Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the President

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Wed Apr 26, 2006 at 11:49:18 PM EST
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Roger Friedman at Fox News posts the lyrics to Neil Young's song Let's Impeach the President, on his new Living With War album. He says the song will be performed as a "melodic, rocking, campfire ode" and calls it the "catchiest protest song since Country Joe and the Fish's anti-Vietnam ditty, "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die".

When Living with War starts streaming on neilyoung.com on Friday, my guess is the servers will overheat.

I will be featuring the full album player/streams on Friday on TalkLeft when they go live. So make sure to stop back. Also stop by Neil Young's My Space site. and the Living With War blog. Now here are the lyrics:

Let's impeach the president for lying

And leading our country into war

Abusing all the power that we gave him

And shipping all our money out the door

He's the man who hired all the criminals

The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

Of why we have to send our men to war

Let's impeach the president for spying

On citizens inside their own homes

Breaking every law in the country

By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

Would New Orleans have been safer that way

Sheltered by our government's protection

Or was someone just not home that day?

Let's impeach the president

For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

Dividing our country into colors

And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he's racking down on steroids

Since he sold his old baseball team

There's lot of people looking at big trouble

But of course the president is clean

Thank God

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Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses Evil minds that plot destruction Sorcerers of death's construction In the fields the bodies burning As the war machine keeps turning Death and hatred to mankind Poisoning their brainwashed minds Oh lord yeah!

Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the President | 64 comments (64 topical)

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#1)
by cpinva on Wed Apr 26, 2006 at 10:49:58 PM EST

hmmm, gotta be honest with you, it just doesn't have the same zing that fixin-to-die-rag had. i'm sure it's a lovely song and all, but.............................

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#2)
by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Apr 26, 2006 at 11:21:22 PM EST

Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die is my all time favorite Vietnam protest song, but let's wait and hear Neil sing his before passing judgment. If it's as good as "Ohio", and I suspect it will be, it's time to move on.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#3)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 03:45:08 AM EST

Ohio is a great song, and not only because of the lyrics. The beautiful and powerful delivery of the mixture of sadness, outrage, anger, and the image of a furious god of retribution thundering towards you in foot stamping determination in the opening bars (especially if you crank it) is what made it an anthem. Listening to it is like listening to trumpets at the walls of Jericho. I'll bet Young will sing his new song with an equall powerfull delivery. If he does Bush might as well start packing now...

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#4)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 03:49:04 AM EST

Would New Orleans have been safer that way Sheltered by our government's protection Or was someone just not home that day? = What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#5)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 04:18:13 AM EST

No one has the answer, But one thing is true, You've got to turn on evil, When it's coming after you, You've gota face it down, And when it tries to hide, You've gota go in after it, And never be denied, Time is runnin' out, Let's roll. Neil Young's response to 9-11 didn't need a 100 voice choir. When I heard that NY was going off the deep end on Bush and impeachment I was unhappy. When I heard the words "100 voice choir" it broke my heart. I KNEW THEN THAT NEIL YOUNG JUMPED THE SHARK! It's better to burn out than fade away. Jimbo

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#6)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 04:40:59 AM EST

Here's a thread you would have enjoyed, Charlie: 'War. What is it good for?' posted by Last Night in Little Rock Monday :: August 29, 2005

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#7)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 05:55:30 AM EST

You're probably right. Van Morrison, Jim Morrison, and Billy Joel are about the only ones I can think of who could even come close. And Elvis of course. Pretty damned close though. ;-)

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#8)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 06:01:09 AM EST

You've got to turn on evil, When it's coming after you

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#9)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 06:13:32 AM EST

Let's not forget Neil's ode to George the first: "Got a thousand points of light - for the homeless man Got a kinder, gentler, machine gun hand." Keep on rockin in the free world!

