Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)

Subject: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:22 AM

Did any of you know about the US invasion of the Dominican Republic in the 60's? I hadn't heard about it till I researched what this song was about...

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:23 AM

Lyrics and a link to some info are here...

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:25 AM

"Did any of you know about the US invasion of the Dominican Republic in the 60's?"

Yes. It took place in 1965. Every single time I hear the song, "Sugar, Sugar" it brings it back.

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:27 AM

How did I miss this? My other song-y friends never heard of it either. When you look in the history of the Dom.Rep, it doesn't show anything past 1914 usually... look in Wikipedia, for example.

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:32 AM

It was easy to miss. It helped bring Johnson into disrepute with the American media. T'was bullshit (the reasons given for the invasion), and when the media found out they'd been lied to they turned on Washington like a rabid dog. Unlike today when the media is part of the administration and willing to sell the lie FOR it.

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Peace
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 11:35 AM

If you are interested, you might wish to give this site a read:

http://sincronia.cucsh.udg.mx/dominican.html

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 12:44 PM

Thanks, peace!

Subject: RE: Origins: Santo Domingo (Phil Ochs)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 12:58 PM

For the record, here are the lyrics:

The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo

By Phil Ochs

  Capo 2nd fret
  Intro:Em
  
  Em
  And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth,
               D     Dsus D
  The sand is burning
           C          D          C               D
  And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight,
                 Em
  their courses turning
  
  As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest
               D      Dsus D
  the sea is churning.
         C          D              C        D       Em
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo.
  
  The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets, the day's a-burning
  As the warships sway and thunder in the bay, loud the morning.
  But the boy on the shore is throwing pebbles no more, he runs a-warning
  That the the marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo.
  
  The streets are still, there's silence in the hills, the town is sleeping
  And the farmers yawn in the grey silver dawn, the fields they're keeping
  As the first troops land and step into the sand, the flags are weeping.
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo.
  
  The unsmiling sun is shining down upon the singing soldiers
  In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls, they're getting bolder
  The old women sigh, think of memories gone by, they shrug their shoulders.
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo.
  
  Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed, now they are rolling
  And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks where fear is unfolding
  All the young wives afraid, turn their backs to the parade
          with babes they're holding
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
  
  A bullet craks the sound, the soldiers hit the ground, the sniper is callin'
  So they open their guns, a thousand to one, no sense in stalling
  He clutches at his head and totters on the edge, look how he's falling
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
  
  In the red plaza square, The crowds come to stare, the heat is leaning
  And the eyes of the dead are turning every head to the widows screaming 
  The soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids, their teeth are gleaming
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
  
  Up and down the coad, the generals drink a toast, the wheel is spinning
  And the cowards and the whores are peeking through the doors
          to see who's winning
  But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end,
          when it's beginning
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
  
  The crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth, the sand is burning
  And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight, their courses turning
  As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest, the sea is churning
  The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
  

Notes:

Chords supplied by Michael Flesher (via Danny Korman), and corrected by James Barnett.
Here's a non-US sanitized version of the

History of the Dominican Republic

---

Source: http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics/marines-santo-domingo.html

There's a large collection of Phil Ochs lyrics here (click).