In The Sixties

a plane appears in a clear blue sky, drops a new kind of bomb upon the foe
a vast mushroom cloud will rise up high, billowing into the clear blue sky
but what will happen in the city below? we do not yet know...

beautiful day, blinding flashfor 26-song recording
whirlpool of fire, vortex of ash
fireball vaporizes skin, flesh, bone
human shadows, burnt in stone

hurricane winds, firestorms rise
sucking the ground up into the skies
a mushroom of fire, burning bright
flames dance in the clouds, prismatic light
I hear people yell
and the word I keep hearing is ‘hell’

processions of people stream up the valleys
dragging each other, clutching burned babies
skin peeling off like an over-ripe peach
swollen scorched creatures who beg and beseech
and this terrible smell
and the word I keep hearing is ‘hell’

a procession of ghouls through the burning street
forced into the river by smoke and heat
the migration continues long after dark
lit by the burning trees in the park
as if under a spell
and the word I keep hearing is ‘hell’

it starts to rain, we drink it in
big drops of black rain burning the skin
at dawn a city of ashes and crying
mountains of bodies, the dead and the dying

wounds turn yellow, as days pass, burns dig deeper, gangrinous
hair falls out, bleeding gum, diarrhoea, delirium
coma, death, and still, for some, cancers will kill for decades to come

a plane appears in a clear blue sky
goodbye

as the old war ends, so the cold war begins
commune versus capital, a war no one wins
any nuclear engagement would see both sides fall
bombs pointed at each other and therefore at us all

paranoia!

military flashpoints, secrets and lies
infiltrations, insurgencies, spies
from the battles for Korea to the Berlin Wall
bombs pointed at each other and therefore at us all

paranoia! paranoia! …fears multiply
which children sense, though adults deny
are we going to blow the world sky-high
why build a future if we’re all going to die

world population’s doubled in sixty years
set to rise exponentially with our fears
there’s the rise of the global corporations
riding roughshod, bigger than nations

paranoia! paranoia! …fears multiply
which children sense, though adults deny
are we going to blow the world sky-high
why build a future if we’re all going to die

nuclear power catastrophies
radiation on the breeze
modified crops, plundered seas
oil pollution, falling trees
how can we ever be at ease

poisoning the planet, our hearts and minds
batten down the hatches, pull down the blinds

paranoia! paranoia! …fears multiply
which children sense, though adults deny
are we going to blow the world sky-high
why build a future if we’re all
going to die, going to die, going to die
going to die!

the third world lives in poverty, governed by the few
but in our rich democracy, we’ve got our problems too...

us voters aren’t specialists, some are thick and we’ve no clue what policy to pursue
so democracy is a headless chicken, deary me, what’re we going to do?

luckily our unconscious minds take hold, where primitive, sexual forces hold sway
so we can be psychologically controlled to do what subliminal messages say

linking products to sex, we stoke your fires
satisfying all your innermost desires
happy and docile, believing you’re free
happy consumers in a consumer society

are you sad or frustrated, depressed or alone, look at these lovely things you can own
here is a mortgage, a home, a wife and products galore for the rest of your life

the government and the media spread subliminal messages inside your head
fear is the stick, that’s communism, the carrot is blissful consumerism

we target your feelings, we stoke your fires
satisfying all your innermost desires
happy and docile, believing you’re free
happy consumers in a consumer society

all the things you wish to buy, cookers, freezers catch your eye
which fridgidaires, which televisions, these are your most important decisions
lucky couples, happy homes, dish washers and garden gnomes
lavish garments, stunning creations, carefree breaks in exotic locations
slinky cars and slinky women, are you fat? we’ll help you slimmin’
perm you hair and don’t despair, cos here comes tupperware

we end up living a fantasy, where democracy’s a sham, but never mind
we can all live luxuriously, frightened and spoilt and blissfully blind

feel soft in your heaven, sexy yet pious
satisfying all your innermost desires
happy and docile, believing you’re free
happy consumers in a fabulous, reach out and grab-ulous consumer society

it’s chic, it’s shiny, it’s pow! it’s wow!
to avoid disappointment – buy now …bye now

from cells below ground, we communicate by screen
controlled by an omnipresent machine
to eliminate unpredictability, it stores our minds in its memory
no one escapes and the reason is clear – extreme fear

a century after nuclear wars
out of the radiation pours
a mutant army sworn to defeat all the non-mutant elite
these mutant folk will fight to the end – they’re round the bend

