I like me some Folk, Thanks for sharing!
[06:40 | Rock, Folk Punk, Folk]
Pat talks about personal responsibility and criticizes the punk scene for caring more about getting fucked up than being politically active.
Most of this song was written pre rehab, see “Do You Want to Go to Party Town?” Wingnut Dishwashers Union
It was part of him taking responsibility for addiction and realizing he needs rehab and distance from the punk community that enables his addiction. Importantly, the beginning line is changed from “we’ve been drinking ourselves in” to “I”. He has taken responsibility with this song.
https://genius.com/Ramshackle-glory-from-here-till-utopia-song-for-the-desperate-lyrics
Comments from same source:
“He said "no one’s gonna stop you from dying young and miserable and right”
It’s a comment on the alcoholic/addict persistence in following their broken ideals even though those same ideals got them to rock bottom. They’re so certain of the superiority of their own ego that they’ll drink themselves to death long before they admit that they’ve been wrong. But “If you want something better, you gotta put that shit aside.” By being open to new ideas and becoming willing to change, they can recover and don’t have to die young, miserable, and “right”.
Is there a way to add alternate titles to songs? Despite “From Here Till Utopia (Song for the Desperate)” being the original title of this song, on most streaming platforms it is titled “From Here to Utopia”. I think it would make sense for the new title to be referenced somewhere to allow people searching for it using the new title to find the song.
The dying young and miserable and right line reminds me of Phil Ochs
Oh, you are right, thanks for sharing!
Here is more info on him, for those that want to learn more about him:
Philip David Ochs was an American songwriter and protest singer. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice.
He wrote hundreds of songs from the 1960s to early 1970s and released eight albums. Ochs performed at many political events during the 1960s counterculture era, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City’s Town Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Politically, Ochs described himself as a “left social democrat” who became an “early revolutionary” after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs’s mental stability declined in the 1970s.
Popular Song: Phil Ochs - I Ain’t Marching Anymore (Live) [03:00 | Country, Protest Songs, Folk] https://youtu.be/1rVTBCtYjoY
