Lyr Req/Add: Eugene Pratt (Mason Proffit)

Subject: Antiwar Lyrics: Vietnam
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 07 Aug 00 - 02:31 PM

This one is really driving me crazy, as I guess all lyric requests might. But I'd appreciate any help anyone could provide. Been searching for over 6 months without success.

I've got fairly good long and short term memory but this one escapes me.

This was, I believe, an antiwar, anti-establishment song. Can't remember the artist or the song title. Not much to go on. Late 1960's I believe.

Here's what I recall: Male singer, deep voice, portions of the song acoustic. Here's a portion of the lyrics I recall, and I'm close, but some paraphrasing. Snippets:

"Them boys at the fraternity just got drunk and blocked it all out." and then "..... writin' 'bout the world and war." I swear that's all I remember. Though acoustic, it was not a slow "folksy" ballad but much quicker in tempo. Dave Mason? Phil Ochs? Jaimie Brockett? Can't find a thing.

Funny, I even recall the Alternative radio station in Milwaukee where I last heard the song in 1972. I even remember the DJ, a local legend. I wrote to him recently as it aired on his show, and he did not even recall.

Very powerful tune as I remember. Does anyone recall the song title or the artist? If not might anyone point me ina direction where I could hunt further?

Like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I'm determined to find it!!

Thanks,

Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Antiwar Lyrics
From: SINSULL
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 10:05 AM

refresh.
Someone has to know this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Antiwar Lyrics
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 06:49 PM

Still hunting, checking, dissecting, nothing yet.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Antiwar Lyrics
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 08:05 PM

Nothing in CopernicSearch engine with any of the above phrases. I have not tried "anti-war songs/lyrics" yet. Personally, I have no clue.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Antiwar Lyrics
From: Giac
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 10:39 PM

I've tried Google, Mamma, and Jeeves and read each and every word of every Country Joe and the Fish lyrics I could find -- no luck, sorry.

Subject: Lyr Add: GIFT OF YEARS (Eric Bogle) ^^
From: Lox
Date: 09 Aug 00 - 01:39 AM

All I can say is; haven't got a clue!

However, if you can't find it, a nice consolation (assuming you don't alteady know it) is "Thankyou for the years" by Eric Bogle.

It is the sequel to "And the Band played Waltzing Matilda", being written from the perspective of the same guy upon his return to Gallipoli as an old man. In my opinion, there is no finer song!

---

THE GIFT OF YEARS
(Eric Bogle)
As sung by Eric Bogle on "Voices in the Wilderness" (1991)

Well, old friend, here I am; I told you I'd be back,
And as usual, mate, I'm bloody late; it's seventy-five years down the track.
For the last time, here I stand,
In this familiar foreign land,
Back with the mates I left behind, fixed forever in their time.

And of all the ghosts of all the boys who haunt this lonely place,
Only one of them wears your cheery grin and your Queensland joker's face,
But I drown in old and bloody dreams
Of helpless young men's dying screams.
I feel your hand give my arm a shake and your voice say: "Steady, mate!"

And the country that you died for, mate, you would not know it now,
And the future that we dreamed of, mate, got all twisted up somehow.
The peace that we were fighting for,
The end to stupid senseless war,
So it couldn't happen to our kids—well, old mate, it did!

But thank you for the gift of years and the flame that brightly burned,
For the time you bought and the lessons taught, so often wasted and unlearned.
"Lest we forget" cry the multitude,
As if I ever, ever could,
So forgive an old man's tears, and thank you for the years.

Subject: Lyr Add: EUGENE PRATT (Mason Proffit)
From: cnd
Date: 18 Aug 15 - 12:00 AM

EUGENE PRATT
Written by John Michael Talbot and Terry Nolan Talbot
As recorded by the band Mason Proffit on their album "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (1972)

When I was just a young boy, on the Oklahoma plains
I tried to keep my shoes shined, tried to keep a clean name
Way over town lived a boy named Eugene Pratt
And we weren't allowed to talk to him, say hi and none of that (no, no)

I went off to school; Eugene sat right in front of my desk
All the kids, they made fun of him, cause Gene was such a mess (Lord)
But oh, he worked hard, and he took home a mess of good grades
And when it came time for him to go to big school, Eugene went far away

'Cause that's the way it was
And that's the way it is
And that's the way it was
And that's the way it is

I went off to college, got myself a job in the campus store
In the meantime, Gene spent his time writin' 'bout the world and war
I didn't understand all the things he was talkin' about
So my friends and me from that old fraternity, we just got drunk and blocked it all out (Yes we did)

Then we graduated, lost our deferments, our excuse
And the man said, "come here, boys; gonna put your education to a good use"
Went down to the draft board, and there was Eugene lookin' alive and well
Yeah, but when it came time for to put his name on the line, he told them all to go to hell (Yes he did)

Eugene was by far the smartest, the most concerned with humanity
But it was him they took far away and stuck in a penitentiary, lordy
I can't help but wonder if we'd all stand up like him
Then there'd be no one to carry those damn guns for somethin' nobody believes in

But that ain't the way it was (no)
That ain't the way it is (ain't it too bad?)
That ain't the way it was (no)
That ain't the way it is
That ain't the way it was
That ain't the way it is
That ain't the way it was
That ain't the way it is

Enjoy the song here

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Antiwar song-Ballad of Eugene Pratt
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Aug 15 - 05:32 AM

Hmmm. The Harry Fox Agency's Songfile.com service says that a song called "Eugene Pratt" was written by John Michael Talbot and his brother Terry Nolan Talbot, recorded by their band, Mason Proffit. I know John Michael Talbot as a hymn writer who founded a monastery of lay Franciscan men and women in Arkansas called The Little Portion Hermitage. My favorite Talbot song is Holy Is His Name, a setting of the Magnificat.

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Antiwar song-Ballad of Eugene Pratt
From: cnd
Date: 19 Aug 15 - 09:52 AM

Thanks, Joe, for the information! Seems weird the hymn writers would write such a volatile song!

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Antiwar song-Ballad of Eugene Pratt
From: GUEST,#
Date: 19 Aug 15 - 10:48 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl0G6LHjKfc

Note that at that YT link Terry Talbot posted a year back. Anyone interested could try writing to him there.

The song was called Eugene Pratt but maybe has morphed into TBoEP(?).