sci-fi stories tell us the future, which future will it be
How can we escape these nightmares
look in the crystal ball, what do we see, what do we sense
past caring, future tense

a totalitarian world nation
where drugs ensure subordination
where heavy surveillance and weapons thwart any individual thought
devoid of all criminality – it’s a perfect society

sci-fi stories tell us the future which future will it be
How can we escape these nightmares
look in the crystal ball, what do we see, what do we sense
past caring, future tense

imagine a future, what would suit ya
loving, efficient, peaceful, clever?
“If you want a picture of the future
imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever”

a world where giant corporations
have taken the place of states and nations
where mega-consumerism rules
and the public believes their products are jewels
a perfect world of kisses and hugs – and global thugs

sci-fi stories tell us the future, which future will it be
how can we escape these nightmares
look in the crystal ball, what do we see

all the visions warn of control and conformity

as the men come back from war, they embrace their spouses
to get ahead, they look for work and mortgages for houses
and in response to safety and their own primeval urges
between the thighs of millions of women there emerges
a vast new generation, as if joy will never cease
they are called the baby boomers, blessed children of the peace

as into the proud and happy crowd of hardworking consumers
comes a magic mushroom cloud of blessed baby boomers

with their parents’ prescious love, they’ll have everything they crave
a happy way through life, from the cradle to the grave
yet as the baby boomers grow, they are at a loss
to see a very different world behind the Disney gloss
their innocent young eyes peer through the nuclear deterrents
to a greedy, brutal world upheld by their war-torn parents

as into the proud and happy crowd of hardworking consumers
comes a magic mushroom cloud of blessed baby boomers

why are bombs aimed at everybody
why do millions live in poverty
why do we poison our land and sea
is there another way to be

why do we want boring jobs and passive TV lives
why must we be duty bound, till world war three arrives
there’s rock and roll, there’s superbowl, there’s birth control and more
more cash, more opportunities than any kids before
yet what these boomers realise is nothing short of doom
and soon, before their folks’ bewildered eyes, these babies boom

as into the proud and happy crowd of hardworking consumers
comes a magic mushroom cloud, a celestial shroud
their heads not bowed, but well endowed
they sing out loud, those blessed
baby boomers, baby boomers
baby boomers

I saw the best minds of my generation
destroyed by madness and starvation
what ate up their brains and imagination
monstrous bomb, spectral nation

cool androgyny is the craze
clingy black sweaters and nihilist ways
eyes behind shades, hands passing jays
existentially French in black berets

get with the beat, go with the flow
play it cool, it’s a gas, do not bug me Joe
don’t be a murgatroid from Dullsville, no
crazy, dig it, daddy-o

everything around you is alive my friend
you weren’t there at the start, you won’t be there at the end
your view is superficial and relative
you’re not here to understand, you are here to live

get with the beat, go with the flow
play it cool, it’s a gas, do not bug me Joe
don’t be a murgatroid from Dullsville, no
crazy, dig it, daddy-o

close your eyes, listen to the silence
inside the illusion of the world you fear
it is all one vast awakened thing
self is only a mortal idea

there’s nothing left behind, it’s all ahead of you
let experience be your guide, not some distorted point of view
burn burn burn baby, learn to fly
your witness is maybe the empty sky

get with the beat, go with the flow
play it cool, it’s a gas, do not bug me Joe
don’t be a murgatroid from Dullsville, no
crazy, dig it, daddy-o
crazy, dig it, daddy-o

the neuroses of consumerism, nuclear depression
childhood anxiety, communist suppression
existential panics, psychopathic dreads
juvenile delinquents, reds under the beds
nuclear war – are we on the brink?
I need a shrink

not just returning soldiers but in all walks of life
alcoholism and juvenile delinquency are rife
angry women locked in jails called home and family
to help these crazy females, tranquilizers are the key
is he having an affair – can’t sleep a wink
I need a shrink

phobia, obsession, sexual inhibition
days and weeks and years and lives of endless repetition
in quiet desperation, passive lives full of stress
boredom and a hazy sense of meaninglessness
full of tranquilisers – can’t seem to think
I need a shrink

manic anxiety, feeling inferior
panic, obsessive-compulsive hysteria
old timers with Alzheimer’s when you get senior
neurosis, psychosis, maybe schizophrenia
but all shall be well, from border to border
now we can afford a disorder

so good and so bad, don’t know where to begin
peace on the outside, hysteria within
income is rising – we’re in the pink
got everythink – sable and mink
fuck jews and commies – get me a drink
how come life gets better – yet our spirits sink
in subliminal stink – and whatever we think
we all need a shrink – we all need a shrink
we all need a shrink – we all need a shrink!

