2/12/09: The Patriots “The Prophet” (1965)
We could’ve just gone with a conservative love song to set up Valentine’s Day. It probably would’ve been The Pursuit of Happiness’ “Shave Your Legs.” But since fear seems to be all the rage instead of love, here’s yet another upbeat answer song to Leftist doom and gloom. Like The Spokesmen, The Patriots were responding to Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction.” As you can hear for yourself, though, The Patriots are far more sneering in their disdain for Leftist panic. (Lyrics to "The Prophet" are at the end of this post, for those who prefer prose.)

It’s not always appropriate to complain that someone is simply pointing out problems. Somebody has to point out problems. The Patriots remain relevant because they were going after the messianic pose being struck by many doomsayers. “The Prophet” has only become more relevant as a second generation of messiahs start to bungle things in exciting new ways. So give “The Prophet” a listen, and at least get a warm feeling that others have been through this before.

Make it your own: We were on the 13th—and final—disc of the latest repackaging of the Mindrocker compilations when “The Prophet” stood out amongst the slew of ’60s psychedelica. We know everyone isn’t a fan of that kind of thing, but Mindrocker is certainly a smart investment for any price under $100. It’s a good idea to buy your music in bulk nowadays. That’s not meant to sound panicky, of course.

And, as promised, here are those lyrics:

There’s a prophet of doom/Spreading his gloom/Shouting misery and hate/Saying this world is a tomb/And there ain’t no room/For dreams because it's too late/He calls you his friend/Says it’s the end/Destruction is near, but wait—

         Hey, Prophet, take a look around,
         Yeah, Prophet, there’s still hope around
         Hey, Prophet, it’s awful easy for you to talk about it
         Tell me something, what are you doing about it?
         Yeah, Prophet, what are you doing about it?

There’s guys just like me/Who like what they see/And they want to be free/Because they like it that way/They don't care what you say/They’ll fight to keep it that way, too/Sure there’s things to be found/In this land that’s free/That don't seem right to me/But there’s hope in the air/Because there’s people who care/They’re not filled with despair like you!

 

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