The Fish Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag

Questa di Country Joe & the Fish è un'altra canzone importante della cultura alternativa americana, nell' esibizione al Festival di Woodstock del 69, con tanto di invenzione del karaoke, o lo avevano già inventato i giapponesi?
Peccato che la canzone sia servita negli anni 60 per sensibilizzare l'opinione pubblica contro la guerra del Vietnam (Country Joe aveva già combattuto in quella di Corea e in Vietnam, quindi -forse- sapeva di cosa parlava) ma non ai nostri tempi.
Country Joe è tuttora in splendida forma: si è esibito il Liguria nel 2005 e nel 2006. Di recente la critica musicale lo ha riscoperto anche per un altro brano che rappresenterebbe il primo brano psichedelico della storia musicale: Section 43 in "Electric Music for the Mind and Body".


The Fish Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag

Gimme an F!
F!Gimme an I!
I!Gimme an S!
S!Gimme an H!
H!What's that spell ?
FISH!What's that spell ?
FISH!What's that spell ?
FISH!

Yeah, come on all of you,
big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Huh!
Well, come on Wall Street,
don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on mothers
throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Chi di voi ha visto Woodstock ricorderà che all'inizio veniva fatto lo spelling di una parola, che però non era FISH, ma inizia sempre per F! Potete riascoltarla nel video :-)