"And it's 1, 2, 3/ What are we fighting for?/ Don't ask me, I don't give a damn/ Next stop is Vietnam/ And it's 5, 6, 7/ Open up the pearly gates/ Well, there ain't no time to wonder why/ Whoopee!/ We're all gonna die."
"Some people alluded to peace and stuff [at Woodstock], but I was talking about Vietnam. An expression of our anger and frustration over the Vietnam War, which was killing us, literally killing us."
Country Joe McDonald, born Joseph Allen McDonald, was a prominent 1960s folk-rocker who co-founded Country Joe and the Fish with Barry Melton in Berkeley, California in 1965. He became famous for his anti-Vietnam War anthem "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag," which he performed at Woodstock in 1969 with a provocative opening chant. The song's satirical lyrics questioned the war's purpose and mortality. McDonald's activism led to his arrest in Massachusetts and involvement in the Chicago Eight trial. Beyond this iconic protest song, he co-wrote "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" and "Janis" about girlfriend Janis Joplin. After the band dissolved in 1971, McDonald pursued a solo folk career, recording albums until 2017. He passed away at 84 following a battle with Parkinson's disease.
#vietnam-war-protest #1960s-folk-rock #anti-war-activism #woodstock-festival #country-joe-and-the-fish
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