"Come to do to Canada what he was unwilling to do the Vietnam"
"Come to do to Canada what he was unwilling to do the Vietnam"
So draft resisters went to Canada to kill Canadians?
So draft resisters went to Canada to kill Canadians?
As for "complacent" and "entitled" and "cowards": Since many resisters did truly believe that the war in Vietnam was unjust, the truly cowardly and complacent thing to do would have been to just go along with the draft and go to Vietnam anyways.
As for "complacent" and "entitled" and "cowards": Since many resisters did truly believe that the war in Vietnam was unjust, the truly cowardly and complacent thing to do would have been to just go along with the draft and go to Vietnam anyways.
For many, dodging the draft was an act of courage. And since it often meant leaving their families and friends for an indefinite period, it was also...
For many, dodging the draft was an act of courage. And since it often meant leaving their families and friends for an indefinite period, it was also just about the opposite of "complacent."
Oh, and as for "entitled" - I'd like to think that every human being has the right to not be forced into involuntary servitude and made to kill in an unjust and immoral war.
Don't get me wrong, those who did fight should not be in any way blamed for their country's moral failure. But at the same time, many of those against the war were right - the war was an unjust and evil thing, and those who resisted being forced into uniform did not act dishonorably. And it's not like resisting the status quo and ignoring the moral condemnation of many of your peers is an easy or "complacent" thing to do at any time. Even at the height of the "anti-Vietnam" sentiment, a large portion of the country still looked down on anti-war protesters, draft dodgers, etc. It was never an easy choice. I don't condemn those who went along with the draft, and I don't condemn those who fought against it.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@PHR 'Would love to be wrong. I might get my wish. I can't remember why I was so sure this was the correct interpretation. It may have been from the bio by Maynard Collins, but I can't find such a thing looking a the index. And Collins seemed to get a few other things wrong, too.
@PHR 'Would love to be wrong. I might get my wish. I can't remember why I was so sure this was the correct interpretation. It may have been from the bio by Maynard Collins, but I can't find such a thing looking a the index. And Collins seemed to get a few other things wrong, too.
This song is expressly about a draft dodger, come to do to Canada what he was unwilling to do the Vietnam. I hate those complacent, entitled cowards.
"Come to do to Canada what he was unwilling to do the Vietnam"
"Come to do to Canada what he was unwilling to do the Vietnam"
So draft resisters went to Canada to kill Canadians?
So draft resisters went to Canada to kill Canadians?
As for "complacent" and "entitled" and "cowards": Since many resisters did truly believe that the war in Vietnam was unjust, the truly cowardly and complacent thing to do would have been to just go along with the draft and go to Vietnam anyways.
As for "complacent" and "entitled" and "cowards": Since many resisters did truly believe that the war in Vietnam was unjust, the truly cowardly and complacent thing to do would have been to just go along with the draft and go to Vietnam anyways.
For many, dodging the draft was an act of courage. And since it often meant leaving their families and friends for an indefinite period, it was also...
For many, dodging the draft was an act of courage. And since it often meant leaving their families and friends for an indefinite period, it was also just about the opposite of "complacent."
Oh, and as for "entitled" - I'd like to think that every human being has the right to not be forced into involuntary servitude and made to kill in an unjust and immoral war.
Don't get me wrong, those who did fight should not be in any way blamed for their country's moral failure. But at the same time, many of those against the war were right - the war was an unjust and evil thing, and those who resisted being forced into uniform did not act dishonorably. And it's not like resisting the status quo and ignoring the moral condemnation of many of your peers is an easy or "complacent" thing to do at any time. Even at the height of the "anti-Vietnam" sentiment, a large portion of the country still looked down on anti-war protesters, draft dodgers, etc. It was never an easy choice. I don't condemn those who went along with the draft, and I don't condemn those who fought against it.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@Angus I’ve heard this interpretation before, and I could see GL writing such a song, but haven’t been able to see it in the lyrics. To me it sounds like a conversation between a wandering son having come home, and his parents; a generation gap song like Cat Stevens’ Father and Son.
@PHR 'Would love to be wrong. I might get my wish. I can't remember why I was so sure this was the correct interpretation. It may have been from the bio by Maynard Collins, but I can't find such a thing looking a the index. And Collins seemed to get a few other things wrong, too.
@PHR 'Would love to be wrong. I might get my wish. I can't remember why I was so sure this was the correct interpretation. It may have been from the bio by Maynard Collins, but I can't find such a thing looking a the index. And Collins seemed to get a few other things wrong, too.
@Angus Seeing that he was a Canadian citizen and lived in Toronto his whole life it probably isn't about being a draft dodger. Just my opinion.
@Angus Seeing that he was a Canadian citizen and lived in Toronto his whole life it probably isn't about being a draft dodger. Just my opinion.