twenty-eighth of August, nineteen sixty-three, a quarter of a million gather in Washington DC
as Martin Luther King Junior makes his address, here are some of the things he says

I am happy to join with you today in the greatest demonstration
for freedom in the history of our nation
five score years ago, Emancipation
came to end the long night of captivity
but one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free

so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful situation
still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation
and the chains of discrimination
the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty
in the midst of an ocean of prosperity
and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters,
and righteousness like a mighty stream, I have a dream

the magnificent words of the Constitution
and the Independence Declaration
was a promise that all men, yes, blacks as well as whites, would be
guaranteed the unalienable rights of life and liberty
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy
and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters,
and righteousness like a mighty stream, I have a dream

it would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency
this will not pass until there’s freedom and equality
until the Negro’s granted his citizenship rights
there will be neither rest, nor tranquility

we cannot walk alone, we cannot turn back
as long as the Negro is the victim of police brutality
as long as we cannot lodge in the hotels of the city
as long as our children are robbed of their dignity
by signs stating ‘for whites only’
no we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters,
and righteousness like a mighty stream, I have a dream

I have a dream that this nation will take the lead
and live out the true meaning of its creed
that one day sons of slaves and slave owners will be able
to sit down together at the brotherhood table
I have a dream that my four little children, will one day live in a nation, where they
will not be judged by the color of their skin, I have a dream, I have a dream
I have a dream today!

it’s satan’s music, it’s jungle drums
it’s rock and roll and here it comes
it isn’t meek and it isn’t mild
our teenagers are running wild

see the sexual revolution begin
as the contraceptive pill floods in
permissive values, hear the call
love for free, safe sex for all

boogie woogie, gospel, soul
writhing bodies lose control
free sex and rock and roll

youth is a mixed society
of the black and white variety
with its sexual frivolity
it’s a rock and roll land of equality

boogie woogie, gospel, soul
writhing bodies lose control
free sex and rock and roll

it leads to juvenile delinquency
encourages sexual promiscuity
lewd dress, social distress
racial conflict and deafness
atrocities will occur
if whites immerse in black culture
doo-wop-a-doo-dah!

Gene Vincent, Roy Orbison, Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran
Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jackie Wilson
Platters, Drifters, Carl Perkins, Chantels, Shirelles, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
James Brown, Coasters, Etta James, Johnny & The Hurricanes
Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, brothers Everly & Isley
Bill Haley, Conway Twitty, Duane Eddy, Brenda Lee
Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley

boogie woogie, gospel, soul
writhing bodies lose control
free sex and rock and roll

watching normal folk with their automatic lives
their automatic children, their automatic wives
admit it, you’re not like them, the gap is getting wider
the more you try to fit in, the more you’re an outsider

sealed off from the burden of the great mystery
the most educated kids in all of history
now find yourselves all dressed up with nowhere you can go
roll up the blinds, expand your minds and grow with the flo-ow

escape the jaws of deception, through the doors of perception
we need to know what it’s all about, turn on, tune in, drop out

together we are able to hide from the unknown
but in our deepest joys and woes, we’re always alone
to be enlightened is to be aware, as one finds
the sea flows in our veins and the stars light up our mi-inds

do not feed your greed, there is no need to guzzle
everybody carries a piece of the puzzle
for all you know, you may have soul sisters and brothers
learn to trust your instincts and go find all the others

escape the jaws of deception, through the doors of perception
we need to know what it’s all about, turn on, tune in, drop out

with LSD, amphetamine
and magic mushrooms
with marijuana, heroin
enlightenment looms
escaping our tombs
as infinity blooms

authorities console us with dead normality
forming in our minds, their view of how things should be
to think for yourself, you must question authority
and not be swayed by leaders or the majority
and whether you are a master or a minion
any reality is only an opinion

escape the jaws of deception, through the doors of perception
we need to know what it’s all about, turn on, tune in, drop out

