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"Draft Dodger Rag" is a satirical
anti-war
An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...
song by
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...
, a
U.S. 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'', "Draft Dodger Rag" quickly became an anthem of the
anti-Vietnam War movement.
Ochs wrote "Draft Dodger Rag" as American involvement in the
Vietnam War 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, a
ruptured spleen, allergies and asthma, back pain, addiction to multiple 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 the draft during the Vietnam War. 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'' 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 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 introduced the song by saying it was about a "great effort" some young American men were making. Tom Smothers 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 Four Preps, 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, David Rovics, and Pete Seeger. Seeger's version was released as a single.
See also
* Draft dodger
* List of anti-war songs
References
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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