Brian Huynh
Kung
English 3
May 29, 2008

“What do we want? A Right worth Fighting For!”

“Going down to Mississippi,” written by Phil Ochs is mainly about the hardships that Civil Rights Protestors had to face; this includes facing the long hard marches, police brutality and the non-violent battles for the people’s rights. Phil Och’s song tries to showcase the trail that the protestors travel.  It also shows how there are always obstacles in the way of a certain goal or particular objective. Phil Ochs wrote this song with the intention of telling people that by joining the Civil Rights Protest they do not protest for personal glory or personal fame, but so the people or objects they are protesting for or against can benefit.

The Civil Rights Movement was a battle for human rights and the freedom of all people pinned down by the giant finger of oppression. The Civil Rights Movement spawned from the many protests and rallies fighting for freedom of speech. In time the little protests and rallies were seen as an opportunity to fight for more than freedom of speech. African-Americans and others who supported their cause saw the perfect opportunity to fight back against the government and any other problems present. The Civil Rights Movement officially started in the 1950’s as a radical movement fighting for the rights of African Americans. Although the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the Thirteenth Amendment granted African American deserved freedom, many governments and private corporations found loopholes and gaps to deny the African Americans freedom they so richly deserved (George 12). The protestors of the Civil Rights Movement were mostly non-violent; however those resisting the protestors relied mostly on force to quell the uprisings. Police brutality was a common scene throughout the everyday protestor’s life. The Civil Rights Movement utilized the previous method of sit-ins commonly used during the earlier protest rallies. Protestors also participated on many long hard marches; it is known that many people would just join the marches because they usually viewed the civil Rights Movement as a worthwhile cause (George 14). To keep the spirits up of the marching protestors and at the same time acquire new members for the cause, Protestors would often play songs more commonly dubbed “Protest Songs.” One memorable song created by Phil Ochs entitled, “Going Down to Mississippi,” was a favorite among the tireless marchers.

The song “Going down to Mississippi,” written by Phil Ochs was one of the most memorable songs in his Civil Rights legacy. “Going down to Mississippi,” was written during the times of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960’s, the prime of the Civil Rights Movement. It was most likely written by Phil Ochs to express the everyday life of the Civil Rights Movement. From the sentence, “I’m going down a southern road/ and if you never see me again/ remember that I had to go,” it can be interrupted as the southern road is the rebellious protest against the government and that the line “remember that I had to go,” refers to it being the duty of the citizen to participate in the movement. Back in the time of the Civil Rights Movement the government was much more openly corrupt than it is today. The passage, “There’s a man waiting down in Mississippi/ and he’s waiting with a rifle in his hand/ and he’s looking down the road for an out-of-state car/ and he thinks he’s fighting for his land/ yes, he thinks he’s fighting for his land,” can be commonly described  as an obstacle towards the price of freedom. “The man waiting down in Mississippi,” mostly likely is a depiction of the police, the frontal obstacle for many protestors, and the fact that he has a rifle in his hand refers to police brutality. The line, “He thinks he’s fighting for his land,” can express the thoughts and views that protestors see the policeman as. They believe the police are blind to the true cause and believe that the government is correct and there is nothing wrong with society. Phil Ochs believed greatly in the corruption of government and he was involved in many types of political squabbles.

Phil Ochs was an active member often Civil Rights Movement and was often remembered by his songs which were used in the Civil Rights Movement. He was born on December 19, 1940 and was known for his talents as a musician and his political knowledge (Schumacher 91). His early life was hard on him; being the oldest of four children and moving around quite often with his middle-class family. The personalities of his neglectful father and caring mother left wide imprints on Phil Ochs and his brother and sisters. His father was described as being a “Phantom” by Phil Ochs and his family; they believed he was never really there (Schumacher 21). One moment he would be there the next he would disappear. In contrast, Phil’s mother was caring and taught her children the gift of honesty and truth (Schumacher 22). Throughout his life Phil Ochs felt a certain lust for journalism and political debates (Schumacher 34). His love for journalism was so strong that when he was refused a journalist position in college he went into spiraling depression. His college years were difficult and to him unfair, causing him to drop out before his final year (Schumacher 44). Later on in his life he took an active part in political matters and joined the Civil Rights Movement, where he utilized his skills as a musician. One of his memorable songs, “Going down to Mississippi,” played a role in the Civil Rights Movement and later events similar to it.

The Civil Rights Movement spawned from the need to gain freedom to people who deserved it; this meaning the Civil Rights Movement was not only for the cause of African-Americans but to the oppressed people of the United States. The Civil Rights Movement utilized many songs to its advantage to encourage the many people participating for its cause. “Going down to Mississippi,” written by Phil Ochs, was influential and kept the many marchers marching for their common objective. The song contained a valid description of the events which occur and the obstacles people must face if they wish to free the oppressed. In the song people fought for the oppressed and not for personal glory, but I believe some did join the Civil Rights Movement for their own personal fame. The Civil Rights Movement was a turning point in American History and it was able to change the course of the people’s views on society.