Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Encyclopedia
"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" is a song written by Pete Seeger
in 1967 and made famous because of its censorship from a popular television program of that era.
wading in a river in Louisiana
on a practice patrol in 1942. Imperiously ignoring his sergeant's concerns, the captain orders the platoon to continue with himself in the lead, until they are finally up to their necks. Suddenly, the Captain drowns and the sergeant instantly orders the unit to turn back to the original shore. It turns out the Captain was not aware that the river was deeper with a joining stream upriver. The narrator declines to state an obvious moral, but intimates from what he has read in the paper that his nation itself is being led into similar peril by authoritarian fools. Each verse ends with a line noting that "the big fool said to push on.", except for the final verse, which changes to the present tense, and the refrain "the big fool says to push on." The story is similar to the Ribbon Creek incident
, which occurred in 1956.
and President
Lyndon Johnson's policy of escalation
, then widely seen as pushing the United States
deeper into the increasingly unpopular war. The captain's criticism of a dissenting sergeant as a "Nervous Nelly" in the song's third verse appears to mimick Johnson's epithet for critics of the war. Seeger often performed the song at concerts and rallies, and in late 1967 he was invited to perform on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Seeger chose to perform "Big Muddy", and sang the song on the taping of the CBS show in September, 1967 but CBS management objected to its political tone, and censored the song prior to broadcast. Following the strong objections of the show's hosts
, CBS later relented, and allowed Seeger to come back and sing the song on the Brothers' February 25, 1968 show. This broadcast is included on the DVD The Best of the Smothers Brothers.
recorded a cover of this song on his 2005 album Vuelta. The song was covered by Dick Gaughan
in his 1997 album Sail On. John McCutcheon
covered it on his 2007 album This Fire.
Bruce Springsteen
, who would later record an album of Seeger-related songs, used the line "Waist deep in the big muddy" as the chorus for his 1992 song, "Big Muddy."
The song was translated into French by Graeme Allwright
under the title "Jusqu'à la ceinture".
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
in 1967 and made famous because of its censorship from a popular television program of that era.
Story
The song tells the story of a platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
wading in a river in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
on a practice patrol in 1942. Imperiously ignoring his sergeant's concerns, the captain orders the platoon to continue with himself in the lead, until they are finally up to their necks. Suddenly, the Captain drowns and the sergeant instantly orders the unit to turn back to the original shore. It turns out the Captain was not aware that the river was deeper with a joining stream upriver. The narrator declines to state an obvious moral, but intimates from what he has read in the paper that his nation itself is being led into similar peril by authoritarian fools. Each verse ends with a line noting that "the big fool said to push on.", except for the final verse, which changes to the present tense, and the refrain "the big fool says to push on." The story is similar to the Ribbon Creek incident
Ribbon Creek Incident
The Ribbon Creek incident is the most common term for events which occurred on the night of April 8, 1956, when Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon, a junior drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, marched his assigned platoon into Ribbon Creek, a swampy tidal...
, which occurred in 1956.
Significance
The song was considered symbolic of the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Lyndon Johnson's policy of escalation
Escalation
Escalation is the phenomenon of something getting more intense step by step, for example a quarrel, or, notably, a war between states possessing weapons of mass destruction. Compare to escalator, a device that lifts something to a higher level...
, then widely seen as pushing the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
deeper into the increasingly unpopular war. The captain's criticism of a dissenting sergeant as a "Nervous Nelly" in the song's third verse appears to mimick Johnson's epithet for critics of the war. Seeger often performed the song at concerts and rallies, and in late 1967 he was invited to perform on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Seeger chose to perform "Big Muddy", and sang the song on the taping of the CBS show in September, 1967 but CBS management objected to its political tone, and censored the song prior to broadcast. Following the strong objections of the show's hosts
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
, CBS later relented, and allowed Seeger to come back and sing the song on the Brothers' February 25, 1968 show. This broadcast is included on the DVD The Best of the Smothers Brothers.
Cover versions
Richard ShindellRichard Shindell
Richard Shindell is an American folk songwriter. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York. He currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, a university professor, and their children....
recorded a cover of this song on his 2005 album Vuelta. The song was covered by Dick Gaughan
Dick Gaughan
Richard Peter Gaughan usually known as Dick Gaughan is a Scottish musician, singer, and songwriter, particularly of folk and social protest songs.-Early years:...
in his 1997 album Sail On. John McCutcheon
John McCutcheon
John McCutcheon is an American folk music singer and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 34 albums since the 1970s. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and...
covered it on his 2007 album This Fire.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, who would later record an album of Seeger-related songs, used the line "Waist deep in the big muddy" as the chorus for his 1992 song, "Big Muddy."
The song was translated into French by Graeme Allwright
Graeme Allwright
Graeme Allwright is a singer-songwriter. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, he moved to France in 1948. He began to perform and write folk songs a few years later and was eventually signed by Sonogram. In the 1960s, he translated into French a number of songs written by Leonard Cohen, Tom...
under the title "Jusqu'à la ceinture".