Phil Ochs - All My Heroes Are Dead LYRICS

Copyright 1992 burning field music (ascap)



You gotta admit life magazine made 1968 look great,

My father said it sucked, everybody died.

All the troops you couldnt save, no one knew how to be brave,

He said sometimes you were afraid to turn your radio on.

It was enough to make you quit that peacenick scene.

Well I heard about leaders, yeah I heard theyre no longer around,

Cause peace was abandoned, and bravery hanged in his town.

And they passed down a sentence for building on the beauty of some dream.



All my heroes are dead, I got them in my head, saying

Never again, never a war, no more fighting.

So Ill stay true to them, and theyll come home again,

Ill carry the light, follow the dream, Ill remember.



The 68 convention was a singing the times they are a-changing,

Well I guess they a-changed back.

Oh I miss those peaceful folk, love and humor when they spoke, hey

Phil ochs you still sound great, shouldve stuck around to hear it.

They say that compact disc makes songs come true.

But phil I never expected that Id miss you like a friend,

Cause I never expected that wed be marching again.

And the soldiers of peace would tumble from this life as in a war.



All my heroes are dead, and all the books I read,

Said "this is greed, this is wrong, fight your war at home".

So Ill stay true to them, and theyll come home again,

Ill carry the light, follow the dream, Ill remember.



So back to the present passion, romance, love, or simply

Put a lack thereof.

Shall we go on?

I dont take it personally, its our post-modern history,

You know since nixon was impeached its just been hard to commit,

So we cast our allegance left and right.

But I always believed that our souls would come through.

So I never expected that youd take her home with you.

And I never detected, how hardened and not sorry you

Could be. dont you know?

All our heroes are dead, we got ourselves instead.

And oh my friend, all your lies, they wont do you.

You gotta stay true to them, and theyll come home again,

I miss them too, I miss them too, you know I miss them

More than I love you.