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#10)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 06:31:35 AM EST

Classic Neil. Only he could sing those lines and make them truly melodic. Anyone else and it will just come across as mediocre poetry.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#12)
by Edger on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 07:11:29 AM EST

Van had his lyrics too. He wasn't just a pretty voice. ;-)

You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see -- Van Morrison

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#13)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 07:26:43 AM EST

You got star spangled nails in your coffin, kid Be the first one on the block to have your boy come home in a box. . . Bush should be impeached ... this song is a start at least

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#14)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 08:47:30 AM EST

I was born in 1964 and so I was quite young during the Viet Nam. I got into the sixties music later. I never thought of Dylans "Fixen to Die" as a protest song, but I wasn't there when it came out. It is a great song, but I always thought it described the human condition. But, if you listen to Hazel Dickens "Will Jesus Wash the Blood Stains from your hands" there is no doubt what she is talking about. Personally, it is my favorite protest song. NY Impeach the President might be preety good, but I don't know about the poetry. It is too direct, and lacks the subtlety to be a grat work of art. Perfect for an American audiece, though, because we kind of need things spoonfed to us. We ain't exactly the poetry appreciation kind. So, I'm glad NY is singing the song. My favorite contemporary anti-war song is Michael Franti's "Bomb the World." Simple chorus says it all You can bomb the world to pieces but you can't bomb it into peace. Simple message that works whether sung to the Osamas, the Isrealis, The US, the terrorists, The Palestiens, or whoever. Blue-eyes with soul are hard to come by. He didn't have the pipes, but he could blow a horn. Chet Baker had some blue-eyed soul.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#15)
by swingvote on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 08:59:34 AM EST

It is too direct, and lacks the subtlety to be a grat work of art. Perfect for an American audiece, though, because we kind of need things spoonfed to us. I'm sorry you feel that way about your fellow American's, Peaches. But some of us do in fact appreciate poetry, and America has generated some truly great poets, whose work you might find enlightening if you took the time to consider it. Walt Whitman is a bit over-rated in my opinion, but you can never go wrong with Emily Dickinson. Regarding Neil's latest: I wonder if someone will issue a response, as Alabama did to "Southern Man".

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#16)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:06:25 AM EST

Not talking about the poets, JP, I'm talkin' about the audience. American poets only make it, because there is a European audience. Walt Whitman Over-rated? And you call yourself an American.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#17)
by swingvote on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:15:48 AM EST

Not talking about the poets, JP, I'm talkin' about the audience. And I'm saying that you are wrong, Peaches. There are plenty of Americans who appreciate good poetry, whether it comes from Europe or here. (I'm not so sure there is much of a market for poetry in Europe anymore, however, regardless of where it comes from.) As for Walt: Yes, I call myself an American, since I am, and I still think Walt is over-rated. Great imagery for the most part, but not particularly beautiful language and a rather dogmatic adherence to a single style.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#18)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:32:56 AM EST

Regarding Neil's latest: I wonder if someone will issue a response, as Alabama did to "Southern Man".

Do you mean Lynryd Skynryd?

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#19)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:39:07 AM EST

but not particularly beautiful language and a rather dogmatic adherence to a single style.

Well, Everyone's a critic. I read Walt for his particular ability to illuminate the ideals of America. When we talk of his body of work, we are really just discussing Leaves of Grass, because this was his most important and influential work. So his dogmatic adherance to a single style refers to his use of free verse that influenced many modern poets since. To call it dogmatic is rather harsh, seeing as he was doing groundbreaking work and introducing a new style of poetry to the public. But, to each his own.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#20)
by kdog on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:45:29 AM EST

Americans don't read poetry? How did Charles Bukowski sell all those books? Neil's genius was always in the sweet simplicity of the lyrics and the guitar riffs. My favorite war-themed song is the Kinks "Some Mother's Son". An excerpt...

Two soldiers fighting in a trench One soldier glances up to see the sun And dreams of games he played when he was young And then his friend calls out his name It stops his dream and as he turns his head A second later he is dead Some mother's son lies in a field Back home they put his picture in a frame But all dead soldiers look the same While all the parents stand and wait To meet their children coming home from school Some mother's son is lying dead

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#21)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:48:53 AM EST

Americans don't read poetry? How did Charles Bukowski sell all those books?

