let her roll, let her roll
Let her fly through the fury of the race
The cry of the crowd is the keeper of her soul
You can see it by the rage upon her face

The blast of the whistle, the bomber takes the floor
She turns, she spins on the rail
But she'll be the first one to score, watch her score
And the board light up as the sails
She's the kansas city bomber, let her roll, let her roll
Let her fly through the fury of the race, of the race
The cry of the crowd is the keeper of her soul
You can tell by the rage upon her face

She's gonna leave tommorrow, she's never coming back
But tommorrow is only a day
But now she is trapped on the track, on the track
And god help the lady in her way
She's the kansas city bomber, let her roll, let her roll
Let her fly through the fury of the race, of the race
The cry of the crowd is the keeper of her soul
You can tell by the rage upon her face, on her face

pre>e a f#m
God bless the men who've learned to put their lives upon the line,
D b7 g#m
And god bless the men who've learned to sip the sacrifical wine,
E a c#m a
God bless the men who'll murder in th service of the lord;
E b7 c#m
Blessings from the chaplain of the war.

Give thanks to the parents who taught them as a boy they must obey
Give thanks to the church who taught them how to pose and how to pray
Give thanks to the schools who taught them well what they are fighting for
Blessings from the chaplain of the war.

I know it will be hard, your finger on the trigger might refrain
But someone's dealt the cards and the bible says you're clearly not to blame
Just think about the past, all the christian guns who've carried on before
With the blessings of the chaplain of the war.

The enemy is godless, the holy way is one they never knew
Forgive them as you kill them, believe me, they know not what they do
And the prisoners you take, you can try to lead them to the christian shore
Now blessings from the chaplain of the war.

Now you may find it strange that a man of peace is asking you to fight
But the church is known to change, embracing half the wrongs it hopes to right
I can't describe the times, i've wrestled with my conscience to the core
Now blessings from the chaplain of the war.

If the worst comes to be and you crumble in the misty cloud of pain
I'll fall down to my knees and beg for every mercy on your name
And your soul will be safe for heaven knows the burdens that you bore
With the blessings from the chaplain of the war.

When you go for broke and the taking of a life may leave you lost
Rising from the smoke is the all-inspiring vision of the cross
Sending you the strength to show you that you can struggle more
With the blessings from the chaplain of the war.

The commandments are torn we'll teach them when the victory fire glows
Now my collar is worn just above my military clothes
The religion of the flag, the servant of the saviour and the sword
Now blessings from the chaplain of the war.

1966 /pre>

pre>g
And the flag draped coffins are a sailin' home
Am d7
And the waves are watching as the engine drones
Bm g c am
As the ship draws near, hear the bugle moan
G em am d7 g
The sad and silent song of a soldier

With a hero's greeting we will welcome him,
With hero's speeches we will honor him,
With a hero's ending we will bury him,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

And comfort his family with a telegram,
We regret to inform you we have lost a man,
But we gave him the highest medal of the land,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

We know what an awful price he had to pay,
But the enemy was contained for another day,
We trained him well, but he would have wanted it that way,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

Oh, the weary wounded they wait by his side,
Wondering why they hadn't also died,
The picture of victory on its pride,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

And the flag is at half mast wet with foreign rain,
Ignored by the stranger he had helped to train,
To him it was his duty to them again,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

At arlington he's lowered down without a pause,
And his native land welcomes him with open jaws,
And the tombstone reads such a noble cause,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

Now a moment of silence for the broken man,
While the president proudly crows "we'll never bend",
And cheers their replacements marching off again,
That's the sad and silent song of a soldier.

And the flag draped coffins are a sailin' home,
And the waves are a watchin' as the engines drone,
As the ship draws near, hear the bugle moan
The sad and silent song of a soldier.

