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This song is originally written by Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) in January of 1967, during the Vietnam War. The song was performed and made popular by Buffalo Springfield. Overall, Stills is trying to express that the issue originally causing war is always lost in the midst of violence, stupidity, and paranoia, requiring people to take time to think for themselves and avoid being the obligation to pick a side. Specific lines in the song are evidence of this.
He states what is happening “ain’t exactly clear”. After time, the issue being fought over is forgotten and becomes unclear. People are no longer fighting for change, but fighting for the sake of winning the fight. He asks, “Everybody look what’s going down”. Everyone is caught up in the moment, necessitating a step backward. This is a request for introspection. Everyone needs to pause and deeply examine what is happening. Ultimately, this is plea for sanity in the midst of chaos. He states, “nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong”, suggesting a prevalence of ignorance and suggesting examination. The line “What a field day for the heat” means that protests are a sad display of violence and an opportunity for people to express their anger. The acts of anger should be replaced with attempts to problem-solve and cooperate. He further expresses this with the line “Hooray for our side”. Stupidity is a theme in war and war protests. Again, the original issue being fought over is forgotten in the midst of chaos. “Paranoia strikes deep” points out the consequence of paranoia, among many, that results from war. . A modern day example of this is the paranoia that resulted from 9/11. He suggests paranoia is a personal compromise, discouraging people to not let war affect them negatively. This is evident in, “Into your life it will creep… The man come and take you away”. Paranoia is another way everyone loses at the game of war. The song ends with “We better stop, hey, what’s that sound; Everybody look what’s going down”, repeated several times. This repetition is finally the artist’s own protest: a plea for sanity in the midst of chaos.
Works Cited
YouTube Video of “For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield”