__NOTOC__
"Draft Dodger Rag" is a satirical
anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...
song by
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...
, a
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American
military industrial complex. Originally released on his 1965 album, ''
I Ain't Marching Anymore
''I Ain't Marching Any More'' is Phil Ochs' second LP, released on Elektra Records in 1965.
History
Ochs performs alone on twelve original songs, an interpretation of Alfred Noyes' " The Highwayman" set to music (much as Poe's "The Bells" had ...
'', "Draft Dodger Rag" quickly became an anthem of the
anti-Vietnam War movement
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew into a social movement which was ...
.
Ochs wrote "Draft Dodger Rag" as American involvement in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
was beginning to grow.
The song is sung from the perspective of a
gung-ho young man who has been
drafted. When he reports for duty, however, the young man recites a list of reasons why he can't serve, including poor vision,
flat feet
Flat feet, also called pes planus or fallen arches, is a Posture (psychology), postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole (foot), sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the gro ...
, a
ruptured spleen
A splenic injury, which includes a ruptured spleen, is any injury to the spleen. The rupture of a normal spleen can be caused by trauma, such as a traffic collision.
Signs and symptoms
In minor injuries with little bleeding, there may be abdomi ...
, allergies and asthma, back pain, addiction "to a thousand drugs", his college enrollment, his disabled aunt, and the fact that he carries a purse,
[) As the song ends, the young man tells the sergeant that he'll be the first to volunteer for "a war without blood or gore".][
"Draft Dodger Rag" was the first prominent satirical song about ]draft evasion in the Vietnam War
Draft evasion in the Vietnam War was a common practice in the United States and in Australia. Significant draft avoidance was taking place even before the United States became heavily involved in the Vietnam War. The large cohort of Baby Boom Gen ...
. One writer says its humor can be appreciated on its own level, without respect to the political message of the song. Another says it added "much-needed humour" to the protest song genre.
Ochs wrote of the song:
In Vietnam, a 19-year-old Vietcong soldier screams that Americans should leave his country as he is shot by a government firing squad. His American counterpart meanwhile is staying up nights thinking up ways to deceptively destroy his health, mind, or virility to escape two years in a relatively comfortable army. Free enterprise strikes again.
Ochs performed "Draft Dodger Rag" in 1965 on a ''CBS Evening News
The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featu ...
'' television special ''Avoiding the Draft'', one of the rare instances in which he appeared on a national American television broadcast.
The Smothers Brothers
On November 19, 1967, ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' featured the Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers were the American duo of brothers Tom Smothers, Tom and Dick Smothers, who performed folk singer, folk singing, music, and comedy. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on Steel-string guitar, a ...
and actor George Segal
George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...
singing "Draft Dodger Rag". Dick Smothers
Richard Remick Smothers (born November 20, 1938) is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician. He was half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
Early life
Smothers was born in New York City ...
introduced the song by saying it was about a "great effort" some young American men were making. Tom Smothers
Thomas Bolyn Smothers III (February 2, 1937 – December 26, 2023) was an American comedian, actor, composer, and musician, widely known as half of the musical comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick Smothers, Dick. I ...
added that the song was about a problem and how it was being solved with "good old American ingenuity". They ended the song by proclaiming "Make love, not war!"
Cover versions
Several performers beside the Smothers Brothers have covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
"Draft Dodger Rag", including the Chad Mitchell Trio
The Chad Mitchell Trio, later known as The Mitchell Trio, were an American vocal group whose peak years were during the 1960s. They performed traditional folk songs and some of John Denver's early compositions. They were particularly notable fo ...
, The Four Preps
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s and 1960s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included " 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", " Big Man", "Lazy Summer ...
, Kind of Like Spitting
Kind of Like Spitting is an American indie rock band. They formed in 1996 in Portland, Oregon. The band is led by singer-songwriter Ben Barnett, whose work has drawn comparisons to Elliott Smith, Mark Eitzel, Billy Bragg, and Robert Pollard.
...
, Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. , David Rovics
David Stefan Rovics ( ; born April 10, 1967) is an American indie singer/songwriter. His music concerns both topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war, anti-globalization, anarchism, and social justice issues, and also labor history. R ...
, and Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...
. Seeger's version was released as a single.
External links
Draft Dodger Rag lyrics
See also
*Draft dodger
Conscription evasion or draft evasion (American English) is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military dr ...
*List of anti-war songs
Some anti-war movement, anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others patronize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that ...
References
{{authority control
1964 songs
1966 singles
Anti-war songs
Phil Ochs songs
Pete Seeger songs
Songs written by Phil Ochs
Songs about soldiers
Songs about the military
Songs of the Vietnam War
Song recordings produced by Jac Holzman
Columbia Records singles
Song recordings produced by John Hammond (record producer)
Satirical songs
Draft evasion