in a sweltering hundred and three degrees
and shaking like Parkinson's disease
hop off the chopper, run for the trees
which glint with the eyes of our enemies
back-pack, weapons, milit’ry attire
up through jungle, ever higher
body begging to expire
suddenly a ball of fire
mindless panic, helpless dread
lives now hanging by a thread
commander in chopper overhead
asks how many wounded, how many dead

we vanish in jungle, move silently
like a pack, through heat, humidity
mosquitoes, leeches, attacks on the way
always seem to sense who’ll die today
we are told that our sacred mission
is to stop the rise of communism
but men fight for each other, to survive
to go back home and be alive
it’s an Alice in Wonderland war, we can’t fail
incessantly bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail
yet whatever we do, the enemy’s knack
of moving troops south never seems to slack

takes the opium pipe to fix our grins
and we’ll still be running round inside our skins
like something is coming, a bullet, a knife
it’s la vida loca, the crazy life

one tough street kid from New York, but here
in the jungles of Vietnam, trembling with fear
always used to being on top
now wishing to hell the shelling would stop
find a strange lid in the ground, like a tray
as I call for help, Cong crawl out and away
they’re living beneath us, I hear myself say
which explains how the mines reappear each day
kill any Cong yet, the general asks
no sir, I reply, he says keep to your tasks
and yells from the chopper, gotta be strong
nothing I love better than killing Cong

I hold a man, so slashed I can’t recognise
or know what dressing a doc might advise
he begins to gurgle, the shock in his eyes
I yell breathe, you bastard, breathe and he dies
once you’ve carried a dead man, he’s riding with you
he’s always there, it’s unbearably true
even bone-dumb grunts seem to feel that something
weird and extra is happening
horrors unspeakable, hell must be sated
green bags for bodies obliterated
nothing to hold onto, nothing to give
wonder why others die and I live

takes the opium pipe to fix our grins and we’ll still be running round inside our skins
like something is coming, a bullet, a knife, it’s la vida loca, the crazy life

Daisy-Cutter bombs will burn all within half a mile of their fireball
white phosphorous bombs, dropped anywhere suck all of the oxygen out of the air
Agent Orange serves defoliation of rain forests, dense vegitation
napalm sticks to you, you can’t survive, it melts faces and bodies while still alive
us B-52 bombers high in the sky, deliver our payloads and off we fly

flying a copter’s the sexiest thing
protector, destroyer, bird on the wing
slaying your enemy, saving your brother
rock and roll in one ear, gun fire in the other
terrain ever changing, nothing as planned
lush rice paddies, dunes of sand
great rivers, mountains and jungles inland
impossible to understand
piloting choppers endlessly
the more mutilation and death you see
you blink, you can’t think, it starts to get hazy
some of us move round this war like we’re crazy
you can fly up to sunsets, so piercingly bright
that forever will change how you think about light
you can fly out of places so hard to look on
they turn black and white the moment you’re gone
places where everyone has been killed
where the ground can’t soak up what the action has spilled
as the dead and the wounded are loaded on
ammo and rations thrown off and we’re gone

takes the opium pipe to fix our grins and we’ll still be running round inside our skins
like something is coming, a bullet, a knife, it’s la vida loca, the crazy life
la vida loca – the crazy life

get high, good vibrations, lucy in the sky
You, who’re on the road, must have a code you can live by
the answer is blowing in the wind, so dream
turn off your mind, relax and float downstream

it isn’t movie stars or kings
it’s some long-haired kid that sings
young folk catch on quick
to the message in the music

the battle lines are drawn, there’s something happening
all you need is love, the times they are a’changing
peace train take this country, take your ticket to ride
become yourself, break on through to the other side

it isn’t movie stars or kings
it’s some long-haired kid that sings
young folk catch on quick
to the message in the music
message in the music

the words aren’t just glib romance
or pounding beats to make you dance
old folk don’t hear the lyrics sung
it’s the secret language of the young, the young

and it’s one two three what are we fighting for
look at all the lonely people, make love not war
make love not war, make love not war

it isn’t movie stars or kings
it’s some long-haired kid that sings
young folk catch on quick
to the message in the music
message in the music
message in the music

the oldies have lived through war and depression
forged by this, safety becomes an obsession
they just need an end to insanity
having seen the dark side of humanity
and they don’t want that any more
children of war

their kids are born into a world of plenty
they do not know violence or poverty
they grow up protected, safe, without fear
facing blissful oblivion, a budding career
as if warm days will never cease
children of peace

our folks are straights, they prefer to be blind
don’t know what’s real, scared at what they may find
they’re breadheads, deadheads, towing the line
the American Dream, everything’s fine
as blindly they follow the law
children of war

these kids are ungrateful, they’re all turning bad
crazy freeloaders, lazy, sex-mad
they’ve never suffered, they don’t know what’s real
their only concerns are the feelings they feel
they don’t even respect the police
children of peace

