History

WAIST DEEP IN THE BIG MUDDY

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That's how it all begun.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on."
We were -- neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once, the moon clouded over,
We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
'Bout a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Well, I'm not going to point any moral;
I'll leave that for yourself
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We're -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

Words and music by Pete Seeger (1967)

The quote about those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it has become hackneyed, but it is a cliche from its repeated correctness. We all have to look at what is happening. The middle class is dissolving, shoving educated people with the ability to organize into the ranks of the working poor. The rich have sequestered themselves in the palaces of power and now fear the loss of that perch. They have tired the diversions of war and religion, they have pulled out their smoke and mirrors and have convenced nearly half the populace that to get rid of them would cause the end of the world. Fear is their last tactic. They call those who stand up to them unpatriotic and worthy of only the worst. The problem is that their siege mentality always leads to an explosion and the barbarians from without storming their battlements and destroying the civilization that they have co-opted. For those who think they know what I am speaking of, you might be right. If you thought I spoke of Imperial Rome, you were right. If you thought I spoke of France before the bloody Reign of Terror, you were right. Am I speaking con-temporarily? That is for you and your brethren to work out. I was not a fan of Clinton, I am not a lover of the Kerry machine. But, a world run by Bush and Cheney is a world destined to see the end of a great many freedoms and cherished ideals that built this country. If that happens, will there be any body left to speak when they come for you?