A Personal Opinion on the Song Fixing To Die Rag by Country Joe McDonald Essay

Two of the most memorable of events of the 60s were the Vietnam War and Woodstock. Joe McDonald, was a part of both. The song which I was randomly assigned was Fixin To Die Rag by Country Joe McDonald. However, this is only the song s pop-culture name. The song s full name is I Feel Like I m Fixin To Die Rag. Also, Joe McDonald started a band, called The Fish, which he belonged to. But, in Fixin To Die Rag , Country Joe performs alone, strumming his guitar and singing his lyrics. The song is most famous for Country Joe s performance at Woodstock back in 1969. In fact, this performance was so famous, that the only version of the song available on the Internet is the live version from Woodstock. To tell the truth, when I first heard Fixin To Die Rag , my friends who were over, Matt Kramer and Matt Stephenson, and I started laughing. We thought the song was really funny because it sounded really hick-like and country . However, after listening to the lyrics a few times, I began to understand the purpose and meaning of the song. Not only did I learn about the feelings of the Vietnam War through the song, but I also could see how pop-culture music evolves over time. Fixin To Die Rag , categorized as folk music, was extremely popular during the 60s and 70s, yet it is mocked in current times. It was clear though that this song was about the Vietnam and America. In fact, one line even goes, Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,They drop it on the Viet Cong. After listening to the lyrics of the song a few more times, I conducted research on Country Joe McDonald to find more about the song and his life. After learning about Country Joe s life, experiences, and feelings, I was able to...

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