Song That Bomb Has Got To Go example essay topic

Report on Protest Song 'This Bomb has Got to Go' by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl. Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl were popular Folk musicians prior to and during the Vietnam War Era. They had a love of humanity and a great desire for justice and peace in the world. The subjects of their songs were real people in a real world.

They wrote and sang about survival. Their lyrics were simple and sometimes traditional melodies formed the basis of their songs. Their musical equipment was mostly acoustic and they performed to large audiences throughout the world. They released many albums. A favourite peace march song around 1963 was 'That Bomb has Got to Go'.

In this song Seeger and MacColl describe the feelings and relate the events surrounding the times of the 1960's when many nations were arming themselves for war and they warn of the dangers of using all bombs (including nuclear bombs) as weapons. This can be seen through such lyrics as 'fall out here and fall out there' and 'strontium ninety everywhere'. The song also describes their prophetic dream where the Prime Minister calls for disarmament in an over-crowded world and the Tories 'see the light'. The main points of the song tell about the size of the bomb and the number of people one bomb can kill. It tells of the hopes of old folk, children at school, and the newly-born Prince, all of whom have a plan to march to Trafalgar Square, London to protest 'That Bomb Has Got to Go!' The purpose of the song is to encourage the audience to take action and to attend the protest march which ends in the gathering of protestors at Trafalgar Square, London, where the politicians, the Queen, the Prime Minister would notice them and be forced to re-think their Defence Policies.

The lyrics, 'I dreamed the Tories saw the light' and MacMillan (the Prime Minister) spoke in Parliament, 'let's stop this damned rearmament' indicate that the songwriters believed that their cause would result in successful disarmament and ban of nuclear bombs. Even the newly-born prince who could not yet walk was supposed to have said 'We " re marching to Trafalgar Square, ... to declare 'THAT BOMB HAS GOT TO GO'. Because everyone, including babies and old folk were marching, the audience would have felt compelled to join in. They were being positioned to feel that it was normal to protest.

The song appeals to all persons who want to see peace in an overcrowded world, to those who want to 'live to a ripe old age', and to those persons who practice 'the golden rule'. The songwriters claim that old folk and the school students all 'repeat the golden rule'. The golden rule requires us all to do unto others what we would want them to do unto us. 'Do you want people to drop nuclear bombs on our country?' is what Seeger and MacColl ask the audience. That is, they are asking everyone. World War II and its atomic bombing in Japan was still in the memories of many persons and this was a confronting question.

Even more so in London which had been bombed by the Nazis. The mood of the song is stirring. The songwriters keep returning to the chorus which encourages the audience to march to Trafalgar Square to protest. The song commences with a warning that it is better to live in an overcrowded world than in no world at all. The steady marching tempo and the use of 'oh yes oh' (shout) indicates a possible uprising if the bomb is not banned.

The song encourages the people to get angry at injustice and to do something about it - march to ban the bomb. Based on a sea shanty the structure of this song is simple as is the language used. This means everyone can understand it and this suits the purpose of the songwriters. By using 'we " re' as the first word of the song, Seeger and MacColl show the audience that this is a group, a force to be reckoned with - these people marching to Trafalgar Square.

They use 'I' 'you' 'us' and even a baby boy 'him' hoping to instil a sense of responsibility in every citizen, including babies. There is repetition of the chorus after each couplet as a constant reminder of the urgency of the call to march. Maybe today the bomb that 'weighs a ton' will 'kill a million in one go', so 'we'd' all better get to Trafalgar Square quickly and stop that from happening! The flashback imagery of the World War II London bombing would be real for the audience.

The prophetic 'dream' the other night reveals Parliament House, and it's easy to visualize old folk and school kids, the bride-to-be who doesn't want her husband to go to war, and the new little Prince whose picture would have been in all the newspapers and magazines and on television just prior. What would happen if a bomb dropped on him? The rhyme is simple and complex poetic devices are not prominent in this song. It is very simple and has a rhythmic marching beat. Perhaps the title 'That Bomb Has Got To Go... ' has been deliberately used because 'OFF' could easily be added and then another million people would be killed. Even though the word 'off' is not included it is almost visible and this creates a sense of urgency once more.

In conclusion, this song 'That Bomb Has Got To Go' is an open invitation to everyone to become pro-active, join in and protest against the injustices of war. It is an invitation to politicians, country leaders and the public in general to question whether they are practising the golden rule as do the old folk and the school kids in the song. This protest song is still relevant today as daily we hear about bombings and nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. Our men and women are still at war. War is part of out private lives because of the decisions of Presidents and Prime Ministers and their parties. Perhaps it is time to march to the local square and call with Seeger and MacColl 'That Bomb Has Got to Go!