/pre>

I don't know, but it seems to me
What a great world this would be
If everybody stoped their hating
Saw the devil and called him satan

*chorus*
Never again, never again
No more the bugle sounds the battle cry
No more the cannons' roar
No more we die

If all our boundaries melted away
From the china sea to the usa
Flags of war at last were faded
One world at last created

*chorus*

And if every man on every shore
Cast a ballot for peace or war
And when all votes were counted
White dove of peace was mounted

*chorus*
*repeat last verse*
*chorus*

pre>intro: g em d

G em d
Here's to the state of richard nixon
G f
For underneath his borders the devil draws no line
G f
If you drag his muddy rivers nameless bodies you will find
G f
And the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes
G em am d
And the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time
G em c g
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
G em d g
Richard nixon find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the schools richard nixon
Where they're teaching all the children they don't have to care
All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
Oh, there's nobody learnin' such as foreign word as fair
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard nixon find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the laws richard nixon
Where the wars are fought in secret, pearl harbor every day
He punishes with income tax that he don't have to pay
And he's tapping his own brother just to here what he would say
But corruption can be classic in the richard nixon way
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard nixon find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the churches richard nixon and billy graham
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust
And the sunday mornin sermons pander to their lust
All the fallen face of jesus is chokin' in the dust
And heaven only knows in which god they can trust
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard nixon find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the government richard nixon
In the swamp of their bureaucracy their always boggin' down
And criminals are posing as advisors to the crown
And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sound
And the speeches of the president are the ravings of a clown
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard nixon find yourself another country to be part of

/pre>

The day marvin gaye and phil ochs got married
The trees all waved their giant arms
And happiness bled from every streetcorner
And biplanes bombed with fluffy pillows
The day marvin gaye and phil ochs got married
The trees all waved their giant arms
And happiness bled from every streetcorner
And biplanes bombed with fluffy pillows

I dreamed i saw phil ochs last night
Alive as you or me
Says i to phil "you're ten years dead"
"i never died' says he
"i never died" says he

The music business killed you phil
They ignored the things you said
And cast you out when fashions changed
Says phil "but i ain't dead"
Says phil "but i ain't dead"

The fbi harassed you phil
They smeared you with their lies
Says he "but they could never kill
What they could not compromise
I never compromised"

"though fashion's changed and critics sneered
The songs that i have sung
Are just as true tonight as then
The struggle carries on
The struggle carries on"

With the song of freedom rings out loud
From valleys and from hills
Where people stand up for their rights
Phil ochs is with us still
Phil ochs inspires us still.

pre>6/4 time
C
1. o, it was a fine and a plea - sant day
G
Out of yar - mouth har-bour i was far - ing
C g (f) (g) c
As a cab - in boy on a sail - ing lug - ger
F g7
For to go and hunt the shoals of her - ring

2. o, the work was hard and the hours were long
And the treatment, sure, it took some bearing,
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals of herring

3. o, we finished the swarth and the broken bank
I was cook and i'd a quarter-sharing
And i used to sleep, standing on my feet
And i'd dream about the shaols of herring

4. o, we left the home grounds in the month of june
And to canny shiels we soon were bearing
With a hundred cran of the silver darlings
That we'd taken from the shoals of herring

5. now your up on deck, you're a fisherman
You can swear and show a manly bearing
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you're searching for the shoals of herring

6. in the stormy seas and the living gales
Just to earn your daily bread your daring
From the dover straits to the faroe islands,
As your following the shoals of herring

7. o, i earned me keep and i paid me way
And i eaned the gear i was wearing
Sailed a million miles, caught ten million fishes
We were sailing after shoals of herring

(the original radio version had a different first verse which has a
Slightly different melody it goes as follows)

4/4 time

C
With our nets and gear we're far - ing
G
On the wild and waste - ful o - cean
F
It's there on the deep that we (6/4 time) har - vest
G c f g
And reap our bread as hunt the bon - ny shoals of her -
C
Ring

/pre>

pre>a g d a
The days grow longer for smaller prizes
A g d a
I feel a stranger to all surprises
Bm e a
You can have them i don't want them
C#m d
I wear a different kind of garment
F#m e
In my rehearsals for retirement

The lights are cold again they dance below me
I turn to old friends they do not know me
All but the beggar he remembers
I put a penny down for payment
In my rehearsals for retirement

D a - a7
Had i known the end would end in laughter
F#m e
I tell my daughter it doesn't matter

The stage is tainted with empty voices
The ladies painted they have no choices
I take my colors from the stable
They lie in tatters by the tournament
In my rehearsals for retirement

Where are the armies who killed a country
And turned a strong man into a baby
No comes the rabble they are welcome
I wait in anger and amusement
In my rehearsals for retirement

Had i known the end would end in laughter
Still i tell my daughter that it doesn't matter

Farewell my own true love, farewell my fancy
Are you still owin' me love, though you failed me
But one last gesture for her pleasure
I'll paint your memory on the monument
In my rehearsals for retirement

/pre>

The policemen of the city wear a uniform of blue
Walkin' within the city's border
Protecting all the people
That's what they're paid to do,
Maintaining law and order.

