__NOTOC__ "I Ain't Marching Any More" (sometimes titled "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" or "I Ain't A-Marching Anymore") is an anti-war song by Phil Ochs, a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

protest singer from the 1960s known for being a passionate critic of the American

military industrial complex A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Originally released on his 1965 album of the same name, "I Ain't Marching Any More" is one of Ochs's best-known songs. Ochs wrote "I Ain't Marching Any More" as American involvement in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

was beginning to grow. The song criticizes all of American military history from the perspective of a weary soldier who has been present at every single war since the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. The chorus notes that "it's always the old who lead us to the war, always the young to fall" and asks whether the price of military victory has been too high. Ochs said of the song that it "borders between pacifism and treason, combining the best qualities of both." He also wrote "the fact that you won't be hearing this song on the radio is more than enough justification for the writing of it." According to one biographer, "I Ain't Marching Any More" "instantly became chs'signature song". Ochs performed it at concerts and rallies for the remainder of his career, almost always drawing cheers from the audience. Ochs performed the song in 1967 on the ABC television special ''Dissent or Treason'', one of the rare instances in which he appeared on a national American television broadcast. In August 1968, Ochs performed "I Ain't Marching Any More" during the

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

outside the Democratic National Convention, inspiring hundreds of young men to burn their draft cards. Ochs described it as the highlight of his career. Ochs was subsequently called as a witness in the trial of the

Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants—Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner—charged by ...

, who were charged with conspiracy and other crimes related to the protests. The defense attorneys asked Ochs to sing "I Ain't Marching Any More", but the judge wouldn't allow it. Instead, Ochs recited the lyrics.

Folk-rock version

In 1966, Ochs recorded a folk-rock version of "I Ain't Marching Any More". He was accompanied by

The Blues Project The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. Their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles. They are most remembered as one of the most artfu ...

and a

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

player. The new version of the song was released as a single in the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and as a

flexi disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...

in ''

Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing Out ...

'' magazine. Critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

wrote of the folk-rock version, "If ever there was a successful reworking of a plaintive acoustic song into a dynamic electric one, this ... was it". The single failed to chart.

Cover versions

"I Ain't Marching Any More" has been covered by several performers, including: * Black 47 *

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twel ...

* Four to the Bar *

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...

* Jefferson Starship (with additional lyrics by Cathy Richardson) *

Kind of Like Spitting Kind of Like Spitting is an American indie rock band. They formed in 1996 in Portland, Oregon. The band is led by singer-songwriter Ben Barnett, whose work has drawn comparisons to Elliott Smith, Mark Eitzel, Billy Bragg, and Robert Pollard. O ...

* Richard Thompson

References

External links

* {{authority control Songs about soldiers Songs about the military 1964 songs 1966 debut singles Anti-war songs Phil Ochs songs Songs written by Phil Ochs Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild Song recordings produced by Jac Holzman Elektra Records singles

Folk-rock version

Cover versions

See also

References

Further reading

External links