It's no surprise that some of the most important and enduring protest songs in rock history came out of the '60s, from Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" to John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin.'" Similarly, it's not particularly shocking that Dylan wasn't the only politically minded singer-songwriter to emerge from the Greenwich Village folk scene.
Phil Ochs, Dylan's contemporary (and occasional friendly rival) was the man behind the influential anti-war song "I Ain't Marching Anymore," released on his 1965 album of the same name and written from the point of view of a disillusioned solder who'd been at battle since the War of 1812:
It's always the old to lead us to the warsIt's always the young to fallNow look at all we've won with the saber and the gunTell me, is it worth it all?
For I stole California from the Mexican landFought in the bloody Civil WarYes, I even killed my brothersAnd so many othersBut I ain't marching anymore
"I Ain't Marching Anymore" went on to become a staple at rallies against the Vietnam War. Ochs brought the song to still wider audiences when he performed it on the 1967 TV special Dissent or Treason and the 1968 protests outside the Democratic National Convention, where crowds of men burned their draft cards. (According to Michael Schumacher's There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs, the musician later called the event the "highlight of his career.")
Rolling Stone ranked "I Ain't Marching Anymore" at #20 on a list of "The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time," praising Ochs as the "burning conscience of the Sixties folk scene, denouncing the political establishment’s hypocrisies long after many of his peers lost interest in topical songwriting."
Phil OchsPhoto by Alice Ochs on Getty Images
Tragically, Ochs' career was cut short when he died from suicide at the age of just 35 in 1976, following a battle with mental illness. On May 26 of that year, a memorial concert was held at New York City's Felt Forum featuring appearances by Allen Ginsberg, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow and others, as The New York Times reported.
Decades later, Ochs' work remains as relevant as ever. Joan Baez, Judy Collins, John Denver, Ani DiFranco, Gordon Lightfoot, Morrissey and Eddie Vedder are just a few of the notable musicians who've covered songs including "I Ain't Marching Anymore" over the years, helping to keep his legacy alive.
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