Phil Ochs would have been 80 years old today. His life and work is worth remembering and so I’m citing a review of a play I wrote for rabble.ca when The Ballad of Phil Ochs toured the country several years ago. You can find the review here: https://rabble.ca/news/wit-and-irony-phil-ochs-live
Also, just recently released is a new book entitled, I’m Gonna Say It Now: the Writings of Phil Ochs, edited by David Cohen (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020). Aisle Say.ca readers can watch this space for a review of the book soon. In it, you will discover another side to the prolific songwriter – that is his talent as an arts journalist, cultural reporter, satirist, poet and essayist.
For now, I’ll leave you with this eloquent bit of provocation from Phil for activists everywhere:
WHEN I’M GONE
THERE’S NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD WHERE I’LL BELONG, WHEN I’M GONE AND I WON’T KNOW THE RIGHT FROM THE WRONG, WHEN I’M GONE AND YOU WON’T FIND ME SINGIN’ ON THIS SONG, WHEN I’M GONE SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
AND I WON’T FEEL THE FLOWING OF THE TIME WHEN I’M GONE ALL THE PLEASURES OF LOVE WILL NOT BE MINE, WHEN I’M GONE MY PEN WON’T POUR A LYRIC LINE, WHEN I’M GONE. SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
AND I WON’T BREATH THE BRACING AIR, WHEN I’M GONE. AND I CAN’T EVEN WORRY ‘BOUT MY CARES, WHEN I’M GONE. WON’T BE ASKED TO DO MY SHARE, WHEN I’M GONE. SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
WON’T SEE THE GOLDEN OF THE SUN, WHEN I’M GONE. AND THE EVENINGS AND THE MORNINGS WILL BE ONE, WHEN I’M GONE CAN’T BE SINGING LOUDER THAN THE GUNS, WHEN I’M GONE SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
ALL MY DAYS WON’T BE DANCES OF DELIGHT, WHEN I’M GONE AND THE SANDS WILL BE SHIFTING FROM MY SIGHT, WHEN I’M GONE CAN’T ADD MY NAME INTO THE FIGHT, WHEN I’M GONE SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
AND I WON’T BE LAUGHING AT THE LIES, WHEN I’M GONE AND I CAN’T QUESTION HOW OR WHEN OR WHY, WHEN I’M GONE CAN’T LIVE PROUD ENOUGH TO DIE, WHEN I’M GONE SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
THERE’S NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD WHERE I’LL BELONG, WHEN I’M GONE AND I WON’T KNOW THE RIGHT FROM THE WRONG, WHEN I’M GONE. AND YOU WON’T FIND ME SINGIN’ ON THIS SONG, WHEN I’M GONE. SO I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DO IT WHILE I’M HERE
