Ohio

1
Ohio

• By Neil Young

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Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,We're finally on
our own.This summer I hear the drumming,Four
dead in Ohio.Gotta get down to itSoldiers are
cutting us downShould have been done long
ago.What if you knew herAnd found her dead on
the ground?How can you run when you know?
next
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Gotta get down to itSoldiers are cutting us
downShould have been done long ago.What if you
knew herAnd found her dead on the ground?How
can you run when you know?Tin soldiers and
Nixon coming,We're finally on our own.This
summer I hear the drumming,Four dead in Ohio.
back
4
Citations
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/od_history_vietnam_dominoes.phpgt. Barringer,
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Dead In Ohio. N.d. Neil Young Ohio Lyrics
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2010. lthttp//www.thrasherswheat.org/fot/ohio.htmgt
. Harris, Robert A. A Handbook of Rhetorical
Devices, Page 3. VirtualSalt, 5 Jan.      2010.
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Chronology of UK. UK, n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.
     lthttp//www.uky.edu/Libraries/libpage.php?lw
eb_id311llib_id13gt. Kent State Shooting. 3
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2010.      Web. 1 June 2010. lthttp//www.dipity.c
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"Kent State Shootings." Kent State Shootings -
Ohio History Central. Ohio      Historical
Society, 2010. Web. 1 June 2010.
     lthttp//www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php
?rec1595gt. Lewis, Jerry M., and Thomas R.
Hensley. "The May 4 Shootings At Kent State
     University The Search for Historical
Accuracy." Ohio Council For The      Social
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     lthttp//dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihe
n.htmgt.
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Citations
McNamee, Wally. American Flag. N.d. National
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     lthttp//photography.nationalgeographic.com/p
hotography/photos/      peace-symbol-gallery.html
american-flag-peace_13396_600x450.jpggt. Melani,
Lilia. "Literary Terms." Department of English
Lilia Melani. N.p., 12      Feb. 2009. Web. 31
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sh/      melani/lit_term.htmlgt. Moore, Douglas.
Wounded at Kent State. 4 May 1970. "What Really
Happened At Kent      State?" HowStuffWorks,
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tuffworks.com/american-history/kent-state.htmgt.
"Neil Young." 2010. Biography.com. 24 May 2010.
lthttp//www.biography.com/articles/Neil-
Young-9539612gt. "Neil Young." Encyclopaedia
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bgt. "Neil Young." St. James Encyclopedia of
Popular Culture. 5 vols. St. James Press, 2000.
Reproduced in Biography Resource Center.
Farmington Hills, Mich. Gale, 2010.
lthttp//galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRCgt. Nei
l Young. N.d. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum. The Rock and Roll      Hall of Fame and
Museum, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 May 2010.
     lthttp//rockhall.com/inductees/neil-young/gt.

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"1970." Information Please 1970. Pearson
Education Infoplease, 2009. Web. 1      June
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Nixon. N.d. Alan Colmes' Liberaland. Alan
Colmes, 2009. Web. 30 May 2010.
     lthttp//www.alan.com/2009/08/gt.
Nordquist, Richard. "Allusion." Allusion -
Definition and Examples of Allusions.
     About.com Grammar and Composition, 2010.
Web. 1 June 2010.      lthttp//grammar.about.com/
od/ab/g/allusionterm.htmgt. Nordquist, Richard.
"Aphorism." Aphorism - Definition and Examples of
Aphorisms. About.com      Grammar and
Composition, 2010. Web. 1 June 2010.
     lthttp//grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/aphorismte
rm.htmgt. Nordquist, Richard. "Imagery." Imagery
- Definition and Examples of Imagery. About.com
     Grammar and Composition, 2010. Web. 1 June
2010.      lthttp//grammar.about.com/od/il/g/imag
eryterm.htmgt. Nordquist, Richard. "Metaphor."
Metaphor - Definitions and Examples of Metaphors.
About.com      Grammar and Composition, 2010.
Web. 1 June 2010.      lthttp//grammar.about.com/
od/mo/g/metaphorterm.htmgt. Nordquist, Richard.
"Rhetorical Question." Rhetorical Question -
Definition and Examples of      Rhetorical
Questions. About.com Grammar and Composition,
2010. Web. 1 June      2010. lthttp//grammar.abou
t.com/od/rs/g/rhetquesterm.htmgt. Nordquist,
Richard. "Theme." Theme - Defintion and Examples
of Themes. About.com Grammar and
     Composition, 2010. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/
     themeterm.htmgt.
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Citations
"Ohio"---Devo. N.d. Panda Songs New Wave Protest
Music. Blogspot, n.d. Web. 30      May 2010.
lthttp//pandasongs.blogspot.com/2007/08/
     new-wave-protest-music.htmlgt. "Richard
Nixon." 2010. Biography.com. 1 Jun 2010, 1012
http//www.biography.com/articles/Richard-Nixon-94
24076. "Richard M. Nixon." Richard M. Nixon -
The White House. The White House, 2010.
