That's the name of an old song that was written somewhere back in the 1960's. How many of you are familiar with it? For those of you that are not, this was an old song that was sang by a receintly deceased woman named Skeeter Davis. It was a song about an unjust war, driven by a power- crazed people, who were after a "treasure" that they later found didn't exist. Anyway, I went websurfing today and ran across this article about the war in Iraq and our reasons for going. After reading this report. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041007/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_weapons&cid=540&ncid=716 I automatically started thinking about this song. How many people here have ever heard this song before? For those that have, when comparing it to this article, how does it make you feel? :(

Interesting, but if I remember the song correctly, the "mountain" people were a peace loving group who wanted to share. The "valley" people fought them for their "treasure", not to take away a weapon that could have been used against them.

I remember the song. I believe it was used for the movie "Billy Jack". It is interesting that Iraq didn't have the weapons, and I think it shows the weakness of our intelligence going in. It is an apt analogy in a sense with the song, although I don't think we will be able to say that Iraq's treasure was "Peace on Earth" as the song says.
I think more of another song these days, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" by Pete Seeger. I may have the title wrong, it has been awhile. Anyway, the analogy of the river which was crossed before safely, but now the water has risen, and the leadership which fails to realize the difference seems apt.

Thanks Dunkirk for posting this about Skeeter -- one of my all time favorites.

What a lady. A cross between a gospel-country-western singer and a paleo-goth-peace-loving librul -- LOL ... talk about someone that walked to the beat of a different drummer. And she showed it ...

She was once banned from the grand ole opry cause she pissed off the hard core conservatives with a statement about the local police force. BWAhahahahahaha ... talk about people that need to get a life ... ROTF

No one did the double-harmony like she did and without her leading the way ... the ones that followed her -- Dolly, Tammy and Loretta probably wouldn't have had such an easy time of it.

One tin soldier -- great tune done by a great lady, initially done by a group named 'The original castle', notwithstanding.

Dop

Originally posted by Imagineer
"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" by Pete Seeger. I may have the title wrong, it has been awhile. Anyway, the analogy of the river which was crossed before safely, but now the water has risen, and the leadership which fails to realize the difference seems apt.

is it the song about soldiers forced to cross a swamp until their commander drowns ?
I thought it was from Leonard Cohen.

It is that song. I am sure the version of it I remember was by Pete Seeger, but he may not have written it. I'll have to check.

BTW who is this handsome young man on your avatar ?

Here is a link to the text of Waist Deep in the Big Muddy, written by Pete Seeger.

http://www.dickalba.demon.co.uk/songs/texts/bigmuddy.html

As to the Avatar, it is a picture of Hondo Crouch, a person from Texas, now deceased, who's values and sense of humor I respect greatly. I could go on and on about him, but I will let it suffice for now to say that he carried a business card that proclaimed him Hondo Crouch - Imagineer. The stories of his life are endless. You may remember another country western song, "Going to Luckenbach Texas". Well, Hondo Crouch was the owner of the town of Luckenbach. You can easily find out much about him on the web.

By the way, having reviewed the lyrics of "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", I think it is a very good analogy to the situation in Iraq.

"Well, you might not want to draw conclusions
I'll leave that to yourself
Maybe you're still walking, maybe you're still talking
Maybe you've still got your health.
But every time I hear the news
That old feeling comes back on;
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the damn fools kept yelling to push on."

I see what you mean…

It was written about the war in Vietnam. But that old feeling keeps coming back again... Another divisive tradgedy is what I fear. Another war that is unwinnable. A lot of suffering and and loss, and in the end, nothing gained.

The real story (tragedy) of the song is that the Valley People, in going to war with the Mountain Kingdom, destroyed the treasure that the Mountain Kingdom would willingly have given them.

Kind of like cutting open the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs in order to get ALL the gold, but finding out that the gold was not contained therein.

Originally posted by Imagineer
It was written about the war in Vietnam. But that old feeling keeps coming back again... Another divisive tradgedy is what I fear. Another war that is unwinnable. A lot of suffering and and loss, and in the end, nothing gained.
No doubt.................

"We don't know how to mind our own business.......'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us...." (http://www.steppenwolf.com/lyr/mnnster.html#AMICA) :@@: