song called "One Tin Soldier," performed by various artists and harmonically close kin to Pachelbel's Canon, was very big in North America in the early 1970s. I remember thinking it was incredibly stupid, and making myself obnoxious on this subject to a couple of the song's admirers.
[If you happen to read this -- sorry guys.]
Upon reflection, I don't know why it struck me that way. But, for the record, it was the soundtrack version, from Billy Jack, that especially annoyed me.
Anyway, just for old time's sake and to make up for a hasty judgment of my callow youth, here is the refrain:
Go ahead and hate your neighbor/ Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven/You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing/ Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after one/ tin soldier rides away.
Ha,ha! Very good. It is fascinating how art imitates life, and, vice versa, most notably during turbulent times. I wrote pathetic protest poetry then and Billy Jack was a heroic figure. War puts everyone on a stressful footing, either uniting or dividing people. It seems to me that we should learn something more from this. But, we rarely do.
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