     Web. 30 May 2010. lthttp//www.whitehouse.gov
/about/presidents/      richardnixongt.
Schroeder, Jay. "The Vietnam War." eHistory
Archive. eHistory Ohio State      University,
2010. Web. 31 May 2010. lthttp//ehistory.osu.edu/v
ietnam/      index.cfmgt. "The United States
Antiwar Movement and the Vietnam War." American
History 20th      Century. Studyworld, 2010.
Web. 1 June 2010.      lthttp//www.studyworld.com
/Antiwar_Movement.htmgt. Vietcong. N.d. Past War
Offers Afghanistan Lessons And It's Not Vietnam.
Drama      Forum, n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//www.dramforum.net/2010/01/
     past-war-offers-afghanistan-lessons-and-its-
not-vietnam/gt. Young, Neil." Compton's by
Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School
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18 May 2010 lthttp//school.eb.com/comptons/ar
ticle-9314298gt.
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Neil Young
Neil Young is a renowned guitarist, singer, and
songwriter born on November 12, 1945 in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. He was both a solo performer
and a member of many different bands including
Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse, and Crosby,
Stills, Nash, and Young. Neil Young is famous
for being an artist considered unpredictable and
constantly evolving and adapting to the changing
times, characterized by restlessness, strong
opinions, and experimentalism. Young began
performing by the early 1960s, both arranging and
writing material, and released his debut solo
album Neil Young in 1969.
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Neil Young
Neil Young was very productive during the 1970s,
releasing over a dozen albums including his two
greatest commercial and artistic successes, After
the Gold Rush and Harvest, and the song Ohio
which was a protest against the Kent State
shootings of May 4, 1970. In the 1980s, he was
known for his experimentation and different
styles of music which he attributed to his
frustration in trying to communicate with his
second son, Ben, who was born with cerebral
palsy, and lost much of his popularity with his
unconventional, varying styles. In the 1990s,
Young was rediscovered by a new post-punk
generation who appreciated his unique sound and
serious message to his audience, fighting and
protesting for causes he believed in. His most
famous albums include Tonights the Night, Long
May You Run, Rust Never Sleeps, Freedom, and
Sleeps with Angels. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
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lyrics
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Tin Soldiers
Tin soldiers refers to the National Guard who
opened fire on a student protest of the Vietnam
War at Kent State University. The Ohio National
Guard was brought onto the campus because of
anti-war rallies at the university that started
May 1, 1970, the day after Nixons decision to
invade Cambodia and widen the Vietnam War was
publically announced. The rallies began
peacefully, but soon became violent between the
protestors and the local police force. The
governor of Ohio banned the protests and brought
the National Guard to Kent State, which led to
the height of the rally on May 4, 1970.
literary aspect
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Tin Soldiers
The line in the song with the phrase Tin
soldiers acts as a metaphor (examples), a
comparison of two unlike things, comparing the
Ohio National Guard responsible for the Kent
State shooting, to toy tin soldiers. It acts as
a criticism of the soldiers behavior as brutal
and unfeeling. Neil Young wanted to show his
deep concern over their actions which he
considered to be a massacre and unjustifiable, by
comparing the soldiers to empty, unthinking toys
of Nixon who he considered to be responsible for
the deaths of four unarmed student protesters.
lyrics
historical aspect
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Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the
United States, and entered office in 1969, during
one of the most turbulent eras in American
history. The United States was fighting the
extremely unpopular war in Vietnam, and faced
other conflicts with China and the USSR. The
nation was extremely divided and although he was
known for helping bring about more political
stability and ending US involvement in Vietnam,
the events that occurred during his presidency
made him unpopular with anti-war and
anti-government protesters. The allegedly
unprovoked Kent State shooting by members of the
Ohio National Guard brought further harsh
criticism from people who blamed Nixon for their
actions. Due to the Watergate Scandal in 1972,
Nixon became the first president to resign from
office.
lyrics
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Were finally on our own
The line in Ohio saying Were finally on our
own represents the anti-war and anti-government
sentiments of so many Americans during the Nixon
and Vietnam War era. Many songs of the time,
similar to Ohio, were messages against war and
encouraged protests. This line shows the feeling
of the youth of the 1960s and 1970s, that they
were on their own, and free and independent in
college. It also shows that many students, such
as the four that died in the Kent State shooting,
had to be self-sufficient because they were
unable to trust their government.
literary aspect
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Were finally on our own
Were finally on our own is a line that
represents one of the main themes in Ohio.
