phil ochs - the highwayman

Phil Ochs performing The Highwayman, based on the poem by Alfred Noyes, on the program "Come, Read to Me a Poem" on April 12, 1967.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• phil ochs
• the highwayman
• alfred noyes
• poem
• folk

[DLMinton]

Oh, thank you.

For just a moment I was 16 again, and it was was 1964. Sitting front and center at the Gaslight on MacDougal Street nursing the hot apple cider I bought for my two drink minimum.

Thank you Phil, Thank you Gaslight, and thank you antiprocon!

[singray7]

I'd like someone with Phil's balls to be our president. Someone who was willing to tell the truth, fight the good fight, and let the pieces fall where they may. Someone with a feeling for mankind, a liberal to silence the big bad wolves and preach peace instead of war... unity, love, need and desire. End capitalism and destroy the republican party... let it be!

[Twistednerver]

@ourglasslake He didn't despise liberals you didn't get it. He despised go along and get along mainstream liberalism, which is really moderatism, support for the main stream by only supporting those causes which are safely liberal. Phil wished liberals would actually be liberal. He wasn't calling out liberalism, he was calling out poseurs.

[Twistednerver]

@singray7 Generally you're never going to see someone as strong in non mainstream belief be president. It sucks we can't have Phil Ochs for president...but its the same reason Rick Santorum has no chance to be president. balances out I think. Which is why its so hilarious when liberal thought Obama was going to ride into Washington like a knight; and conservatives think he's some radical...if either were true he would never have become president.

[Broblem12]

What a talent, and such an amazing voice. Tragic about his demise.

[RidingHellforLeather]

@ourglasslake No, he despised fake liberals. Did you just look at the song title? The lyrics tell the real story. He is making fun of liberals who are only liberals when it suits them. They don't have any stake in the ideas, and when it comes down to it, they'd abandon their ideals if a better opportunity came up.

[iltis1985]

phil's biggest problem was phil, he killed himself

[jsbach15]

There was a folk singer just outside of Detroit, in the 60's by the name of Ron Coden, who did a more dramatic and powerful version of this song/poem. Phil's version is wonderful but Ron's is very emotionally provoking.

[TheMfmccarthy]

@cassandra4146 I will, sister. I will carry that torch. Thanks.

[robertemmet321]

@ourglasslake The term "liberal" in the 1960's had a bit of a different meaning than it does today. As you can tell from the song, they were somewhat more right wing than what we might consider to be progressive liberals today. Phil self-identified as a Social Democrat, but in ''68 he supported Democratic candidate Gene McCarthy, although he changed his support to Robert Kennedy shortly before Kennedy's murder, perhaps as a result of a chance meeting with him on a plane.

[ourglasslake]

@singray7 Phil Ochs despised liberals, friend. Check out his song "Love Me - I'm a Liberal".

[soucyhj]

@naruhinarulez

I know a 67 year old who still does .....