The Universal Soldier (with video)

by Robert Wilkinson

For your consideration, "The Universal Soldier," a Buffy Sainte Marie song as done by Donovan back in 1966. It's still as strong today as it was then. Someone's done a great video to go with it, so by all means, go below the fold to find all the lyrics and video to a Donovan performance of this powerful statement about "the Universal Soldier."

He's five foot two, and he's six feet four,
he fights with missiles and with spears,
he's all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen,
he's been a soldier for a thousand years.

The Universal Soldier

Here's the video

He's five foot two, and he's six feet four,
he fights with missiles and with spears,
he's all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen,
he's been a soldier for a thousand years.

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain,
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew,
and he knows he shouldn't kill,
and he knows he always will,
kill you for me, my friend, and me for you.

And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way.

And he's fighting for democracy,
he's fighting for the Reds,
He says it's for the peace of all,
He's the one who must decide,
who's to live and who's to die,
and he never sees the writing on the wall.

But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Dachau,
without him Caesar would have stood alone,
he's the one who gives his body
as a weapon of the war,
and without him all this killing can't go on.

He's the universal soldier,
and he really is to blame,
his orders come from far away no more,
they come from him and you and me
and brothers can't you see,
this is not the way we put the end to war?

[Donovan changed two of the lines: he substituted "La Val" for "Dachau," and "here and there" for "him" in the third line from the end.]

Comments

[sonja]

Very powerful video. Violence begets only violence.

Brings to mind the old saying, "What if there was a war and no one showed up?"

[Robert]

Hi sonja - Well, as long as we have war, I'll post song lyrics that offer a different point of view. I agree with your sentiment. And I still maintain that if ALL our Administrative, Legislative, and Judicial hierarchy who are pro-war had to volunteer themselves or their children and grandchildren for active service in war zones, even with noncombatant support status, we'd have a much different dialogue. "War! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing! Say it again...."

[Jill]

thank you! have been singing this song every chance I get for years. This is a great rendition. j-----

[Robert]

Hi Jill - You're most welcome. To open a proverbial can of worms, I find that the lack of protest of war among the young incredible, and wonder if entire generations are taking more for granted than they should. (My cynical side sez that if there was a draft, we'd start hearing a LOT more antiwar songs!) Antiwar songs didn't start with the boomers - Woody and Pete Seeger come to mind, as well as pre-boomers like Dylan, Lennon, Phil Ochs and many others - but right now there doesn't seem much out there (except for Green Day who I love!) And of course, the ideal is for there to be no more need for antiwar songs, since war is obsolete, destructive, and useless.

[Daniel]

An exceptionally powerful song. To give credit where credit is due, the author of this song is actually the late, great Phil Ochs.

[Robert]

Hi Daniel - Don't know your source, but to make sure my memory was still functioning I checked Wikipedia and Allmusic and they both list Buffy as the writer on "It's My Way!" album. I used to love Phil Ochs, and was turned on in 1965 to "I Ain't Marching Anymore." One of my faves was "Here's to the State of Mississippi" since it got transformed into an antiNixon song fairly easily. I'll certainly give Phil Ochs credit for being an exceptional talent whose music should be preserved. Glad someone else remembers him.