As the kids grow up, they become aware
of racism, atom bombs everywhere
things are not rosy, there’s no walking tall
a land of the free with no freedom at all
no freedom at all

parents and children, the mind and the heart
different values, worlds apart
as boomers boom, conflicts increase
children of war, children of peace
it strikes at the core and there is no release
for the children of war
and the children of peace

we dream of a world without competition
a world not governed by capitalism
but living in peace, sharing a vision
considering others with every decision
without private property or exploitation
where difference is treasure, not discrimination

travels to southern America
the trail overland to India
inner pilgrimage, heaven sent
seeking wisdom, enlightenment
gurus and ragas, celestial chorus
chanting om and emitting auras

we’re in great need of cosmic fuel, our innocent souls are seeking renew’l
we’ve had sex, drugs and beatnik cool, so now we are all going spiritule

come troubled spirits, come western youth
in devotion, connect to the ocean of truth
this world is beyond analysis
enter Nirvana, the state of bliss
be present, find peace, don’t settle for less
understanding is openness

we’re in great need of cosmic fuel, our innocent souls are seeking renew’l
we’ve had sex, drugs and beatnik cool, so now we are all going spiritule

Indian garments, eastern art, yantras and mantras a world apart
yoga, mala beads of prayer, incense floating on the air
transcendental, reverential, existential is essential

zen buddhism, hinduism
native american mysticism
psychedelic exploration
transcending our minds through meditation
awakening from conformity
spontaneous, focused on being free

we’re in great need of cosmic fuel
our innocent souls are seeking renew’l
we’ve had sex, drugs and beatnik cool
so now we are all growing
now we are all glowing
now we are all going spiritule
om

in a world of communist and capitalist
a third philosophy shakes its fist
it says we want liberty
everyone’s gotta be free
yeah – everyone’s gotta be free

the young folks, they want to be free
homosexuals want their liberty
and women demand equality
everyone’s gotta be free
yeah – everyone’s gotta be free

there’s african americans
and american indians
each culture, race, ethnicity
everyone’s gotta be free

freedom for each third world nation
and each sexual orientation
we’re talking universally
everyone’s gotta be free
yeah – everyone’s gotta be free

you decide what to be
you’ve a right not to be
what does it mean, don’t ask me
but everyone’s gotta be free

with peace and release from poverty
no more oppression and slavery
it’s a new world for you and me
cos everyone’s gotta be
it’s a crime not to be
everyone’s gotta be free
everyone’s gotta be free

while straights despoil their lands and seas
we move to rural communities
and live like birdies in the trees
using alternative energies

man’s brutal ways must be denied
take the future in your stride
let mother nature be your guide
doo dah dippy dippy dum a dum day
let’s all live the natural way

we may settle, we may roam
or build a geodesic dome
play guitar or plough the loam
cos mother nature is home sweet home

don’t be a sheep, don’t sleep, don’t hide
wear your hippieness with pride
let mother nature be your guide
doo dah dippy dippy dum a dum day
let’s all live the natural way

atom bombs, polluting oil
poisons sprayed upon the soil
greed instead of honest toil
all these cause our blood to boil
but we can’t change what others do
so let’s escape and start anew

let there be love and joy and mirth
working the land for all we’re worth
pagan rituals, cosmic rebirth
living at one with our mother earth

the river’s deep, the river’s wide
gotta cross over to the other side
let mother nature be your guide
doo dah dippy dippy dum a dum day
let’s all live the natural way, the natural way
the natural way, the natural way

Lao Tzu says an energy unites and pervades
the Tao is a dynamic force that never fades
Eastern wisdom sees reality as unity and motion
a writhing creativity, a self-transforming ocean
continually evolving with every advance
and we are not above that, we are part of the dance

mechanistic science stood objectively aloof
where fact was repetition and repetition truth
and that was that, until the twentieth century
with its quantum mechanics and relativity
so, while energy was once a force that entities disburse
now matter’s made of energy which weaves the universe

for the world’s alive with planets, plants – suns and stars and elepharnts
black holes suck and comets prance – so let us join the cosmic dance

