| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Wooden Ships Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I agree with much of Tass2's interpretation, although I think the people in the song leaving on wooden ships are specifically peaceniks, leftists and hippies of the 1960s. This song sums up much of their criticism of technocratic, violent society. I also tend to think of the person in the coat as a Vietnam war veteran, especially given that many vets later became peace activists and hippies. However, while "who won?" could refer specifically to the Vietnam war, I also think of it as a comment on how everyone in society is competing with one another, trying to "win," when we should really just be working together. While I agree that the purple berries probably represent the potential for nature to sustain us, I always think of it more specifically as a dope reference. Hippies believed that good drugs, like LSD and marijuana, were necessary to survive the horrors of modern society. To me, this song is very bittersweet. It is the sad realization that nothing can be done, that a society built on exploitation, greed, and violence has no use for the peace-loving. However, there is hope in beauty in the possibility of fleeing and starting anew. |
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| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Almost Cut My Hair Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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In the early to mid 60's, before it got really popular, long hair was a contentious trademark of hippies. Unlike now, when it seems most boys have a long hair phase, back then you really could distinguish straights from freaks by the length of their hair. It seems that Crosby, Stills, and Nash felt the pressure to cut their hair, but this is probably more of a metaphor for conforming generally. "It increases my paranoia/like looking into a mirror and seeing a police car" Hippies, because of their distinct hairstyles and dress and notorious reputation, could easily be targeted by cops and others straights. Anyone seen Easy Rider? Probably shows the most extreme examples of straight violence against hippies. So the boys of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young definitely had reason to be paranoid. But luckily, the refused to "give an inch to fear," choosing freedom over conformity. And really, that's what made the hippies so great. |
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