In the song I’m Fixin To Die by the band in the 60’s Country Joe and The Fish was a very popular group that played in the world renowned Woodstock Concert that featured 3 long days on a farm that many argue changed history. Now almost all music of note produced in the 60’s and 70’s was related in some way shape or form to the war in Vietnam. The popular song I’m Fixin To Die is no exception to the rule. One of the reasons for the songs immense popularity was its use of two primary literary devices the first being Irony and the second being paradox. Starting from the very name of the band these literary devices are of paramount importance to the very existence of the song.
In the thesis statement above irony is listed first for a reason, that reason is because starting with the very name of the band Country Joe and The Fish, it is almost as if they were trying to drive Nixon’s “silent majority” crazy because if one read up on the name one would know that they are in short calling themselves Joseph Stalin and Chairman Mao Zedong; this can be said with confidence due to the fact that a nickname used in American propaganda for Joseph Stalin in the Post WWII era of history was in fact Country Joe and in Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book the now infamous ex-leader of the Chinese Communist Party and first leader of the Peoples Republic Of China he states “that if one wishes to be a revolutionary he must swim with the fishes”. Throughout the song there is several examples of irony that is mostly due to the satirical nature of the song, among them are:
“Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.”
Also,
“Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong. “
Another example although despite its irony and satirical nature of the song this line is one of the most controversial of them all,
“Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.”
Each one of these stanzas ironic not on a line by line basis but collectively as a whole this is because the stanzas if taken at face value would be rude but in support of the Vietnam. However through the way the song I sung and the fact that the human being can recognize emotion where as machines can not one can appreciate the songs collective face value. The first quoted stanza is ironic because it is talking about how to achieve piece and he is talking about mass death to an opposing ideology. Now if it is successful it will lead to peace but all ventures down such a path will as they always have end with failure and righteous and well earned anger by the targeted against the so called ‘peace winners’. Through the total satirical nature of the song irony is found collectively and individually throughout the song.
Paradox another literary device used to enhance the quality and the enjoyment of the literature or in this case the piece of music is the other major literary deice in the song. Technically one could argue that the whole song is a paradox due to the blatant antonym like nature of the whole song collectively to their collective definitions in the literal sense to the known meaning of the actual song. In this stanza
since Country Joe uses the word ‘we’ he implies himself in the lyrics why would he not care about what he is fighting for:
“And it's one, two, three, four
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;”
Also when these lines are sung if taken literally even without the knowledge of satirical comedy this paradox in the song is more than enough to raise a few eyebrows:
“Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven, eight
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.”
After all those being sent to the front usually are the ones who get closer to their god of choice, assuming of course you can believe in such a non-existent entity. In conclusion paradox just as irony was for slightly different reasons is seen collectively throughout the song and in individual places as well.
Thus I have concluded that irony and paradox are closely related more so than in other songs. From the very band name to the end of the song irony is present as an individual and collective force where as paradox is present more than irony as a collective force in the song.