You see them walkin' down the street
Swingin' around the club
Pistols hangin' loosely from the holster
And the something of the soldier
In the shedding of the blood
Maintaining law and order.

And at the police academy
They're trainin' for the day
Where the rookies are training to be colder
Learning to be as hard as the hard world they face
Maintaining law and order.

Now in many southern cities
They don't need to use their hands
Oh, they throw them roughly in the corner
And tell the other prisoners "here's a nigger-lovin' man"
While maintaining law and order.

Now i'll be the first to tell you
That their pay is not the best
For they all have a wife and must support her
So the gamblers and the prostitutes pay them the rest
While they maintain law and order.

These are bitter words of warning
And they have to leave you sad
Cause a cop may save my life tomorrow
But it's really for the good man that i'm singing about the bad
Who are maintaining law and order.

Now they ask for greater power
From the bottom to the top
Their demands daily growing bolder
But who maintain the police and who maintain the cops
While they maintain law law and order.

I was taking my pleasure in a bar i called home
When an old friend appeared at the door
He was filled with bad whiskey, so he didn't see me
As he stumbled the sawdust filled floor

He was famous for filling our halls with his songs
Till the words and the music ran dry
Soon the backstage buffoons and their parasite friends
Chased a new shooting star through the sky

(chorus) falling star you know who you are
You toyed with the notion of failure
Like kids play with bugs in a jar
You wouldn't believe it could happen to you
But this time you've fallen to far.

Once the news of his comeback was filling the trades
So the critics came loading their guns
Oh i watched how they cursed him, nuzzling their drinks
He was finished before he'd begun

(chorus) falling star you know who you are
You were buying a round for our table
When they brought out the feathers and tar
You laughed when i said it could happen to you
You've already fallen too far.

Falling asleep at the table
Mumbling your prayers to the floor
Paying the bill, we bid you farewell
And quietly slipped out the door

Oh the night quickly passed in an alchohol haze
That fire don't ever burn long
But the lesson i learned in the bar room that night
Still burns in the words of this song

(chorus) falling star you know who you are
You toyed with the notion of failure
Like kids play with bugs in a jar
You wouldn't believe it could happen to you
But this time you've fallen too far
This time you've fallen too far

Phil ochs checked into the chelsea hotel,
There was blood on his clothes and they were dirty.
I could see by his face he was not feeling well,
He'd been to one too many parties.
He walked in the lobby a picture of doom,
It was plain to see he'd been a-drinkin'
I had to follow him up to his room,
To find out what he was thinking
"train, train, train"
From the outlaw in his brain
But he's still the same refrain

He walked in his room and he fell on the floor
Hanging in his hangover
Now the act from the stage he plays on the street
Handing out piles of money
His audience now is the bums that he meets
Is he a phony or funny?

It was out to california young davey moore did go,
To meet with sugar ramos and trade him blow for blow
He left his home in springfield, his wife and children five;
The spring was fast approaching, it was good to be alive.
His wife, she begged and pleaded, "you have to leave this game.
Is it worth the bloodshed and is it worth the pain?"
But davey could not hear above the cheering crowd
He was a champion, and champions are proud.
Hang his gloves upon the wall, shine his trophies bright clear,
Another man will fall before we dry our tears
For the fighters must destroy as the poets must sing,
As the hungry crowd must gather for the blood upon the ring.

