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Show me the prison, Show me the jail, Show me the prisoner whose life has gone stale. And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why And there, but for fortune, go you or I.

Phil Ochs

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Phil Ochs
Age: 35 †
Born: 1940
Born: December 19
Died: 1976
Died: April 9
Guitarist
Poet
Singer
Singer-Songwriter
Songwriter
El Paso
Texas
Philip David Ochs
Reason
Reasons
Many
Prison
Men
Fortune
Life
Whose
Gone
Stale
Show
Prisoner
Shows
Jail
Young
Tyranny

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I can spare a dime, brother, but in these morally inflationary times, a dime goes a lot farther if it's demanding work rather than adding to the indignity of relief.
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In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.
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One legged veterans will greet the dawn, and they're whistling marches as they mow the lawn, and the gargoyles on sit and grieve.
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Call it peace or call it treason / call it love or call it reason / but I ain't marching anymore
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Is there anybody here who thinks that following the orders takes away the blame Is there anybody here who wouldn't mind a murder by another name?
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It is wrong to expect a reward for your struggles. The reward is the act of struggle itself, not what you win.
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In the state of Mississippi, Many Years Ago, a boy of 14 years got a taste of Southern law.
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There is an urgent need for Americans to look deeply into themselves and their actions, and musical poetry is perhaps the most effective mirror available. Every newspaper headline is a potential song.
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Oh you tell me that there's danger to the land you call your own, And you watch them build the war machine right beside your home, And you tell me that you're ready to go marchin' to the war, I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?
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In every political community there are varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals. An outspoken group on many subjects. Ten degrees to the left of center in good times. Ten degrees to the right of center if it affects them personally. Here, then, is a lesson in safe logic.
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Leaving America is like losing twenty pounds and finding a new girlfriend.
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The people who carried the burden, who marked in strange field in search of an answer, and ended their journeys an unwilling hero.
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A protest song is a song that's so specific that you cannot mistake it for bullshit.
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One good song with a message can bring a point more deeply to more people than a thousand rallies.
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The fortunes of the entire world may well ride on the ability of young Americans to face the responsibilities of an old America gone mad.
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Some people never get their feet on the ground, They're either sitting in a chair or theyre laying down.
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In the courtroom, watch the balance of the scalesIf the price is right, there's time for more appealsThe strings are pulled, the switch is stayedThe finest lawyers fees are paidAnd a rich man never died upon the chair
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It's always the old to lead us to the war. It's always the young to fall.
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Show me a country where the bombs had to fallShow me the ruins of buildings so tallAnd I'll show you a young landWith many reasons whyThere but for fortune, go you or IYou or I.
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I'm gonna give all I've got to giveCross my heart, and I hope to live.
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