To Europeans, of course. Americans would never have even heard of Charles Bukowski, if he wasn't discovered in Europe first. For Americans, Bukowski is a fad or trend to most people. People admire or glorify his lifestyle. His poetry still goes unappreciated.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#23)
by kdog on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:55:21 AM EST

I hear ya peaches...though I think Bukowski's writing for the LA Free Press did as much to awaken interest as the praise of European critics. I highly recommend the collection of his LA Press essays/poems/short stories. Really great stuff.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#24)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:55:25 AM EST

Whitman overrated? You might as well say the seasons, thunder storms, and birth and death are overrated.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#25)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:55:40 AM EST

But, KDOG, The Kink's Arthur-or the decline and fall of the British Empire was one of my favorite albums. It is a true work of Art. Pure Ray Davies genius. Some Mother's Son is a great song, as are the others on the record. My favorite is Brainwashed which back in the day, me and my punk rock mates did a pretty mean version of.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#26)
by swingvote on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 10:05:34 AM EST

JRT, Indeed I did. Indeed I did. Peaches, Yes, dogmatic in that with only two known exceptions, Walt wrote everything in free verse. It gets a bit boring after a while, and, in my opinion, shows a lack of imagination. Jondee, As Peaches noted, to each their own. You are free to admire or despise Walt as you wish. I simply prefer other poets. I guess that would be considered "a strong opinion" on my part.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#27)
by kdog on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 10:07:38 AM EST

I gotta go with Shangri-La off of Arthur peaches ...one of only a handful of songs that has brought tears to my eyes. Just saw Ray Davies live 2-3 weeks ago in NYC...great band, great sound...he played a lot of his new album...I gotta pick that up.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#28)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 10:08:05 AM EST

Thanks for the recommendation KDog. I have Bukowski's complete works. His LA Press stuff was great. It wasn't the European critic that made Bukowski. It was the European audience that bought his books allowing him to make a living as a poet. The LA Press stuff made Bukowski a known entity in California and created the whole Bukowski subculture that he loved and detested at the same time. But, eventually, he did start selling a lot of books in America too, due to this subculture. Still, he was unapprecaited or unknown to most Americans.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#29)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 10:15:30 AM EST

ahh

Shangri-la

and, don't froget, Australia. What brings a tear to my eyes is thinking back to the days of my early twenties and dancing the night away in a hot unair-conditioned apartment to the songs on this album with all my cronies. Tears of pure bliss. I loved that album.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#30)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 10:19:23 AM EST

The Shoelace is a wonderfulpoem because it puts everything is perspective. We spend too much time worrying about the big things which we have little control over and those aren't the things that put you in the madhouse. It is the burned out lightbulb, the flattire, the burned toast, the borken shoelace, that puts one in the madhouse. Yeah, Kdag, Hank knew what he was talking about.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#31)
by Dadler on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:21:13 AM EST

For me, the end of Dylan's "Masters of War" captures the real anger of those truly affected by this administration's ineptitude. I hope that you die And your death will come soon And I'll follow your casket On that pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand over your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#32)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:28:01 AM EST

You hurt the words that I love best and cover up the truth with lies - Someday you'll be in the ditch flies buzzin around your eyes, blood on your saddle..

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#33)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:32:56 AM EST

Yes Dadler, But as Dylan later acknowledged. This wasn't really an anti-war, but a prowar song. It wasn't coming from a pacifist viewpoint, but rather was a protest song fueled with anger and hate leading one to continue the cycle of violence.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#34)
by roy on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:35:14 AM EST

Whiney protest songs have nothing on Black Sabbath:

And so on.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#35)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:42:22 AM EST

Roy, Very nice.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#36)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:51:58 AM EST

Peaches - Context is everything. Theres a world of difference between indignation about the world pushed to the brink of destruction through the misuse of power and the correlative cavalier attitude about injustice that Dylan and others were talking about and the cynical, cold, brinksmanship game that those "masters" have been playing. Sometimes, as Blake said, "The tigers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction." Provided that wrathful energy is channeled wisely and creativly.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#37)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:57:08 AM EST

Provided that wrathful energy is channeled wisely and creativly.

