Topic: Anti-War Blues

[Mr.OMuck]

This War is Awful- Arthur Crudup
Overseas Blues- Memphis Willie B.
Red Cross Store- Leadbelly
This War will Last you for Years -Son House
(not exactly anti war.."won't be enough Japs to shoot a little game of craps", is about the most racist line in Blues)
Any others?...

[NevadaPic]

Nothing springs to mind at the moment.  I'll have to do some digging.  All I know is we need some more NOW whether we have to write our own or not!

Pic

[Rivers]

Geeshie Wiley's Last Kind Words I've always thought of as an anti-war song of the subtle variety.

[Mr.OMuck]

All I know is we need some more NOW

Amen!

[Cooljack]

the two ones that imidiatly come to mind, if they can be considered anti-war are Blind lemon's "War Time Blues" and Blind Willie Johnsons "When the War was One".

Also i've always thought that a number of Darby and Tarltons recordings had a somewhat anti-war tone to them, such as "Rainbow Division" which it hink is a rework of "Dixie Division" and with the melody of "Red River Valley", except in relation to the first world war rather than the civil war.

I also heard quite an interesting two part Lomax recording from 1939 which sounded quite anti-war, though doubtlessly about the Civil war.



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[Bunker Hill]

the two ones that imidiatly come to mind, if they can be considered anti-war are Blind lemon's "War Time Blues" and Blind Willie Johnsons "When the War was One".

I suppose I could trawl through Guido van Rijn's 1997 book Roosevelt Blues and plunder the appropriate chapters for examples but that would take the fun out of it for you guys....

[Mr.OMuck]

the two ones that imidiatly come to mind, if they can be considered anti-war are Blind lemon's "War Time Blues" and Blind Willie Johnsons "When the War was One".

I suppose I could trawl through Guido van Rijn's 1997 book Roosevelt Blues and plunder the appropriate chapters for examples but that would take the fun out of it for you guys....

Don't stop on my account......

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I don't know if it is anti-war as much as it is anti-military, but I have Snooks Eaglin singing "Questionaire Blues", which came from Amos Milburn originally, I think.  Mance Lipscomb's "Rocks and Gravel" likewise has some verses that are anti-military.  Junior Wells had "Vietnam Blues", and I believe J. B. Lenoir had a song or songs pertaining to the Vietnam War, though I can't remember the titles.  Does anybody know or remember the Lenoir titles?
all best,
Johnm

[Slack]

J. B. Lenoir's was named "Vietnam", he also had "Korea Blues" - which may be a lot like "Questionnaire Blues" - here is a link to lyrics for both:

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/2541/bljlenoi.htm

[dj]

Kid Coley, "War Dream Blues".  Recorded in 1931, but it sounds as if it must have dated from 1917/1918.

[waxwing]

Didn't Suzy Thompson mention that 'Bama Long Blues by the Baxters was about not wanting to be in the Alabama Long Rifle Regiment? I guess that would be referring to the Civil War, or maybe the Spanish American War.

All for now.
John C.

[samjessin]

Blues, maybe, anti-war, probably.

Vernon Dalhart - Ain't Gonna Grieve My Mind No More

"The reason I don't fly to france, I don't look good in flying pants."

[jharris]

At least in the pre-war era there doesn't appear to be that many songs that can be called anti-war. One that comes to mind is Josh White's "Uncle Sam Says" which is really more about racism. Lonnie Johnson's
"From 20 to 44" is not exactly anti-war but has a resigned, world weary sentiment - "There's no peace on earth/And there's hell everywhere you go."

-Jeff

[Stefan Wirz]

there's a whole 1996 CD album by the title of "Uncle Sam Blues" (don't know if they're all 'anti'-war ;-) on the Blues Encore label (Blues Encore CD 52043). More info on my J.B. Lenoir discography - it's # 67
Stefan

[CF]

Not so much anti-war as anti-army Leadbelly's 'Army Life' has the refrain

'I don't want no more army life
Keep it I want to go home . . . '

& Testament recorded a couple guys who wrote songs that at least seem to speak of their call to service with fear & regret. Arthur Weston (with Big Joe Williams on guitar) recorded 'Uncle Sam Called Me (I Got To Go) with an almost chilling last verse

'Lordy how you runnin' & dodging trying to find some place to hide (x2)
But whenever you get in touch with those Japanese I swear them United States men sure got to die'

& Avery Brady's 'Uncle Sam's Own Ship' details a soldier's suffering during service, missing his old lady.