Darwin describes evolution as war
survival of the fittest, red in tooth and claw
but in the sixties Lynn Margulis has another intimation
symbiotic evolution based upon collaboration
as when two simple cells merge, for their mutual aid
so becoming compound cells, of which we are made

James Lovelock’s Gaia Theory is a kind of rebirth
describing a living, self-regulating Earth
where biology is one of its survival systems
manned by the community of living organisms
where our oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide
result from biological processes worldwide

from Andromeda to France – event horizons and their aunts
moons that shine without state grants – come let us join the cosmic dance

we all now see reality as unity and motion
a writhing creativity, an ever-changing ocean
since matter-energy can’t be created or destroyed
we are always here, as elements to be deployed
like a star, an atom or a bird on the wing
we are each of us a verb, a journey not a thing

each process seeking to enhance – never mind the cans and can’ts
there is no objective stance – all is change, so take a chance
let music of the spheres entrance – and let us join the cosmic dance

we liberated this old empty house a year ago
now we print and run our magazine from here, although
there’s some of us who also work at book and music stores
we all believe in love and peace and working for the cause
all except Frank over there, who used to be a trooper
who just asserts his rights to live his life in a drugged stupor

gath’ring grain, chopping wood, picking blackberries
in our commune Mary cooks organic recipes
Jerry makes us pottery, Jules fashions leather thongs
we spend the evenings listening to sounds and smoking bongs
meditating, praying, chanting, humble and yet proud
all of us play instruments and practice very loud

sing ‘only connect, as below, so above’
so, hippies connecting grow a wondrous world of love

us travellers are on the move, dancers through the fields
overland to India to see what wisdom yields
from Europe to Istanbul, the Kyber Pass, as far as
Kandahar, Peshawar, Varanasi then Benares
each day is a chance to learn the truthful way to live
and it isn’t to compete, but to love and give

sing ‘only connect, as below, so above’
so, hippies connecting grow a wondrous world of love

we’ve all grown up as rigid little puppets so far
now grass relaxes us to be who we really are
making love when you’re turned on is just the best
so personal, so soft and tender, you feel blessed
there’s nothing wrong with having sex for sex, although
sex is just much groovier when there’s love, you know

there are hippies everywhere, from Russia to Japan
through Africa, Australia, you’d think there was a plan
but kids around the world just know which way the wind is blowing
they know their way and day by day the revolution’s growing

so sing ‘only connect, as below, so above’
so, hippies connecting grow a wondrous world of love

each freak in their reality – questioning the world they see
in music, protest, poetry – in lifestyle, clothes, community
and all their ideas coalesce – in what becomes the underground press

a happening, a march, a show – meetings, marches, festivals, so
everyone is in the know – what to do and where to go
marijuana, how to grow – discovering your inner glow

we’re freedom-bound, so let us bless
the world found in the underground press

life upon a peace ashram – how I discovered who I am
hell’s angels, guzzling ham – all the news from Vietnam
why the straight world’s just a sham – plus the price of dope per gram

we’re freedom-bound, so let us bless
the world found in the underground press

undercover agents who – will infiltrate and follow you
reporting everything you do – the draft dodgers that they persue
suss them out, clue by clue – and make a magic mushroom stew

pamphlets, flyers, magazines – the Beatles’ lives behind the scenes
paisley dresses, denim jeans – the wonders of alfalfa beans
and what the revolution means – to anybody in their teens

we’re freedom-bound, so let us bless
the world found in the underground press

there’s underground comix, some are dumb
but there’s one genius, Robert Crumb
his flights of fancy are absurd
but he never wastes a word
he’s dark, but always relevant
let us listen to him rant…

I’m such a negative person, is that how I was made
disgusted by reality, horrified, afraid
desperately clinging to bits of old driftwood
the few things that give solace, that make me feel good
I hate most of humanity, the mindless inundation
of crowds and noise and what passes for civilization
I hate mass media and how folk are controlled
the commodity culture in which everything’s bought and sold
nature isn’t cute and loveable, it endorses
killing, eating, full of murd’rous creatures and forces and your only recourse is
keep on truckin’, fightin’ an’ fuckin’, divin’ an duckin’ – an’ keep on truckin’

sex is horrifying, his dick goes in her hole
another being grows within, beyond her control
then she must push the newborn out, painful and convulsive
reproduction, what could be more existentially repulsive
I hate the way the psyche works, how we’re traumatized
and stupidly imprinted, before we’ve realised
and have to spend our lives with these awful limitations
trying to overcome these infantile fixations
I hate organised religions, governments are a joke
power games played out by ambition-driven folk, don’t fall under their yoke, just
keep on truckin’, fightin’ an’ fuckin’, divin’ an duckin’ – an’ keep on truckin’

most humans are bullies, adults pick on children
kids pick on younger kids, men bully women
the rich bully the poor, folk love to dominate
the way humans worship power is a most disgusting trait

