Welcome to new subscribers and regular readers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Remember Me” by Phil Ochs (1963). 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.
(674 words)
Phil Ochs was an American folk singer and songwriter in the 1960s and 70s. He was known for songs that made the listener think deeply. He often criticized the government’s policies. He wrote songs about ending the war in Vietnam and about social justice.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused serious economic problems around the world. Many people lost their jobs, homes, and the money they had saved. At the same time, some countries, like Germany, Italy, and Japan, became more aggressive. They tried to expand their territories and oppress the people in the new areas. This led to World War II in the late 1930s and 1940s. In Remember Me, Phil sings as if he’s a soldier who died in the second World War.
Oh, I am the Unknown Soldier who died in World War Two
Didn't want to fight, it was the only thing to do
During the war, millions of people died, and cities were destroyed with conventional weapons. For the first time, the atomic bomb was used. It seemed as though the world had gone crazy, and this soldier was caught up in the madness.
I was the victim of a world that went insane
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain?
To “die in vain” means that someone's death did not have a clear purpose or did not result in a meaningful change. It means that their sacrifice, effort, or struggle was wasted or had no positive impact. This soldier made, what we call in English, the “ultimate sacrifice”. In other words, he gave his life so that others could live freely. Now, he is asking that others also stand up when people’s freedoms are in danger.
For example, he is asking us to take action when some people try to intimidate certain groups, as when the KKK burned crosses in front of an African American’s home to make them afraid:
Remember me when the crosses are a-burnin'
Remember me when the racists come around
Take action when you see certain people in power try to go to war for their own benefit:
Remember me when the tides of peace are turnin'
If we don’t take action in some way, we let the soldier down. When we promise a friend that we will do something, but then we fail to do it, the friend might feel let down because they trusted you.
Remember me and please don't let me down
Soldiers like this one fought in many places around the world. Each time he had to kill someone or someone he knew was killed, a part of him died as well.
On the South Pacific Islands and the Iwo Jima sands
We raised the flag of freedom over many distant lands
Every time I killed a man my own heart felt the pain
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain?
And I carried my old rifle to the European shores
And every friend that died made me die a little more
Have pity on the man who put a bullet through my brain
To have or take pity on someone means to show kindness and understanding to someone. Here, perhaps Ochs was saying that the other soldiers were in the same position of having to fight, even though they didn’t want to.
And show me that I didn't die in vain
Ochs was deeply concerned that racists and fascists would one day again rise up to positions of power and might begin another war. He is saying that we have to watch carefully and take action to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
When the Fascists started marching many millions had to pay
We saw them come to power but we looked the other way
It happened once before and it can happen once again
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain?
Remember Me by Phil Ochs is a song about our sense of values. It is asking us to live up to our commitment to democratic ideals.
Questions
Why is it important for the reader to "remember me"?
Do you see any similarities between the issues raised in the song and problems we are facing now?
Vocabulary
social justice 社会正義
aggressive 侵略的
territory 領土
oppress 虐げる
conventional weapon 通常兵器
atomic bomb 原子爆弾
madness 狂気
in vain 無駄
sacrifice 犠牲
struggle 闘争
waste 無駄
ultimate sacrifice 究極の犠牲
intimidate 脅迫
have pity on 同情する
bullet 弾丸
racist 人種差別主義者
fascist ファシスト
commitment 言質
democratic ideals 民主主義の理想
In response to the fire disaster in Los Angeles, if you are able to do so, please consider making a donation to:
World Central Kitchen (provides food to disaster areas around the world) https://wck.org/donate
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (to equip firefighters with water backpacks, tools, and emergency fire shelters) https://supportlafd.org/
The Pasadena Humane Society (a shelter caring for pets and other animals in need due to the fires) https://pasadenahumane.org/give
英検2級以上 | 名曲で英語を学ぶ
The older I get, the more I agree with Phil Ochs that war itself is a fundamental crime against humanity. This song really resonates with me for that reason, along with "I Ain't Marchin Anymore"
The repetition of the words "remember me" in this song... for how many more generations do we have to remember all those that sacrificed their lives in the name of a war they didn't believe in?
The answer breaks my heart. 💔