Fifty-five years ago this month
May 4, 1970 - Kent State University
Welcome to new subscribers and regular readers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Dead” by David Rovics. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article. Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.
(685 words)
Fifty-five years ago this month, four students were killed and 9 others injured on the campus of Kent State University. They were shot by members of the U.S. National Guard.
The setting for this song is the end of the 1960s. Young men from the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, and the Philippines were allies, fighting in Vietnam. They were fighting against a guerrilla force that was trying to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the country of Vietnam.
There were millions of bombs falling from the sky
There were children looking up before they’d die
By the end of the 1960s in the U.S., the war was very unpopular.
There were millions of people marching in the street
Hoping that their country would meet defeat
War creates lots of jobs, not only for soldiers, but for the people who work in weapons factories. Companies have always made a profit from war. In the Vietnam War, there were soldiers who tried to escape the horrors by using heroin.
There were military contracts, lots of dollars to be made
Selling heroin and fighter jets in the arms trade
.
There were millions of soldiers refusing to kill
There were others (soldiers) taking orders directly from the Hill
“The Hill” refers to Capitol Hill, or Washington, D.C.
Like the ones who were sent off to turn the campus red
Who were sent to kill the students dead
“No more appeasement,” said Ronald Reagan, the governor of California. “If it takes a bloodbath, let’s get it over with.” (O’Donnell)
There were governors talking about military rule
If they want a bloodbath, let’s bring one to their school
“If they want a bloodbath” — this was the very phrase
That’s the language that the governors were using those days
That’s the way they thought and that’s exactly what they did
.
There were politicians talking about gunning down kids
They said the students were worse than the Nazis in the war
A quote from the governor just a few days before
The Guard was sent in to turn the campus red
They were sent to kill the students dead
On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced that he was expanding the war into Cambodia. Protests around the U.S. grew stronger.
On many college campuses, there is something called the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). On high schools campuses it’s called the Junior ROTC. It’s a training program for students who are thinking of a career in the military.
At Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, students had been protesting the war for several days before the Cambodia announcement. Now, their anger overflowed. On May 2, someone set fire to the ROTC building on campus. Ohio Governor James Rhodes ordered the National Guard to stand ready.
Protests on the campus continued. On May 4, students gathered in a grassy area at the center of the campus. The National Guard moved in to break up the protest. They threw tear gas into the crowd.
The Guard said there was a sniper on a roof nearby, but this may have been a misunderstanding during the chaos.
There was a sniper on the rooftop, ready to conspire
There were the National Guardsmen with the orders to fire
They all lined up – ready, aim, shoot
There was President Nixon in a three-piece suit
Nixon said he would end the war and bring the soldiers home. Instead, as many people said at the time, he brought the war home.
He brought the war home like he said he would
There was an entire generation who understood
There were soldiers lined up a hundred meters away
A bullet in the back is the price you gotta pay
When the Guard is sent in to turn the campus red
Sent to kill the students dead
A government committee was asked to investigate what happened and report back to the president. Their report said some students acted badly, but the soldiers shooting into the crowd was wrong and should never happen again. It said soldiers should not use loaded guns when facing students who are protesting.
Leaving a comment is a good way to practice your writing skills.
Vocabulary
injure 怪我をさせる
overthrow 打倒する
appeasement 宥和政策
bloodbath 流血
gun down 撃つする
expand 拡大する
reserve officers' training corps (us); rotc 予備役将校訓練課程
to protest 抗議する
announcement 発表
overflow 溢れ出る
tear gas 催涙ガス
sniper 狙撃兵
conspire 陰謀
investigate 取り調べる
loaded gun 装填された銃
Sources
50th anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration. Vietnam War Commemoration. https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/assets/1/7/VW50th_Allies_Posters_11-6-19REV.pdf Accessed 28 April 2025.
Barrett, C. (2021, May 5). The tensions of a controversial war explode at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. HistoryNet. https://www.historynet.com/the-tensions-of-a-controverthe-tensions-of-a-controversial-war-explode-in-kent-ohio-may-4-1970/ Accessed 28 April 2025.
O’Donnell, M. (2022, January 9). Shoot the hippies. Washington Monthly. https://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/03/13/shoot-the-hippies Accessed 28 April 2025.
Michener, J. A. (1971). Kent State. Fawcett Crest.
Interview with Alan Canfora and Dr. Roseann Chic Canfora; Interviewed by: Stephen McKiernan, Transcriber: Benjamin Mehdi So. Date of interview: 22 November 2009
https://omeka.binghamton.edu/omeka/items/show/894
“Dead” originally appeared on the Bandcamp album, All the News That’s Fit to Sing, 2014. For more information and to learn about David Rovics’ music, see: https://www.davidrovics.com/songbook/dead/
For another song about the Kent State shootings see:
#TOEIC 450 #Eiken 2 #CEFR B1
As a very young child I remember my mother shooing us from the room when footage of the Vietnam war were broadcast on our tiny black and white TV. Not until many years later did I understand why? I've read books and seen much footage since, of course.
And, we never learn do we... there seems to exist an inherent need for some countries to interfere in others.
As a songwriter, I applaud the sentiment. As a college kid who wrote his English term paper on Kent State, I see some inaccuracies. But a song is not a documentary. And as a remembrance, it is well worth a listen.
We all need to realize that what went before can happen again.