And thousands gave a roar when davey moore walked in,
Another man to beat, another purse to win
And all along the ringside, a sight beyond compare
The money-chasing vultures were waiting for their share,
He stood there in his corner and he waited for the bell;
The signal of the struggle of two men facin' hell;
And when the bell was sounded, the blows began to rain,
And blows will lead to hate -- hate drives men insane.
*chorus*

The fists were flying fast and hard, the sweat was pouring down,
And davey moore grew weaker with ev'ry passin' round.
His legs began to wobble and his arms began to strain,
He fell upon the canvas floor, a fog around his brain.
At last the fight was over, young davey fought no more,
He lost the final battle behind a doctor's door.
And back at the arena, the screaming crowd is gone,
And death is waiting ringside, for the next fight to come on.
*chorus*

At night he sits alone
And he's looking at the stars
He listens to them playing guitars
He let phil go back a long, long way
They talked about marching and dying all in one day
They play songs together, they sit up past the dawn

I wonder why this dream goes on.

Bob was there last week as well
He's a quiet guy but he's got stories to tell
Our hero sits and listens without asking why
Teaches bob a minor with a glint in his eye
Bob used it on hollis brown but that was some time ago

When is this dream gonna stop? heaven knows.

Then our hero picks up his guitar
To play for me the only tune he knows
He played it to me once
He says "where's the (?), but this is how it goes
Then he sings

This is the only thing that really matters
Keeps me going, retains my sanity
The nights i spend alone when there's just
Phil ochs, bob dylan, steve goodman, david blue and me

Stevie died and then david died
But only to the papers that live outside
Last thursday they were in the room where he sits
The three of them making jokes about the meager obits
Steve and david smile and they left quite soon
He wonders about that dream as he looks at the stars and the moon

Sometimes he has a party for him and the crew
They turn up on time 'cause they always do
Phil plays "i ain't marching"
Bob plays harmonica but plays it all wrong
And steve harmonizes like he did with john prine
And david just sits and looks blue all the time

Then the time comes around again
They all sit and listen to our hero play
He says, "ah, you've heard it all before"
They like it so they shout "encore"
Then he sings

This is the only thing that really matters
Keeps me going, retains my sanity
The nights i spend alone when there's just
Phil ochs, bob dylan, steve goodman, david blue and me
And me.
Phil ochs, bob dylan, steve goodman, david blue and me

Jackson, mississippi, is a mighty white town,
The white folks they like to keep the black folks down
They think they'll be allright, but there's gonna be a fight
And they'll have to share that freedom crown,
Yes, they'll have to share that freedom crown.
Freedom riders roll along
Freedom riders won't be long
Won't be long.

They boarded a bus in washington d.c.
To enter a state half slave and half free
The wheels hummed a song and they sang along
The song of liberty, the song of liberty.
*chorus*

Jimmy farmer was a hard fightin' man
Decided one day that he had to make a stand
He led them down to slavery town
And they threw jim farmer in the can
And they threw jim farmer in the can.
*chorus*

One of these days and it won't be long
The solid south is gonna sing another song
They'll understand that a man's not a man
'til he has all the freedoms of the land.
*chorus*

pre>bm a
There's nothing as cold as the freeze in your soul
G a bm
At the moment when you are arrested.
Bm a
There's nothing as real as the iron and steel
G a bm
On the handcuffs when you protested.
D f#
You race through the night in the prison of fright
Bm a
As you head for the quicksand of questions.
Bm a
And children unborn will see you in scorn
G a bm
If ever you make a confession.

And the click of a lock is a shiver of shock
As you wonder what are their objectives.
Upon your guard for the voices are hard
That belong to the cops and detectives.
And it's hard to believe as they roll up their sleeves
That you're in for more than a session.
And it couldn't be true and it's not really you
That they want to make a confession.

You cannot conceal the confussion you feel
As they steadily work to out-guess you.
And some will pretend they are really your friend
Who rally around to your rescue.
With frightening force your mind is divorced
To give them the guilty impression.
Every word that you hear is a weapon of fear
To win the war of confessions.

The lights shoot a glare like bullets they stare
And burn out the base of conviction.
And you squint and you blink and you try not to think
Of the cobwebs of contridictions.
And your clothes will be wet with the rivers of sweat
That tells the tale of attention.
And once in awhile the clock has to smile
As it counts the time of confession.