I hate the human tendency to trick and deceive
to take unfair advantage of the ignorant or naive
when I realise I’m one of them, even though it’s true
it makes me want to scream in horror, hell is yourself too
every action, every thought, leaves an imprint on some
of the world around you and of those yet to come
and yet one feels helpless, as if one’s behavior
is an imprint from our ancestors, of those here before
killing yourself is vital, it is your initiation
most people just lead lives of cowardly desperation
don’t give way to temptation
keep on truckin’, fightin’ an’ fuckin’, divin’ an duckin’ – just keep on truckin’

anti-nuclear protests
across the world, wherever you’re from
the peace movement never rests
our battle cry is ban the bomb

we protest – till peace shall reign from east to west
till we succeed, we shall not rest – we protest

anti Vietnam war protests
everywhere and getting bigger
as Muhammad Ali says
“no Viet Cong ever called me nigger”

we protest – to end the war, free the oppressed
till we succeed, we shall not rest – we protest

the women’s movement fights
against gender discrimination
equal pay and equal rights
demanding women’s liberation

we protest – with all those who are dispossessed
till we succeed, we shall not rest – we protest

to put an end to prejudice
the gay community unites
against the bigots who dismiss
their liberty, their equal rights

while all across the US nation
black Americans rise to face
the white folk’s discrimination
no more prejudice based on race

we protest – with all those who are dispossessed
till peace shall reign from east to west
till we succeed, we shall not rest
those on top say they know best
but we protest
we protest

binary thoughts of good and bad
make us aggressive, cruel, mad
there is no one reality
embrace universality

for there is no authority
there’s no superiority
don’t just sit there and never budge
we cannot know, we cannot judge

as above, so below – encourage empathy to grow
as below, so above – only connect, only love

no pecking order to obey
don’t fight for peace, peace is the way
don’t fall for conflict or for greed
remember love is all you need

as above, so below – encourage empathy to grow
as below, so above – only connect, only love

every sensation is a vibration, each crest is followed by a trough
a wave propagation, an alternation between two aspects, on and off
this being and nothingness makes sense, through highs and lows from birth to death
for this is our experience, it’s in and out with every breath
and we cannot stand separate from this vast alternating web that’s spun
through time and space, this love and this hate, for these polarities are one
as we are one with all nature, such that we are not here to win
mother nature doesn’t hate’ya – let complicity begin

for only love can light the way
do not let conflict steal the day
the future gleams, do as you feel
live out your dreams and make them real

as above, so below – encourage empathy to grow
as below, so above – only connect, only love
only connect, only love

Haight Ashbury’s the focus of a spiritual birth
to celebrate, we call on everyone on planet Earth
and a hundred-thousand of us flock in summer ’67
to San Fransico to create a holy hippie heaven

the dream becomes reality, we’re all on the same side
and TV stations beam the Summer of Love worldwide
everyone’s your brother, sister, part of your tribe
you can talk with anyone, we all feel the vibe

there’s something in the air, of compassion and of care
one vast love affair, so be sure to wear
flowers in your hair

we sing and dance and party beneath the shimm’ring stars
we smoke, have group discussions and go to seminars
free store, free clinic, housing, food, all this we organise
with alternative business and collective enterprise

we’re committed to new kinds of social welfare
a new set of values formed by those who care
communal life, political decentralisation
and dropping out to form a world of our own creation

there’s something in the air, of compassion and of care
one vast love affair, so be sure to wear
flowers in your hair

all the hippie children are coming out to play
in a land of peasant blouses and woven macramé
bearded youths like Jesus, walking barefoot on the grass
happy hippie trippie chicks, who smile as they pass
women in men’s jackets, peace patches on lapels
jangly ankle bracelets, tinkling buddhist bells
sweet renaissance maidens, guys in floral tweeds
rings and bangle bracelets, floppy hats and beads
psychedelic tunics, floaty linen shirts
flowing maxi dresses, tiny mini skirts
everyone is glowing, psychedelically high
everyone is flowing, dancing rainbows in the sky
you will remember this, as the years fly by…

