Music: Phil Ochs
Year: 1965(1)
Genre: Folk
Country: USA
I'm just a typical American boy,
From a typical American town,
I believe in God and Senator Dodd(3),
And keeping old Castro down,
And when it came my time to serve,
I knew "better dead than red",
But when I got to my old draft board,
Buddy, this is what I said: This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
(CHORUS:)
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen,
And I always carry a purse,
I got eyes like a bat, my feet are flat,
And my asthma's getting worse,
Oh, think of my career, my sweetheart dear,
And my poor old invalid aunt,
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a goin' to school,
And I'm working in a defense plant
I've got a dislocated disc and a racked up back,
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs,
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits,
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs,
I got the weakness woes, and I can't touch my toes,
I can hardly reach my knees
And if the enemy came close to me,
I'd probably start to sneeze. This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
(CHORUS)
I hate Zhou En-Lai(5), and I hope he dies,
But one thing you gotta see
That someone's gotta go over there,
And that someone isn't me,
So I wish you well, Sarge, give 'em Hell!
Yeah, Kill me a thousand or so
And if you ever get a war without blood and gore,
Well, I'll be the first to go.
(CHORUS)
Notes:
1 - Transcribed from and released on the Phil Ochs album, I Ain't Marching Anymore, released 1965, on Elektra #KL-287.
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Song: Draft Dodger Rag