The questions will rain and pour on your brain
With the proper speed they are driven.
The circles they pace and the sneer on their face
Tells you no quarter is given.
You can salvage your mind when the paper is signed
Then the crime is solved by oppression.
But win, lose, or draw, it's the rule of the law
To always work for confession.

And the balance of scales seems distant and pale
In the shadowy days of the trial.
And sometimes they die; with their name on a lie
When it's all too late for denial.
When agreement is full the switch must be pulled
And the chair leaves no hope for correction.
But the chances are large he was guilty as charged
After all, he made a confession.
/pre>

As i walk alone
Through each troubled day
I hope the lord above will help guide my way
Guide my way
As i walk alone

Through the valleys i will roam
Searching for the rivers leading to my home
To my home
As i walk alone

Listening to the wise men from the years of old
Trying to remember the words the bible told
As i walk alone

Towards heaven i will fly
If the devil calls me i'll pass him by
Pass him by
As i walk alone

As i walk alone
I'll pass him by

pre>
G c d7
Well, once i heard some people say, "if you gotta travel
G c
There's just one way, you gotta leave the ground, gotta go
D7 g
Through the air, gotta find a pilot and pay your fare

You gotta sail through the sky.
C d7
In other words, you gotta fly".

Yes, statistics show it's the way to go,
Well, it's safer than your car, you know;
It's safer than your home, safter than your street,
About the safes place to put your feet;
Statistics don't lie...
But statistics don't die, either.

Well, once i heard bob dylan say:
You gotta take a train -- it's the only way;
Well, nothin' ever happens to trains at all --
There was just one accident he could recall:
A plane crashed into it...
People flying in all directions, then.

One day when the sky was blue,
I boarded a plane and off we flew,
Looked out the window, insurance in my hand,
Just like columbus searching searching for land;
Swearin' i'd never fly again...
Just like the last time.

Then one of the stewardesses ambled by,
And suddenly i wasn't afraid to die;
She brought me coffee, pillows and tea,
Said, "you're as safe as you can be"
Said there's nothing to worry about...
Then she flew out the door somebody forgot to close
Right.

The plane kept going higher and higher,
I could swear both the wings were on fire,
So i opened the cockpit door
And the pilot was layin' on the floor
With the other stewardess...
She said, "fly now and pay later"...

Then the plane dropped down about a mile or two,
She lurched about, i swore i was through;
My stomach was heavin' -- it was tied in a knot --
Little paper bag was all i got --
That's the bag i'm in...pilot said we hit an air
Pocket..
Must've been a pocket with an awful big hole in it...

Well, at last the trip was near the end,
The airport was comin' round the bend,
But all my anxious eyes could see
Was a thousand planes in the vicinity;
They was landin' and leavin' and wavin' at each other,
Wing to win and brother to brother,
The pilot was swearin' and swervin' around,
But he said, "don't worry, we have radar somewhere on the ground".
I wasn't worried...i was crawlin' up the aisle
Screamin': "jesus saves".

The trip didn't do me too much harm,
But i did spend a year on the happy-farm;
They couldn't understand why i kissed the ground,
Chewed the concrete and swallowed it down;
Sure tasted good...like laguardia dirt should. /pre>

A thousand went to take the island
Chances strong(?) as broken twigs
And a thousand stayed there at the island
Met their fate fate at the bay of pigs

They were told when they arrived
They'd be helped by castro's men
But they found out, those who survived
That the cia was wrong again

Why were they wearing my country clothes?
Why were they spending my country's gold?
Who were the friends and who were the foes?
The headlines were lying, why wasn't i told?

(repeat first verse)

And the fruit boats ride on the waves,
And the crew will dream of returning
Back to the florida waters,
For the work of unloading onto the trains.

And the ships will dance by the shore,
With fruit from venezuela, brazil and costa rica,
But the fruit from the island of cuba
Is carried no more.

And on the decks it will lay,
Picked by the hands of the peons
At the lowest possible wages,
While the profits are made by the strangers
From far away.

Now some will pick the fruit of the vine
While others will go to the mountain
And eat the fruit of the hillside
And learn the way of the rifle,
Wait for the time.

