Hello everyone. I am doing a research project on Vietnam and the music during that time period. I am hoping that some of you may be able to help me figure out the meanings of certain songs, because I am doing a lyric analysis of them and then explaining the effect they had on the Anti war movement. I need to find out why they were written, any hidden meanings, etc. And I am having trouble with these songs. Here is a list of the songs, any help on any of these songs would be great. Thankyou so much.
1. Masters of war - Bob Dylan
2. Paint it Black - Rolling Stones
3. For what it's worth - Buffalo Springfield
4. What's goin on - Marvin Gaye
5. Universal Soldier & The war drags on - Donovan :wave:

For What It's Worth is about an incident 1967 in which police beat up hippies who were demonstrating against stores which reused to serve them on Sunet Strip. On a deeper level, the song is a call for everyone to chill out and look at what was hapening, and how divided the country was becoming.

Universal Soldier is basically saying that all soldiers are the same. Rich, poor, tall, short, old, young, they all witness war and the destruction, terror and horror which accompny it.

Wow. I find this interesting because in the last few days I was trying to find a list of songs that were hippy or anti-war songs just for something to do. I couldn't really find anything.
I too am interested in the lyrics and their meanings. It would be interested to hear those.
sorry corinne916, but I can't really help you with any of those. I want to know too.
However, if you could compile a list of more songs of that category and post them hear, that would be awesome!

Thankyou for your help I really appreciate it. Here is a list of the songs that I am working on. It is a work in progress and I have found some really interesting stories and thoughts about each one. That is weird that you were thinking about it at the same time. :) I hope you like these.
1. Masters of war - Bob Dylan
2. Times they are a changin - Bob Dylan
3. The war drags on - Donovan
4. Universal Soldier - Donovan
5. War - Eddie Holland & Norman Whitfield
6. For what it's worth - Buffalo Springfield
7. Fortunate Son - Creedance
8. Paint it Black - Rolling Stones
9. What's goin' on - Marvin Gaye
10. Peace Train - Cat Stevens
11. Ohio (about the incident at Kent State) - Neil Young
12. The Unknown Soldier - The doors
13. Eve of destruction - Barry McGwyer
14. Give peace a chance & Imagine - John Lennon
15. We shall overcome - Joan Baez
16. I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag by Country Joe McDonald and the Fish
17. Where have all the flowers gone
That is all I have so far. I hope you like them. (Masters of War is my favorite). :wave:

Paint it black I believe is about a guy who has been scorned by a girl and just wants the world to go away and for everyone else to feel the way he does. What's going on is about the craziness of the times and how everyone is fighting, poverty,racism,etc.

awesome thanks for that list!

Fortunate Son is about the draft. If you were in college, had a job in what the military termed an essentail industry, or had a medical problem, you wouldn't be drafted. However, only the rich could afford to go to college, the well connected could get jobs, and any doctor, if paid enough, could find something wrong with an 18 year old boy. The song is talking about the ineqaulities in the system.