Neil Young wrote this song after hearing about
the Kent State shooting and the deaths of four
unarmed students by the National Guard soldiers
of the government meant to protect the people,
but had instead caused the death of young,
innocent protesters. His lyrics became an anthem
to the young generation against the Vietnam War,
that felt free and independent as they joined
millions of Americans in the protests and rallies
that characterized the era. It also expresses
the loss of faith in the government, expressing
the ideas that during these decades, so many
people felt disillusionment in the government and
Nixon administration that they felt they were
completely on their own.
historical aspect
lyrics
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This summer I hear the drumming
This line of Ohio references the growing
discontent and national divide over many
political and social issues that carried over
from the late 1960s into 1970, the year when the
Kent State Massacre occurred and when Neil Young
wrote the song Ohio in memory of the four
students that were killed. The event sparked a
huge nationwide strike that led to the closing of
many colleges and universities. The line of this
song illustrates the drumming or widespread
rallies that Neil Young predicted for that
summer, in the aftermath of the highly
controversial actions of the National Guard,
along with the already high-tension situation of
the Vietnam War and Nixons ordered escalation
(however temporary) of American involvement.
literary aspect
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This summer I hear the drumming
This summer I hear the drumming is a metaphor,
using the word drumming to describe the
restless feeling of the Vietnam War/Nixon era
during the summer shortly after the shocking Kent
State Massacre. Neil Young used the word
drumming to evoke a sense of war, with a
picture of the drum lines at the front, which
references the significance of the Vietnam War in
the American peoples everyday thought. Their
discontent and protest against the war, Nixon,
and specifically that year of the Kent State
Massacre all culminated to a summer of rallies,
violence, and protest which Young tries to
illustrate with this metaphor.
historical aspect
lyrics
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Four dead in Ohio
The song Ohio was written by Neil Young shortly
after the Kent State Massacre. The May 4, 1970
demonstration was meant to be a peaceful one,
protesting the war in Vietnam, but turned violent
when the Ohio National Guard opened fire into the
crowd killing four students, paralyzing one, and
wounding eight others, some of whom were not even
involved in the protests. A great controversy
was sparked over their actions, and whether or
not the killings were justified by
self-defense. The event led to even stronger
nationwide anti-war sentiments and distrust in
the government, saying that the unarmed students
were killed while lawfully protesting. Their
deaths, called by many a massacre, caused many to
lose their faith in the US Constitution and the
peoples right of lawful protest. The four slain
students were Allison Krause (19 years old),
William Schroeder (19 years old), Jeffrey Miller
(20 years old), and Sandra Scheuer (20 years old).
literary aspect
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Four dead in Ohio
The line Four dead in Ohio refers to the four
students that were killed in by the National
Guard, in an event that sparked rallies and a
nationwide student and youth revolution. It
comprises the main theme (examples) of Neil
Youngs Ohio, or the songs main idea and
meaningful concept. It also acts as an allusion
(examples), a reference to a person, place, or as
in this case, an event, which would have been
recognized by the audience of the time. This
line, also showing repetition, became an anthem
for the young generation of the 1970s, and was
simultaneously banned from many radio stations,
for its anti-war and anti-Nixon sentiments and
message.
historical aspect
lyrics
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Gotta get down to it
The line Gotta get down to it is an example of
an aphorism (examples), which is a literary
device meaning a briefly stated truth or opinion,
or statement of principle. Neil Young uses this
literary device to express his opinion that the
American public needs to take action and because
it gives a stronger, more urgent feeling to his
lyrics. In this line, Young is encouraging
people to really fight and protest for against
what they believe is unconstitutional and wrong,
to bring about the change and peace they are
hoping for.
lyrics
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Cutting us down
Neil Young uses imagery (examples) with this line
to illustrate the soldiers of the National Guard
as executioners cutting down the protesters,
both figuratively and literally. He uses this
literary device to descriptively paint a picture
of the soldiers as those who were oppressing the
peoples right to protest and pushing them down
every time they rose up. It also has a literal
meaning, with the reference to the actual killing
and shooting into the crowds. Youngs language
and lyrics again portrays his theme of protest
and fighting against the establishment, and
remembrance of the shooting.
lyrics
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Should have been done long ago
This line of Neil Youngs Ohio is a historical
reference to the frustration felt by the majority
of the American people during the Vietnam War era
and Nixons presidency, incited even further with
the Kent State shooting in Ohio. The Vietnam War
was strongly opposed, costing 58,000 lives and
billions of tax dollars, and dividing the country
in a tumultuous era of changing world politics
and modernization. The state of conflict the
United States was in is referenced in this line
as Neil Young writes that all the soldiers are
doing is cutting the people down, and that the
end to all the violence should have been solved
long before, and that the protests (and the
subsequent massacre) should never have occurred.
lyrics
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How can you run when you know?
In this line, Neil Young uses a rhetorical
question (examples), a question with an obvious
or obviously desired answer, used for emphasis
and effect. The lyrics of Ohio all encourage
protest, characterizing the hippie and anti-war
era of the 1960s and 1970s, and act as a
criticism against the Vietnam War, Nixons
policies, and the Kent State shooting. His clear
anti-government sentiments make this final
question at the end of his lyrics rhetorical, as
he reiterates the point that it is impossible for
anyone to escape the truth, knowing the injustice
that occurred at Kent State University, and
saying that something had to be done.
the end
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