| Creedence Clearwater Revival – Run Through the Jungle Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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John Fogerty was clearly against the Vietnam War. I believe this song was actually written as a dig against the American Government, which is the Satan, he making reference to. The devil, Presidents Nixon & Johnson, set out to crush and exterminate this "enemy" in a pure act of brutal belligerence. The line "Let the people know my wisdom" was the classic point that protesters constantly asked why, why are we there, who invited us to convert this tiny nation into the western thinking. All of the information and responses from the Government could not begin to explain or justify this act of war. The line could be translated as - Let those people know that we (Nixon, Johnson et al) can & will murder & destroy indiscriminately. The "thunder magic & smoke" represent the U.S. air strikes that pummeled the land. One of the most publicized battles of the Vietnam War was the siege of Khe Sanh in early 1968, known as "Operation Niagra." More than 24,000 tactical and 2700 B-52 strike dropped 110,000 tons of ordnance in attacks that averaged over 300 sorties per day. Also, there was an airborne weapon called “puff the magic dragon” which fired up to 6,000 rounds per minute and the aircraft carried 54,000 rounds – when this let loose, it literally leveled everything in its path – you better run through the jungle! This war was the biggest farce perpetrated upon the American people and John Forgerty had the courage to stand up and fully use his 1st Amendment right to challenge our leaders. That’s my take on it. |
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| John Fogerty – Centerfield Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This is a classic nostalgic look at the game of baseball. The reason I believe it is so popular is not so much for the catchy tune but because it reaches back in time to the pure art of baseball. It isn’t wonder to me that the video clip that is usually played with this song is solely pre 60’s baseball. This song tries & successfully rekindles the essence and purity of the game that is a cornerstone of the American culture. Let's call it for what it really is. Today the game is lost to spoiled young men with idiotic, absurd paychecks. Contracts that dictate everything about their life and how & what position they are to play. Sure in the past you had the marquise players that made loads of money for their time BUT that was far and away the exception. Truly, I want to thank John for this song because when I am in the stadium (which is rare now) and hear that song come on the loud speakers it allows me to forget, momentarily, the $100 + I spent to bring my son to a game to support my local franchise owner and their slaves and focus on the really important thing – the game itself! |
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| Creedence Clearwater Revival – Lodi Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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A vibrant song about mood, texture and life. There is a Lodi in everybody's life - be it a physical location or a state of mind. I believe that John Fogerty actually passed thru Lodi while driving around in Nor Cal and saw things as they were - dry, desolate and like many central valley towns, not a nice place to visit & certainly not a place to aspire to live in. However, being an outsider from the culturally rich area of the SF Bay (as a resident during CCR - I don't know where he is from originally) he probably felt like he entered the void as he stopped in that town. Like most genius artists (if my assumptions are correct) he allowed himself to let go and drink in any creative inspirations with this town - good or bad, not with the intent of writing a song necessarily but just to simply experience something vastly different from his life in SF. ( For perspective -throughout the 60’s and into the 70’s SF was a Mecca for exceptional & outrageous creativity in all areas of art and the experiential ground for LSD - it was free love, sex, drugs and rock 'n roll in such extremes as never seen before in the world). My guess is that he spent a few hours in a local bar probably talking to patrons to get a sense of (their) reality. Then probably drifted mentally at some point imagining playing music for them on some beer stained make shift stage trying to entertain like a local. When the Lodi experience completed, he drove back to Berkeley and took a final look into the rear view mirror and contemplated his blessings and twists of fate not only for himself but for all of us. |
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