You might be right. But where and when has this ever been done? How would one go about channeling wrathful energy wisely and creatively? I am sure it is possible, and Dylan certainly does it with this song--but as he points out--if the message is I hope that you die And your death will come soon and this hope is turned into action, then he has failed in his intent.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#38)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:06:04 PM EST

Without some that energy that Dylan was giving voice to Jesus wouldnt have kicked the rioters out of the temple, Isaiah wouldnt have said what he said, Blake would have been somnolent, Howl wouldnt have been written, the civil rights and anti-war movement would have gone nowhere etc IMO.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#39)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:11:36 PM EST

"I Hear America Singing" all over the world. . . . Walt Whitman, "I Hear America Singing" and other poems As Bob Dylan relates in Chronicles I, contemporary American songwriters and poets (like himself) build on that tradition, just as Neil Young and so many others build on him. For lovers of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson who would like to go beyond the PBS sites linked, there are the great electronic Walt Whitman Archive (hosted by the University of Virginia, Ed Folsom & Kenneth Price, eds.) and Dickinson Electronic Archive (hosted by the University of Maryland, Martha Nell Smith, exec. dir.). (At least--post-Bill Bennett-- we still have the NEH--and the NEA!) The 36-sec. wax-cylinder audio recording (MP3 format) of Walt Whitman himself reading "America" should shame our present leaders. (Don't mind the "scratches and all"; they beat our leaders' "warts and all"). [Couldn't resist posting this reply, while we are all waiting for the revolution to happen. . . . Friday, April 29th . . . .] The timeline posted the Living With War page at Neil's Garage / LWW page is fascinating. He says in it that there will be a DVD and possibly a documentary film of the recording sessions. Track 7's lyrics scroll by on the home page today--let's not forget the repeated lines "flip flop . . . . flip flop"--there are recorded words of President Bush played on the track the pre-(re)views say. Looking greatly forward to hearing "Let's Impeach the President" and the rest of Living With War. Also while waiting, I've been exploring Country Joe's Place--espec. his section on issues of War and Peace in Today's World. Hope Joe McDonald adds links to Neil Young's Living With War to his site soon too.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#40)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:17:27 PM EST

Peaches - People do it and have done it. Groups and movements (even "spiritual" ones) seem, for whatever complex reasons overly subject to the regressive pull of the herd, the hive, conformity, fear of the unknown and attachment to the known etc. Any futher thoughts that you may have (as long as they dont disagree with mine) would be appreciated.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#41)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:21:13 PM EST

Hello? How can you leave out Barry McGuire/The Byrds? Maybe we're due for another update of Eve of Destruction (if there's not already one out there somewhere). I have a live version with "Selma, Alabama" replaced with "Columbine, Colorado." This glorious earworm stuck in my head for weeks after the Nov. '04 election. Eve of Destruction The eastern world, it is explodin'. Violence flarin', bullets loadin' You're old enough to kill, but not for votin' You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin' And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin' But you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction. Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to say Can't you feel the fears I'm feelin' today? If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away There'll be no one to save, with the world in a grave [Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy] And you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction. Yeah, my blood's so mad feels like coagulatin' I'm sitting here just contemplatin' I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation. Handful of senators don't pass legislation And marches alone can't bring integration When human respect is disintegratin' This whole crazy world is just too frustratin' And you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction. Think of all the hate there is in Red China Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama You may leave here for 4 days in space But when you return, it's the same old place The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace Hate your next-door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace And... tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend You don't believe We're on the eve Of destruction Mm, no no, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#42)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:23:35 PM EST

Susan - Apparently Daniel Day Lewis used that Whitman recording to get his 1800's Bill the Butcher accent just right.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#43)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:24:37 PM EST

Mmm...listening to "Eve" now. The raw emotionalism in this song really does it for me. Phenomenal lyrics as well.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#44)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:35:20 PM EST

Charlie - How come its Brown Eyed Girl playing somewhere every five minutes, but no Astral Weeks, Madame George, Caravan, Linden Arden Stole the Highlights, And It Stoned Me ( Ronnie Montrose! solo; who woulda figured?) Etc Somebody needs to do somethin about that.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#45)
by Dadler on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 12:58:52 PM EST

Peaches, I didn't say it was anti-war. I said it represented anger paralleling today's. And, Dylan being Dylan (and really kind of contradicting his commentary on the son), he doesn't sing of a desire to kill the masters, only that their mortal coil, strangling so many others, be thrown off soon.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#46)
by Dadler on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:00:10 PM EST

You take the good You take the bad You take them both And there you have The Facts of Life, The Facts of Life. Enough said on this topic, I think. Ahem.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#47)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:02:35 PM EST

