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The song was released in 1965.

He has many other songs released. Such as "The war is over", "When I'm gone", and "Pleasures of the harbor"

I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen

And I always carry a purse

I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse

Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt

Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a-goin' to school

And I'm working in a DEE-fense plant

Ooh, I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies,

Onething you gotta see

That someone's gotta go over there

And that someone isn't me

So I wish you well, Sarge, give 'em Hell!

Kill me a thousand or so

And if you ever get a war without blood and gore

I'll be the first to go

The lyrics to this song are composed of various excuses that someone would make up to avoid being enrolled in the draft.....

WHAT YOU SAID: I believe he does not agree with the war, but he wants the soldiers to come back safe and stop the war from taking more young people in the draft. He also talks about the draft and how he feels he was too young to be drafted and how he made up defects he had, so he wouldn't be able to enter the draft. He also talks about going to school and working a regular job because thats the ideal American dream, and going to war would completely ruin or tarnish his "American dream". This also shows how people during that time would lie to get out of the draft because they were desperate and did not want to risk their life in Vietnam, for a cause they did not agree with. The overall message that Ochs is trying to show, is that the war is ruining lives, and killings kids who could be having a regular life, without warfare.

The meaning of the lyrics is that there are many false reasons the man made up, in order not to be drafted, but this shows how desperate people were not to be drafted into basically a death trap. The song was anti-war and shows how people tried to back out or make up reasons why they couldn't serve and how their outside life is affected going into the Vietnam war, and the utter devastation the draft brought. He also shows his personal resent for violence and during the time he clearly represents a large group of people and how they also did not agree with the war.