The lead singer was "Country" Joe McDonald. The lead guitarist was Barry "The Fish" Melton. Co-founders McDonald and Melton added musicians as needed over the life of the band.
The band was an early example of Psychedelic music. The LP "Electric Music for the Mind and Body" was very influential on early FM Radio in 1967. Long sets of psychedelic tunes like "Section 43", "Bass Strings", "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", "Janis" (for and about Janis Joplin) and "Grace" (all released on Vanguard Records) were often played back to back on KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco and progressive rock stations around the country. Country Joe and The Fish were regulars at Fillmore West and East and the Family Dog at the Avalon. They were billed with such groups as Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Led Zeppelin, and Iron Butterfly. They played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. In 1971 the band appeared in a Western film starring Don Johnson as an outlaw gang called the Crackers. The film, entitled Zachariah, was written by the Firesign Theater and was billed as "The First Electric Western". They also appeared in the George Lucas film More American Graffiti.
Their biggest hit was the anti-war "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag", which debuted the same year of the band, but became best known after Country Joe's solo acoustic performance of it at Woodstock. Country Joe was involved with legal disputes with the family of Kid Ory due to the tune's similarity to Ory's Dixieland jazz standard "Muskrat Ramble". In August of 2003, the court case was decided in Joe's favor due to the long time between the debut of "Fixin' to Die" and the first legal claim against it by Ory's family. (Copyright on Country Joe's song was registered in 1968, and Babette Ory registered her father's 1926 song in 2001.)
Barry Melton was later a founding member of The Dinosaurs and has recently released new recordings of that band whose members included Peter Albin from Big Brother and The Holding Company and John Cipollina from Quicksilver Messenger Service and Copperhead.
Hang On
Country Joe & The Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking for people to feed him lines.
Feeling up his head then reaching for mine
I ask him how he's doing and he says "Just fine".
He calls it learning, but we know that he's dying.
That seems to be the price when you're walking on ice
It ain't so nice, but it helps to pass the time.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
At social functions of the marching band
He takes his routine up on the stand,
And trying to get the lay of the land
You know he sings and dances in the burning sand
Until someone puts a microphone in his hand.
And then he will say as he slowly backs away
"Another day perhaps you'll understand.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall."
With maps and charts now he plots the skies
Surrounds himself with mystic eyes
Dwells on deeds of other lives,
Sings secret chants and lullabies
Then he'll come to sit and hypothesize
Again and again about the shape that he's in.
Well now he's my friend but I know that they're mostly sighs
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall.
And running behind the Hit Parade
He yells out songs that others have made
Unable to see his own masquerade
You know he waves his sword with the gilt edge blade
And I'd love to send him to Travelers' Aid
For when he hears the sound of the stuff he's putting down
He might drown in his own cascade.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall,
Before you fall, fall, fall, before you fall,
You got to hang on, Sloopy, hang on,
Hang on before you fall, all right.
The lyrics of Hang On by Country Joe & The Fish seem to describe a person who is struggling with their own identity, while desperately seeking validation and approval from others. This person is referred to as a "cobalt friend" who spends a lot of time looking for people to feed him lines, as if he doesn't trust his own voice or ideas. He is also described as "feeling up his head then reaching for mine", which suggests that he may be trying to impose his own thoughts and opinions on others, perhaps to solidify his own beliefs.
Despite his efforts to fit in and find his place, the person in the song seems to be aware that something isn't quite right. While he calls it "learning", the singer of the song believes that he knows that his friend is actually dying. Walking on ice is a dangerous game, and the price of failure can be steep. The lyrics suggest that this person may be struggling with mental health issues, and that his behavior is a way of coping or distracting himself from his own thoughts and feelings.
The song repeats the phrase "you got to hang on" several times, perhaps as a reminder to the person in question that he needs to keep going, even though things may be difficult. The repetition of this line also suggests that the singer of the song is also grappling with uncertainty and instability in his own life. Ultimately, Hang On is a song that speaks to the struggles that many people face as they try to navigate their way through the world, figuring out who they are and where they belong.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a cobalt friend now he spends his time
Looking for people to feed him lines.
I have a friend who is constantly looking for people to tell him what to do or say.
Feeling up his head then reaching for mine
I ask him how he's doing and he says "Just fine".
He calls it learning, but we know that he's dying.
My friend is always asking for advice and acting like he's learning, but we know that he's not really growing or changing, he's just stagnating.
That seems to be the price when you're walking on ice
It ain't so nice, but it helps to pass the time.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, hey, before you fall.
When you're unsure of yourself or your direction in life, it can be uncomfortable or unpleasant, but it's better than doing nothing and falling apart.
At social functions of the marching band
He takes his routine up on the stand,
And trying to get the lay of the land
You know he sings and dances in the burning sand
Until someone puts a microphone in his hand.
And then he will say as he slowly backs away
"Another day perhaps you'll understand.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall."
My friend tries to impress others by performing or putting on a show, but then backs away when confronted. He encourages others to hang on and keep going, but doesn't have many answers himself.
With maps and charts now he plots the skies
Surrounds himself with mystic eyes
Dwells on deeds of other lives,
Sings secret chants and lullabies
Then he'll come to sit and hypothesize
Again and again about the shape that he's in.
Well now he's my friend but I know that they're mostly sighs
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall.
My friend is interested in spiritual or mystical concepts and theories, but doesn't take much action to change his own life. I still like him, but I know he's not really making progress. We all need to hang on and keep going, even when we're not sure what's going on.
And running behind the Hit Parade
He yells out songs that others have made
Unable to see his own masquerade
You know he waves his sword with the gilt edge blade
And I'd love to send him to Travelers' Aid
For when he hears the sound of the stuff he's putting down
He might drown in his own cascade.
You got to hang on, you got to hang on, you got to hang on
Before you fall, before you fall,
Before you fall, fall, fall, before you fall,
You got to hang on, Sloopy, hang on,
Hang on before you fall, all right.
My friend tries to act like he knows more than he does by singing popular songs and acting like he's in control, but he's really just pretending. I wish he would get help to sort out his own emotions and thoughts, before he gets overwhelmed by them. We've all got to hang on and work through our issues, even when it's difficult.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel De Massari
Cj&F simply rules... even though, after all those years, still very fresh and actual!
David N
ReBeginner NotWhatStandwell
14 minutes ago (edited)
Brilliant, thanks for loading these. Saw him and Barry (Melton) in Nottingham (UK) must have been mid 70's acoustic set, they were brilliant, asked for numbers suggestions, I yelled CJ Fish - which one, I said, all of it!
riddick
..1-2-3-WHAT I'LL BE FIGHTIN'4?-DON'T ASK ME:I DONE GIVE A DAWN,NEXT STOP IS VIETNAM..4-5-6-7 OPEN UP THE PEARLY GATES..PEACE!