[Also need to credit the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Univ. of Iowa above (See Staff of the Walt Whitman Archive).] Some day maybe there will be NEH/NEA- supported archives for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, et al. (Right now, we have their own wonderful archives hosted contemporaneously on their own commercial sites.) Noticed an interesting review of Bob Dylan's first radio show this week in the London Guardian: "This weatherman knows which way the wind blows" (Apr. 23). Hope TL posts her own review too. I recall her mentioning wanting to get XM Radio to hear that show. Jondee! :-) You might have found that in this item here. ["12 degrees of separation" via the internet: searched "Walt Whitman Daniel Day Lewis"--coincidentally by written by a different "Neil Young" (from the UK). Interesting stuff (from a scholar's pov anyway.] Going further OT: Also see the "Trivia" page on IMDb.com here--which claims that it was Scorcese, who listened to the Whitman recording (who then probably shared it w/ DDL), while DDL used Eminem to prepare (if IMDb.com is correct, which it is sometimes not).

Bill's hard "New Yok" accent wasn't entirely fabricated. Scorsese actually did some research by listening to a voice recording of Walt Whitman and by reading an old play in which the dialog was spelled out phonetically.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#48)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:06:27 PM EST

Jondee, Thoughts on channeling wrathful energy? Anger and Hate are as real and raw emotions as love is. They need an outlet and should be expressed creatively. Art is the one medium where this can be done constructively and we are lucky for the many great artists, such as Dylan and Young (and Van Morrison - And it stoned me is my Favorite Van song) who do it well. My point with Masters of War was that even Dylan had reservations about that song. Art can be very inspiring. And if a song inspires more hate, then it may not be used for the intended purpose of the artist. No artist has complete control over how their art will be used or how later generations will interpret the artists intention. Just look how the Nazis perverted the work of Nietzsche. But, I think Dylan was right to point out that Masters of War is really not an anti-war song. ALthough, it is a great song. So, yes, good art can be made which is fueled by hate and anger. But great art is tempered with great doses of love for nature and humanity.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#49)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:29:36 PM EST

Peaches - Well said. Crazy as it may sound, the first time I heard And It Stoned Me ( in Wildwood N.J at six o'clock in the morning after being up all night) it triggered a quasi-mystical experience that left a somewhat indelible stamp. So yeah, its my fav too; with many,many close seconds. Half a mile from the county fair and the rain came pourin down.. me and Billy standin there with a silver half 'a crown..

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#50)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:52:11 PM EST

Martin Scorsese, i.e. This PR Newswire says that Bob Dylan's radio show "Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan" "premieres on May 3rd (the day after the 2nd). I wonder what he'll be saying about Neil Young's Living With War!!? XM Satellite Radio may be one of the radio links that the producers of the album have been setting up (see the Timeline on Neil's Garage LWW page). Let's see: Themes of BD show 1: weather; other shows: cars . . . . -->"Neil's Garage. . . ." In Chronicles I and in No Direction Home (the Scorsese documentary film) Dylan claims retrospectively and repeatedly that he did not intend his songs of the 60s to be specifically "topical" (mainly "anti-war protest songs")--that his audience elevated him into the "bard" of and the "spokesman" for the anti-war movement and beat/post-beat (mostly baby boomers) generation--it should be interesting how he connects back and forth to Neil Young's new album. . . . if he does. . . . "Themes" would seem to be a rather "topical" way to go. (I think the fellow "doth protest too much?") Maybe "war" will make it on the show before "cars?" Then again, he can very easily connect "war" and "cars" ("oil"). ;) I saw my Bob Dylan as a one-man band for the first time in a movie theater in Madison, Wisconsin, probably in 1964--year of Squeaky's birth, she tells us--and played his LPs for my French instructors at Dartmouth late into nights during Peace Corps Advanced Training Program in the summer of 1965--several years before I had my own car to drive (1969). It was feet and bicycles mostly then; it may be feet and bicycles again. . . . If Living With War and other protests are successful at least we'll all still be alive. . . . So one uses a car somewhat less or differently or different kinds of cars. . . . there could be worse things in life--like death (war) and (higher) taxes (for the least wealthy)

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#51)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 01:53:20 PM EST

Btw, Russell, never one to mince words, once said that you could draw a straight line from D.H Lawrence(who Russell had a bad falling out with), and Nietzche to Auschwitz. What do you think about that?

