Bill the Cat - Born Again!

Up, Down.



Why should Bill the Cat make my mind run back to Country Joe and the Fish? Dunno, somehow I stumbled upon the Clichy movie, and Tuli Kupferberg and the Fugs and Ed Sanders and ... away it went (my mind that is). It was something around 1,2,3 what are we fighting for ... by Country Joe McDonald. There is a bit on his website that caught my attention, (check it out):

"1971 ... I then wrote "cover design by Jane Fonda" below the helmet. I had a feeling that some day in the future Jane would want to distance herself from her anti-Vietnam War activities and wanted it in writing that she did it. She didn’t seem to mind. I went out with the FTA show ... at several GI coffee houses ... . Jane and I got into a fight over her concept of "GIs are just working class guys who don’t know how to spell" and I, being one of those, left the show."

Two things: why the negative suspicion in the first part? and, why not talk it through in the second part? - there is no real dishonour in not knowing how to spell is there? Didn`t Jane Fonda know that? A-and, are these two parts possibly connected?

Self-indulgent and idle speculation by an old fart hippie wannabe, ok, but I really liked the movie version of Quiet Days in Clichy (Quiet Days in Cliché?). I tried to find a pic somewhere of the magic marker Vs appearing over the postcard views of Paris in the introduction as someone voices over "it was springtime in Paris and cunt was in the air" - but I couldn`t find one.

I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag - Country Joe & the Fish

Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Come on Wall Street, don't be slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade,
But just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Now you can go out and get those reds
'Cause the only good commie is the one that's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

Come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, and don't hesitate
To send your sons off before it's too late.
And you can be the first ones in your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

One After Nine-Oh-Nine - Lennon/McCartney

My baby said she's traveling
On the one after nine oh nine
I said move over honey
I'm traveling on that line
I said move over once
Move over twice
C'mon baby don't be cold as ice
Said she's traveling
On the one after nine oh nine

I begged her not to go
And I begged her on my bended knees
I Said you're only fooling round
Only fooling round with me
I said move over once
Move over twice
C'mon baby don't be cold as ice
Said I'm traveling
On the one after nine oh nine

Picked up the bags
Run to the station
Rail man said
You got the wrong location
Picked up the bags
Run right home
Then I find
I got the number wrong, well

Said she's traveling
On the one after nine oh nine
I said move over honey
I'm traveling on that line
I said move over once
Move over twice
C'mon baby don't be cold as ice
Said I'm traveling
On the one after nine oh nine

Down.