Allianza dollars are spent
To raise the towering buildings
For the weary bones of the workers
So they will be strong in the morning
To go back again.

Oh the companies keep a sharp eye
And pay their respects to the army
To watch for the hot-blooded leaders
And be prepared for the junta to
Crush them like flies.

So heavy the price that they pay
As daily the fruit it is stolen
Over the blue carribean
But the lengthening shadow of cuba
Will hinder the way.

(repeat 1st verse)

How high is the watergate, mama, she said it's one foot high and risin'
How high is the watergate, pama, he said it's two feet high and risin'
There's a flood around the poker game (there's a bug on the window pane)
Gerry ford must be insane
Oh, my god, it's mickey spillane,
The tides are risin' (two feet high and rising)

How high is the watergate, mama, three feet high and risin'
How high is the watergate, pama, three feet high and risin'
In the swiss bank the money's stashed
18 minutes of tapes were slashed
They've even taken in johnny cash
Three feet high and rising

How high is the watergate, mama, four feet high and risin'
How high is the watergate, pama, four feet high and risin'
Nixon's gone and taught you lies (nixon doesn't talk, he lies)
A face that screams out for replies (...for a pie)
And the only one workin's is david frye,
Oh the tides are risin' (four feet high and risin')

How high is the watergate, mama, five feet high and risin'
How high is the watergate, pama, five feet high and risin'
If there ever was a crook, he's it
Perversion is the soul of wit
Pack your shovel, he's full of shit,
The tides are risin' (five feet high and risin')

The klan rode through old monroe town
They rode there many a year
One black day they rode too far
The cry of freedom was near

Monroe town is a dying town
It's a human scar with their feathers and their tar
With guns in their in their hands they rose to a man
Beat monroe clan they (?) made a stand

There is a courthouse in monroe town
The truth is never let in
It doesn't really matter what you have done
You are judged by the colour of your skin

Freedom had a brother in monroe town
Rob williams was his name
Liberty was his battle cry
And justice was his aim

Every state has a monroe town
Just look and you will see
Let's get together and clean them out
Let's really make our country free

When the toubles of the world rest upon your weary shoulder
When the wind that blows upon your face is blowing colder
And every hour tells you you're getting older
No you can't get stoned enough

Chorus:
And you're high high high high
That's all you want to do
Any way you get there, yeah
That's alright with you
You've been warned warned warned warned
Seems that's all you've heard
But today is your trouble tomorrow's only a word

When your baby says she'll stick with you until the end
And then she says she only wants to be your friend
And you find yourself alone out in the street again
No you can't get stoned enough

And when you start to feelin' that no one cares
And it seems that all your good time friends have disappeared
And you reach into the night and find that nobody's there
No you can't get stoned enough

I've often wondered why, as a fireman races by,
How often have i said, "why are fire engines red?"
Just ask the boys in firehouse 35

(chorus)
Singin' firehouse thirty five, firehouse thirty five
In between all the fires they are quenchin' their desires,
There's a hot time in firehouse thirty five.

It's a sin and it's a shame, i thought checkers was their game,
But i found to my suprise why there's fire in their eyes,
Just ask the boys in firehouse 35.

(chorus)

It's a fire marshall's dream, they blow away their steam,
But to make them leave their charms you need four or five alarms,
Just ask the boys in firehouse 35.

(chorus)

So here's a root and here's a toot for the gals of ill repute,
At last it can be told why they're racin' up those poles,
Just ask the boys in firehouse 35.

(chorus)

Some people never get their feet on the ground,
They're either sitting in a chair or they're laying down
Their bellies are hanging down on their knees,
It's almost a national emergency.
Fifty miles, keep a-walking,
Twenty-five miles and you're almost there,
Fifty miles no use a-talkin',
Better get in step with the new frontier.