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#52)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:05:51 PM EST

For more information, here's the direct link: Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan (XM Satellite Radio).

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#53)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:06:26 PM EST

You can draw a line through just about anything and get anywhere. Russell didn't understand philosphers such as Wittgenstien, Nietzsche, or WIlliam James. He had no--absolutely zero-- idea what thay were trying to get at.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#54)
by Peaches on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:24:50 PM EST

TB Sheets, When you're singing the praises of Van Morrison, you got to include TB Sheets.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#55)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:29:52 PM EST

He also hated Lord Byron and Rousseau. Definatly a pattern there. On the other hand, Russell was deeply effected by, and obviously cared passionatly about the nightmarish scenarios that were unfolding in the first half of the century. I dont know if its fair to be to be too rough on Russell even if he had an inordinate fear of what Freud called "the black tide of mud of the unconscious." As Woody Allen said, "Christ I sound like an FM radio."

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#56)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:33:13 PM EST

Astral Weeks..Veedon Fleece. It might as well be a malevolent conspiracy that this stuff dosnt get played.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#57)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:39:26 PM EST

Eminem/Mosh "Imagine it pouring, it's raining down on us Mosh pits outside the oval office Someone's tryina tell us something, Maybe this is God just sayin' we're responsible For this monster, this coward, That we have empowered This is Bin Laden, look at his head noddin' How could we allow something like this without pumping our fists Now this is our final hour" Sometimes, short and to the point works best.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#58)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 02:53:00 PM EST

Charlie - Im a harp player and a big fan of the great Magic Dick. Met Butterfield once and felt like a kid meeting Micky Mantle. Geils was the party, good-time boogie band par excellance. Are we O.T yet?

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#59)
by jondee on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 04:59:39 PM EST

Charlie - Theres a great biograghy of Mike Bloomfield that came out a couple of years ago. Check it out if you get the chance. Alot of people dont realize how hugely influential that original band was. Too bad they couldnt have hung together; who knows where they could have gone if they could have put the conflicting personalities a little more on hold. Young Butter was quite the alpha male type they say. Later on the guys in Better Days mellowed him out considerably.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#60)
by kdog on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 06:02:17 PM EST

You guys gotta check out Dave Davies Live at the Bottom Line..came out in 2000. One that really rings true today is Living on a Thin Line

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#62)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:03:34 PM EST

Interesting apropos comment by Neil Young here too:

The album's release is a high-tech, globe-spanning update of a topical song tradition that's much older than recordings: the broadside, a songwriter's rapid response to events of the day. "They had these songs that everybody knew the melodies to," Mr. Young said. "They'd just write new words, and the minstrels would be traveling around spreading the word. Music spreads like wildfire when you do it that way."

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#64)
by Ernesto Del Mundo on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 09:37:10 PM EST

Jimbo wrote:

No one has the answer, But one thing is true, You've got to turn on evil, When it's coming after you, You've gota face it down, And when it tries to hide, You've gota go in after it, And never be denied, Time is runnin' out, Let's roll.

Wow, those are excellent lyrics for a song about impeaching Shrub!

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#61)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:06:10 PM EST

Jon Pareles, Critic's Notebook: Neil Young's 'Living With War' Shows He Doesn't Like It," New York Times (28 Apr. 2006):

Neil Young unleashes a digital broadside today. His new album, "Living With War" (Reprise), was recorded and mostly written three to four weeks ago and as of Friday can be heard in its entirety free on his Web site, [Neil's Garage], and on satellite radio networks. [italics added. some formatting changes for posting here.]

There's much more.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#63)
by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 27, 2006 at 11:13:05 PM EST

[Correction: In an earlier post, my URL for the Dickinson Electronic Archives accidentally gives the Whitman MP3 URL. A feature within the site also focuses on both Whitman and Dickinson in the context of 19th-century American culture; it's called Classroom Electric.

Re: Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the Presi (none / 0) (#65)
by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 28, 2006 at 09:56:23 AM EST

He aint good looking, but he sure can play..

Let's Impeach The Pres (none / 0) (#66)
by cosmeaux on Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 09:23:32 PM EST

My question is simple: When do we get rid of Bush and his band of criminals, i.e. Rove, Gonzales, Cheney?

Lyrics to Neil Young's Let's Impeach the President

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