z+For+What+It's+Worth

Julia Primeau

**For What It's Worth:** There's something happening here What it is ain't exactly clear There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down There's battle lines being drawn Nobody's right if everybody's wrong Young people speaking their minds Getting so much resistance from behind I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down What a field-day for the heat A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly say, hooray for our side It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you're always afraid You step out of line, the man come and take you away We better stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, now, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down Stop, children, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down

I think that this song, For What It’s Worth, by Buffalo Springfield represents the Vietnam war very well in a couple of different ways. During the Vietnam war Vietnam was fighting for its own freedom from the French, when the French finally surrendered and Vietnam was declared independent they were under communist rule. As many of us know the United States was strongly against and afraid of communism. So when Vietnam became a communist country the United States declared war on them after a false report of attack. This song relates to this war because nobody really knew what was going on and the lyrics “Everybody look what's going down” definitely demonstrate that and what the song is about.

back to "Songs of the Vietnam Era