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.
The Call
Country Joe McDonald Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hark to the call of War.
Over the gorse and the golden dells,
Ringing and swinging the clamorous bells,
Praying and saying of wild farewells:
War! War! War!
High and low, all must go:
Leave to the women the harvest yield;
Gird ye, men, for the sinister field;
A sabre instead of a scythe to wield;
War! Red war!
Rich and poor, lord and boor,
Hark to the blast of War!
Tinker and tailor and millionaire,
Actor in triumph and priest in prayer,
Comrades now in the hell out there,
Sweep to the fire of War!
Prince and page, sot and sage,
Hark to the roar of War!
Poet, professor and circus clown,
Chimney-sweep and fop of the town,
Into the pot and be melted down:
Into the pot of War!
Women all, hear the call
The pitiless call of War!
Look your last on your dearest ones,
Brothers and husbands, fathers, sons:
Swift they go to the ravenous guns,
The gluttonous guns of War.
Everywhere thrill the air
The maniac bells of War.
There will be little of sleeping to-night;
There will be wailing and weeping to-night;
Death's red sickle is reaping to-night:
War! War! War!
War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
The lyrics of Country Joe McDonald’s song, The Call, depict the harsh reality of war and its inevitable impact on all social classes and gender. The song emphasizes the all-encompassing nature of war, as even the most unlikely individuals are called upon to fight for their country. The opening stanza of the song demands that everyone listen to the call of war, as it is far-reaching and clear. The bells signify the urgency and importance of the call as they ring out, urging everyone to mobilize for the war effort. The author reveals that even those who may be hesitant or uncertain about participating in the war must respond to the call, as war does not discriminate based on economic or social status.
The third stanza of the song highlights the universality of the call to war, emphasizing that everyone must put aside their work and professions to fight for their country. The image of wartime slaughter replaces the peaceful image of harvesting, with men girding themselves for battle with sabres instead of scythes. The fourth stanza paints a picture of social hierarchy melting down in the face of war, making foes out of comrades. The trivialities of rank, wealth or fame prove irrelevant in the face of the unifying force of war.
The final stanza urges women to listen to the pitiless call of war, realizing that they too, face the repercussions of war, with brothers, sons, and husbands facing imminent death. The maniac bells of war sound everywhere, ringing out in the cacophony of death, with little room for sleep, and only the dreary prospect of wailing and weeping. Finally, the song ends with the resounding echo of “War! War! War!” repeated 12 times, emphasizing the omnipresence of the concept in time of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Far and near, high and clear,
Hark to the call of War.
Listen to the call of War, which echoes far and wide, loud and clear.
Over the gorse and the golden dells,
Ringing and swinging the clamorous bells,
Praying and saying of wild farewells:
War! War! War!
The call rings out over the countryside, with bells ringing and people shouting 'War'. They pray and bid farewell to loved ones, knowing that they may not return from the battle.
High and low, all must go:
Hark to the shout of War!
Everyone, regardless of station or class, must go to war.
Leave to the women the harvest yield;
Gird ye, men, for the sinister field;
A sabre instead of a scythe to wield;
War! Red war!
Men must leave the fields to the women to harvest, and instead prepare to fight in the dangerous, bloody battlefield. They must trade their scythes for sabres, as they prepare for war.
Rich and poor, lord and boor,
Hark to the blast of War!
All members of society, whether rich or poor, noble or common, must listen to the call of war.
Tinker and tailor and millionaire,
Actor in triumph and priest in prayer,
Comrades now in the hell out there,
Sweep to the fire of War!
People of all professions – craftsmen, actors, priests, and millionaires – are now comrades in the deadly battlefield, fighting together in the flames of war.
Prince and page, sot and sage,
Hark to the roar of War!
Even wealthy and educated people, such as princes and wise sages, must listen to the roar of war.
Poet, professor and circus clown,
Chimney-sweep and fop of the town,
Into the pot and be melted down:
Into the pot of War!
People of all trades and professions – poets, professors, chimney-sweeps, and clowns – must go to war and be melted down in the pot of war, with no distinction between them.
Women all, hear the call
The pitiless call of War!
Women, too, must listen to the call of war, which is merciless and unforgiving.
Look your last on your dearest ones,
Brothers and husbands, fathers, sons:
Swift they go to the ravenous guns,
The gluttonous guns of War.
Women must bid farewell to their loved ones – brothers, husbands, fathers, and sons – as they are sent off to fight in the deadly battlefield, where they will be consumed by the insatiable guns of war.
Everywhere thrill the air
The maniac bells of War.
There will be little of sleeping to-night;
There will be wailing and weeping to-night;
Death's red sickle is reaping to-night:
War! War! War!
War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
War! War! War! War!
The air is filled with the sound of the insane, merciless bells of war. People will not sleep well tonight, but instead will be crying and mourning those lost in battle. Death will reap a bloody toll tonight, and war will continue relentlessly, echoing through the night and beyond.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARK KNOPFLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind