"War Song" is a 1972 single credited to Neil Young & Graham Nash with The S… Read Full Bio ↴"War Song" is a 1972 single credited to Neil Young & Graham Nash with The Stray Gators. It was released in support of George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, who was running against incumbent President Richard Nixon. Young had already voiced his opinions of Nixon two years prior with "Ohio" while a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and once again tried to make an impact with a protest song. Despite his and Nash's intentions, the single failed to make a serious impression.

The single itself would soon go out of print. Warner Brothers released the song on their 1974 "Loss Leader" Series album Hard Goods (a promotional series used primarily to promote rock acts on the label at the time). After that, "War Song" would remain unreleased in any other format until June 2009, when it was finally released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray on a box set by Neil Young called The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972.

The Stray Gators was the name given by Neil Young to his supporting musicians from 1971-1973 and who backed him on the albums Harvest and Time Fades Away. It consisted of Jack Nitzsche (piano), Ben Keith (steel guitar), Tim Drummond (bass) and Kenny Buttrey (drums).

While in Nashville to tape an episode of The Johnny Cash Show, Young was convinced to record some of his new tracks in Elliot Mazer's Quadrafonic Sound Studios. Since it was a Saturday night, Mazer scrambled to find musicians who were not working that night and was able to bring in Drummond, Keith, and Buttrey. Over two nights they recorded four tracks that would end up on Harvest.

Young then used frequent collaborator Nitzsche to arrange and produce two tracks with an orchestra. He then brought the three Nashville musicians plus Nitzsche to his ranch in California to record the three electric-guitar songs in his barn. At some point, he dubbed this new group The Stray Gators.

After the release of Harvest they appeared on the "War Song" single, credited to Young and Graham Nash. Outtakes from the Harvest sessions later appeared on the Journey Through the Past soundtrack, Tonight's the Night, and The Archives Vol. 1 1963-1972.

In 1973 they backed Young on his Time Fades Away tour, though Buttrey was replaced mid-tour by Johnny Barbata; the latter drummer appeared on the album from the tour. They ceased to operate as a unit after that tour. Drummond and Keith continued to work individually with Young on subsequent projects.

Young reconvened The Stray Gators for his 1992 Harvest Moon album, with Spooner Oldham replacing Nitzsche on keyboards. Nitzsche, however, did arrange the strings on "Such a Woman", as he had done on Harvest.

War Song
Neil Young & Graham Nash with The Stray Gators Lyrics

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In the morning when you wake up You've got planes flying in the sky There's a man says All the lies in your eyes Flying bombs made to break up he can put an end to war He'll never walk around They shot George Wallace down Our mines are sleeping in the sea Blow those bridges down And kill those Vietnamese And burn that jungle down he can put an end to war There's a man says In the morning when you wake up Flying bombs made to break up You've got planes flying in the sky All the lies in your eyes he can put an end to war There's a man says

Overall Meaning

Neil Young's lyrics in War Song criticize the violence and destruction caused by war. The song acknowledges the planes flying in the sky and the bombs that are made to break and destroy. A man in the song claims that he can put an end to war by stopping the lies and violence perpetuated by those in power. However, the song highlights the irony of the situation by mentioning the assassination of George Wallace, a politician known for his segregationist views, who was killed while running for president in 1972.

The song mentions the mines that are sleeping in the sea, most likely a reference to naval warfare and the use of underwater mines. The lyrics then call for the destruction of bridges and the killing of Vietnamese people while also expressing a desire to burn down the jungle. These lines emphasize the brutality and senseless violence of war. The recurring line "There's a man says" seems to point to the idea that there is always someone claiming to have a solution to war, yet violence and destruction persist.

Overall, War Song is a critique of the harm and devastation caused by war. It highlights the deceptive and violent nature of those in power, and the futility of trusting in those who claim to have solutions to war.

War SongNeil Young & Graham Nash with The Stray Gators Lyrics

War Song
Neil Young & Graham Nash with The Stray Gators Lyrics