Pete Seeger: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Aired on CBS at the height of the Vietnam War, this song holds just as much truth today...

It was back in 1941.
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in Lou'siana one night
By the light of the moon.
The Captain told us to ford a river.
That's how it all begun.
We were knee deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on, I've forded this river
About a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy, but just keep sloggin'.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were waist deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment,
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nelly,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination.
Men, follow me. I'll lead on."
We were neck deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once the moon clouded over.
We heard a gurglin' cry.
A few seconds later the Captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around, men.
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the Captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Then the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
About a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Now I'm not going to point any moral —
I'll leave that for yourself.
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking,
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers, that old feeling comes on,
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy,
The big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy,
The big fool says to push on.
Waist deep, neck deep,
Soon even a tall man will be over his head.
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool says to push on.

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  Nonprofits & Activism

[dada78641]

Socialism/communism isn't evil; the Soviet Union was an awful, totalitarian state in which a few elites managed everything, it had nothing to do with socialism. It always liked to PRETEND it was socialist because the Soviet people loved hearing it. The US also liked to pretend the Soviets were socialists because the American people were scared of socialism. But in the end, the fall of the Berlin wall was a small victory for socialism--not its defeat.

[pipin3d]

#occupywallstreet

[Sbut26]

Edward M. Pete had been blacklisted for almost two decades till the smothers brothers put him on. The McCarthy HUAC blacklisted him

[TheKillaCucumber20]

me too lol

[constructiveanarchy]

Perfect song to explain Afghanistan today.

[Edward M]

It wasn't permitted back then either. Seeger sang Big Muddy on the Smother Brothers Show without CBS approval. CBS cancelled the Smother Brothers Show in retaliation.

[Alex Woods]

Happy May Day, Comrades!

[Sp4rt4nsdontdie]

Its basically saying we shouldn't have just keep going into the big muddy, or when interpreted Vietnam.

[KittySexy98]

History project song... now I need the mesage behind it....

[paul taylor]

one would never be allowed to perform such a tune on national television today. just the military, media, industrial complex exerting there stangle hold on freedom of expression.

my heart weeps for all the lives wasted in iraq and afghanistan for nothing.

[Boelcke1919]

The last real and truly legitimate President we had was Jack Kennedy and look what happened to him. I would tell what I really think, but real justice will have to wait for the hereafter. At 61, I can afford to wait and that much I will guarantee ... I for one will petition for true justice in Heaven. There will be no place to hide then. No more lies and no more coverups. We were betrayed by our own true enough, but there will be justice soon enough.

[Boelcke1919]

Yes, he was singing about LBJ and the VIetnam War, and the federal censors prohibited Pete Seeger from singing it on national TV, but then had to cave in later and allow it. It was a different era. We were still foolish enough to believe in the goodness of government.