Thank the nurse that’s nursing you
For saving your life.
For saving your life.
For saving your life.
That’s the end of “Thank the Nurse,” a song by Country Joe McDonald.
Yes, that Country Joe. “Give me an F.” That’s him. He
was a hit at the original Woodstock, which, apparently, millions attended, and
of the film that followed, which millions saw. Joe supported nurses but especially
those who served in war zones, especially Vietnam. He was considered an expert
on Florence Nightingale whom he also sang about.
He died on March 7 at his home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 84.
He was reaching retirement age when he toured Wyoming in June 2002 with poet and Musician M.L. Liebler of Detroit. They met in 1997 when M.L. was teaching poetry to Vietnam vets through the Detroit Y Writer’s Voice Project. The two were touring the country promoting their CD "Crossing Borders" that combines music and poetry. They performed in a Cheyenne park and dropped in on the “Smokin’ Poets” reading at Zen’s Bistro in Cheyenne.
"This place has a nice vibe to it,” Joe told a reporter from the Cheyenne paper. “The people who come here are intelligent, sophisticated and not yuppie."
At a later reception, Joe was OK with revisiting Woodstock but really lit up when talking about nurses. He knew a lot and I told him about my grandmother, an army nurse in France during World War 1. At that time, I was only thinking about writing about her experiences. And now I have done it.
Listen to “Thank the Nurse” on Spotify or over at YouTube. I’d provide links but links don’t last. But Joe’s F-I-S-H Cheer lives on. So does this:
When the orderly is sleeping
and
the physician can’t be found
no
need for apprehension
the
nurse is making rounds.
Thank the nurse that’s nursing you
The
one that nursed you through
3 comments:
Mike, very cool that you got to actually meet Country Joe. And he is dead on about Nurses. I do remember buying Electric Music for the Mind and Body when it came out in 67, I think. Might still have it down in the basement with all my old Albums.
Working in the arts has its moments. I met M.L. working with the YMCA Writer's Voice Project. I brought him to Wyoming for a tour and he brought along an old friend. They were great together. As I said, Joe was more in tune with the history of war nurses than Woodstock but you can't have Woodstock without him. M.L. also brought Peter Lewis to Wyoming. Peter was one of the original members of Moby Grape and still played solo and with other bands. He tells a sad story about the rise and fall of The Grape. Did you have their albums?
Moby Grape! Yes, believe I do. Remeber having it, really need to document my Albums. Will get that done.
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