Well, the president put on his walkin' shoes
He had a country with 30 millions pounds to lose
He remembered a promise he made 'way back when
He's gonna get the country movin' again.
*chorus*

Then everybody started getting into the act
Even sallinger left but he soon came back
On his return he was heard to say
Fifty miles a day keeps republicans away
*chorus*

Rockefeller's happy with his brand new wife,
And richard nixon's done enough running for life
And lyndon johnson is too busy a man
And joseph p. kennedy bought out tom mccann.
*chorus*

So i decided i would carry my load
I grabbed a carton of cigarettes and i hit the road,
The golf clubs were heavy and the gin was slow
If you want to get healthy, that's the way to go.
*chorus*

While everybody's goin' out and havin' fun
They ought to lose some weight in more ways than one
Fity miles of thinking is a heavy strain
But it's about the only cure, for an overweight brain.
*chorus*

It's been a long, long, long, long story
'bout the fight to make men free,
It's been a long, long, long, long story
About as long as a story ought to be

So hold your hats boys, hold the fort
I'm here to make a long story short
So it's time to sail in to the port
Time to make a long story short.

It's been...........
About the fight to make the union grow
It's been............
Story that's been told too slow.
*chorus*

It's been............
About the fight to ban the bomb
It's been..............
Should have been a long time gone.
*chorus*

It's been..........
About the fight to keep the hungry lands
It's been............
About as long as a hungry world can stand.
*chorus*

Here comes phil ochs shovel on his shoulder
Trailing a hoe along the ho chi minh trail
But the trail is on bleeker street
And phil's on his uppers
It's the mid-nineteen seventies
And it ain't looking so good
For this man with a mission
And a man with a passion
When you run out of fashion
And it don't come crawling back

Here comes phil ochs,
Got a chip on his shoulder
And they can't cut his jacket to cover it up
When one war is over but ten are beginning
And the movement's gone missing
Because they all just moved away
Oh they moved into property,
They moved off into futures
Yeah, they moved into ads, and that's as sad as it can get

Chorus:
Run, run, run from phil,
Phil's on a three day drunk
He's up on his high horse
Staggering and sauced
Run, run, run from phil,
Phil's on a three day drunk
But he wasn't alone
When he stumbled off course

Here comes phil ochs, devil on his shoulder
Carrying his guitar and the weight of the world
But if there's space for the millionaire,
God there must be space for the troubadour
And while there's a space, there's always a chance out there
That a melody lingers, and we keep getting singers
Who've got more on their minds than the latest dow jones share...

Chorus

Now i'd like to lay here in the night
Now i'd like to linger in the light
Wishing not to move
I have nothing left to prove
But did i hear you asking was it wrong or right

Chorus

If you feel a little strange
Please have the memory and keep the change

Now i'd like to hover in a hole
Where silence is the singer of the soul
I have no games to play
I have no lines to say
But someone's taking surveys on a passion pole

Pretending every worry has all gone
Now i'd like to drift into the dawn
As simple as it seems (?)
Changing thoughts around to dreams (?)
But did i hear the stifling of a sleepless yawn

Now i'd like to dangle in a dream
A cavalier who's courting to the queen
Hopelessly insane
Running ragged through the rain
But someone's directing lovers on a silver screen

Now i'd live to hide behind a hand
It's too late for leaving footprints on the sand
Willing/chilling (?) is the wine
I've surrendered to the time
But someone is insisting that they understand

Now you've heard the story of the skin
All the ashtrays have been powdered to the brim
I'd only like to fall
Watching whispers on the wall
But someone's making up the bed and defining sin

I got the news today
That you refused to play
Cause you never made number one
But it's not just the words
It's the deeds that are heard
When all is said and done
Kings take their crowns
They melt them all down
Trying to get the gold out
You went to hell and
Even when you weren't selling
You never ever sold out.

You weren't no leader,
You were more like a bleeder
Who was trying to cry for us all
You weren't no sage
But your sense of outrage
Sounded like a trumpet call
Fifteen years ago
In the old folky show
You were just one voice in the crowd
But now with so few singing
Your voice would have been ringing
Out 'bout twice as loud.

There but for fortune
Say a small circle of friends
Some may see the changes
So few see the ends
The pleasures of the harbor
Have come to you at last
You may not be marching anymore
But the parade's still going past.

I'm not taking the blame
That we killed you
You know you did that to yourself
But it was kind of a shame
That you played that game
You were better than anyone else
One shot of your bottle
Got you full throttle
It was the friend that was always there
But your greatest gift
And the curse you lived with
Was that you could always care.