It was Fifty Years Ago Today
It was fifty years ago today
Revolution took to the streets
In Grosvenor Square and Paris
Students sang to different beats.
In Prague too they were coming alive
Digging the jive as establishments swayed,
Responding with an iron fist
As those rebellious songs played.
They used tanks against the Czechs
And armed guards in Ohio
Tear gas in London
And swung clubs in Chicago
Give Peace a Chance
For the Street Fighting Man
As the Unknown Soldier
Asked what was the plan in Vietnam?
Fifty years on from that protest and change
Now the psychedelic colours are muted.
What is the legacy of the great revolution
In simple terms that can’t be refuted?
Environmental movements and Women’s Lib?
Or just fashion, music and wind?
The establishment’s firmly back in control
And revolution’s been binned.
Opher 2.1.2018
Yes it’s like the sixties never happened.
All across the world there was a new vibe. The young were up in arms protesting. They turned their backs on the greediness and warmongering of their establishment thugs. They reached across oceans to unite in the building of a new world. Nations did not matter. Race and colour did not matter. Money was not the be all and end all. We wanted something more meaningful, more tolerant, more compassionate, more real and less hypocritical.
All you needed was love.
When we met up we found we could all get along. Differences melted like summer snow.
There was a vibe of peace and love. There was no need for violence and conflict. We were all people. We all felt the same. We shared, laughed, grew, talked and learnt.
We cared about the planet. We demanded equality. We demanded rights and freedoms. We demanded that we be allowed to enjoy life.
There was a sexual revolution. A drug revolution. A political revolution. A music revolution. A social revolution.
But they bought it off. They took over. They sold us out. They undermined. They misrepresented. They made their profits. They took back control. And our idealistic dream was bought and sold, betrayed and soiled.
Now the fascists are in control and it’s like the sixties never happened.