by the time we get to Woodstock, we are half a million strong
people walking on both sides of cars that creep along
everyone is mellow, every hippie lad and lass
I watch the building of the stage as the crowds amass
massive seas of people, never seen so many freaks
it rains, the fields turn into mud, we find that our tent leaks
naked bodies swimming in the lake so peacefully
tables of organic food so no one will go hungry
the PA blaring out the news, those who’ve lost their mates
lost children, overdoses, births and performance updates
wet muddy nights, hot smelly days and yet a fairyland
keep falling asleep and waking to a different band

so let’s turn on the juice
Woodstock is proud to introduce
Paul Butterfield, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens, Janis Joplin
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ravi Shankar, Tim Hardin
Mountain, Johnny Winter, Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Melanie
Country Joe and the Fish, the Band, Arlo Guthrie
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Blood Sweat and Tears, Santana
Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Ten Years After
John Sebastian, Keef Hartley, Jefferson Airplane and
Canned Heat, Jimi Hendrix, The Incredible String Band

standing on the hill, I can’t believe what I am seeing
I just know something extraordinary is happening
I’m a straight, but this event opens my eyes to see
what I don’t know I’ve been looking for, it’s life-changing for me
I came here a very confused, naïve human being
who felt no connection to anyone or anything
I leave knowing I’m connected to a whole new generation
of people who think like I do, a true revelation
how so many folk act with such generosity
beyond imagination, the best of humanity
and this overwhelming feeling of unity
I will hold it in my heart, till they throw dirt on me

something in the air, of compassion and of care
one vast love affair
as the hippie world is open wide
and unified, can sing with pride, indeed…
love is all you need, love is all you need, love is all you need
love is all you need

suddenly, as the decade ends
when we think we’re moving on
the whole dream seems to fade
you blink and it’s gone

vanished in thin air,
as if it was never there
where’s the sparkle, where’s the gleam
end of a hippie dream

hippies aren’t hierarchical
there is no battle call
the road map, if any
is personal

so it vanished in thin air
as if it was never there
did it just run out of steam
end of a hippie dream

as free-wheeling days recede
most of us get wed and breed
so the moment just gives way
leaders lead and we obey

… it’s weird
how the sixties disappeared
what happened, who can say
into the cold light of all we feared
better get a job, a place to stay

so I vanish in thin air
as if I was never there
things are seldom as they seem
end of a hippie dream
end of a hippie dream

there was a golden age
when men and women walked the earth
and uttered words of love and peace
a world of magic and rebirth
in the sixties, in the sixties

we stood for something then
we all got stoned and everything shone
we listened to sounds and people walked down
to the river with nothing on
in the sixties, in the sixties

then the seventies came
and blew out the flame
it was never the same, nor was I
every ideal was breached,
world peace never reached
the Beach Boys were beached, I could cry
the meek have to cower
in place of the flower
aggression and power fly high
corporations go global
greed seems to snowball
and anything noble’s a lie

but if the world is mean
at least the stories shall be told
of the hopeful world we’ve seen
in that golden age of old
in the sixties

I still believe that when
things get back to normal, then
it’ll be the sixties again
again

the sixties see The Beatles at the centre of it all
and at the centre of The Beatles are John and Paul

Paul meets me the first day I do Be-Bop-a-Lula
we talk after the show and he’s playing gee-tar
and I turn round and say, right then on first meeting
do you want to join the group, and that’s the start of everything

all for one, one for all
Paul and John, John and Paul

two motherless boys, and still hurting
so we have a kind of bond, we both know that feeling
Paul says we are super close, can read each other
John says I’ll do anything for him, I love him like a brother

all for one, one for all
Paul and John, John and Paul

whoever writes this or that, to both it belongs
as we arrange to put both our names on our songs
through the years of Beatlemania, inseparable
calm in the eye of the storm, writing eyeball to eyeball

Paul and I know each other
on a lot of different levels
and that said
you and I have memories
longer than the road that stretches
out ahead

from the long and winding road, to journey’s end
we share the load, Paul’s my best friend
...think of me every now and then old friend…

all for one, one for all
Paul and John, John and Paul
all for one, one for all
Paul and John, John and Paul
John and Paul, John and Paul