"Ohio" by Neil Young

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 it

Soldiers are cutting us down

Should have been done long ago.

What if you knew her

And found her dead on the ground

How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it

Soldiers are cutting us down

Should have been done long ago.

What if you knew her

And 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.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.

On May 4, 1970, four students were shot dead and nine were injured by the National Guard during a demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio. One of them, Jeffrey Miller, was the closest to the guard at almost a football field away. He had also just graduated from one of the two high schools in my school district. I remember sitting in my Jr. high class when his shooting was announced and my first thought was, "There is no reason that couldn't be me in a few years when I go to college."

All the students looked at eachother with pain in their eyes and we all stood and left the class room. All of the schools in our district were closed because of teacher/student walkouts. I quickly found my twin in the hall, and we proceeded to walk the four miles to Jeffrey's high school with most of the other students. A demonstration was in full gear there. Black arm bands were handed to us. The press was there. It was all very upsetting and a bit scary.

College students were getting tear gassed just for protesting an immoral war in which our boys were being sacrificed to a stupid domino theory that had just spread to Cambodia. Now students were getting killed. It had just gone too far.

This song by Neil Young gelled the whole deal for me. I hope you like it. Listen to it here.