Draft Dodger Rag

About Draft Dodger Rag

"Draft Dodger Rag" is a satirical anti-war song by Phil Ochs, 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. (One historian of the draft resistance movement wrote that Ochs "described nearly every available escape from conscription".) 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: more »

Year:

2000

2:22

58 Views

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Draft Dodger Rag
Phil Ochs
Written by Phil Ochs

Oh, I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in God and Senator Dodd and a-keepin' 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:

	CHORUS
	Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
	And I always carry a purse
	I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
	Yes, 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 DEE-fense plant

I've got a dislocated disc and a wracked 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, 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

	I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
	And I always carry a purse
	I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
	Yes, 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 DEE-fense plant

Ooh, I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies,
Onething 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!
Kill me a thousand or so
And if you ever get a war without blood and gore
I'll be the first to go

	Yes, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
	And I always carry a purse
	I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
	Yes, 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 DEE-fense plant

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Phil Ochs

Philip David Ochs ( /ˈoʊks/; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime. more »

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