McDonald was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in El Monte, California, where he was student conductor and president of his high school marching band. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy for three years and was stationed in Japan. After his enlistment, he attended Los Angeles City College for a year. In the early 1960s, he began busking on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. His father, Worden McDonald, from Oklahoma, was of Scottish Presbyterian heritage (the son of a minister); he worked for a telephone company. His mother, Florence Plotnick, was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants and served for many years on the Berkeley City Council. In their youth, both were Communist Party members before renouncing the cause, and named their son after Joseph Stalin.
McDonald has recorded 33 albums and has written hundreds of songs over a career spanning 40 years. In 1965, he and Barry Melton co-founded Country Joe & the Fish which became a pioneer psychedelic rock band with their eclectic performances at the Avalon Ballroom, the Fillmore, the Monterey Pop Festival, and both the original and 1979 reunion Woodstock Festivals.
In the fall of 2005, political commentator Bill O'Reilly compared McDonald to Cuban President Fidel Castro, remarking on McDonald's involvement in Cindy Sheehan's protests against the Iraq War.
In 2015, McDonald (with assistance from Alec Palao), formed The Electric Music Band; the intention of the group was to perform the early psychedelic material of the early career of Country Joe And The Fish. The band has performed 'Electric Music For The Mind And Body' in its entirety, and band members include Palao, The Rain Parade's Matt Piucci and Derek See of The Chocolate Watchband.
In 2017, McDonald released an album on his own Rag Baby label entitled "50".
McDonald was married to Kathe Werum from 1963 to 1966 and married Robin Menken a year after his divorce from Werum.[12] In 1968, Menken gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Seven Anne McDonald, in San Francisco. Seven, formerly a columnist for LA Weekly and now a movie producer and artist manager,[13] had a previous career as a TV child actor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, managed Johnny Depp's Viper Room nightclub and the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins in the 1990s, and wrote for Details, Elle and Harper's Bazaar magazines in the 1990s and 2000s. According to Ron Cabral's biography on Country Joe and the Fish, Seven was the subject of and inspiration behind the song Silver and Gold. McDonald has noted that his ex-girlfriend at the time, Janis Joplin, showed much anger for breaking up with her to be with Menken but asked him to write a song about her; the result was "Janis".
McDonald has four other children, Devin (b. 1976) and Tara (b. 1980) from his marriage to Janice Taylor, and Emily (b. 1988) and Ryan (b. 1991) from his marriage to Kathy Wright.
As of 2012, McDonald still lived in Berkeley, California.
Hold On To Each Other
Country Joe McDonald Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking through a wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Well we gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Yeah, we're all just little children
Walking through a very wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
Well, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye and bye.
We are all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Hey, gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
Hold on now!
We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very, very wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
We gotta hold on, hey, gotta hold on.
Hold on to each other
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Yeah, we've gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
The lyrics of Country Joe McDonald's song Hold On To Each Other impart a simple yet profound message - that in times of struggle and adversity, we must come together and support one another. The repeated phrase "we are all just little children walking through a wicked land" emphasizes the vulnerability and fragility of the human condition, and the need for human connection and love. The lyrics are full of hope and encouragement, urging us to "hold on" to one another and not give up, even in the face of difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We are all innocent beings, navigating through a world filled with wickedness and malice, facing the harsh realities of life.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very wicked land.
The wickedness in this world is so pervasive and insidious that, even though we are all just children at heart, we struggle to overcome its malevolent force.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Well we gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
The only way to face and overcome the wickedness is to hold onto one another, provide strength and support, and work together to fight this battle.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, sister and brother.
The bond between siblings and family is unbreakable and can provide a source of hope and encouragement in times of adversity.
Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We are all mortal beings, and one day we will all face our final judgment and be held accountable for our actions on this earth.
We're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye and bye.
Just as death is certain, so too is the ultimate reckoning with our creator, which may come after much time has passed since we have left this earth.
We are all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
Regardless of our current circumstances, status, or beliefs, we will all eventually face the consequences of our actions and choices before our maker.
Hey, gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
In the face of such a daunting prospect, the only way to go through with courage is to hold onto each other and remain strong.
Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
The combination of our mortality and the wickedness in the world can be overwhelming, and holding onto each other is our only hope to navigate through these challenges and uncertainties.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
The repetition of 'hold on' emphasizes the critical importance of staying together, seeking harmony, and standing firm in the face of adversity.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very, very wicked land.
The extra use of 'very' implies that the wickedness in the world can be extreme and unforgiving, which amplifies the need for tighter, sincere bonds between humans.
We've got to hold on to each other,
We gotta hold on, hey, gotta hold on.
The phrase 'hey, gotta hold on' is an expression of urgency and emphasizes the importance of holding onto one another during these uncertain times.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Yeah, we've gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
The repetition of 'gotta hold on' at the end of the song reinforces the song's central message that hope, love, and support for one another are critical to surviving life in a world marked by darkness and uncertainty.
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