Phil Ochs - Santo Domingo Lyrics






And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth, the sand is burning
And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight, their courses turning
As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest, the sea is churning
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets, the day's a-burning
As the warships sway and thunder in the bay, loud the morning
But the boy on the shore is throwing pebbles no more, he runs a-warning
That the the marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

The streets are still, there's silence in the hills, the town is sleeping
And the farmers yawn in the grey silver dawn, the fields they're keeping
As the first troops land and step into the sand, the flags are weaving
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

The unsmiling sun is shining down upon the singing soldiers
In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls, they're getting bolder
The old women sigh, think of memories gone by, they shrug their shoulders
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed, now they are rolling
And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks where fear's unfolding
All the young wives afraid, turn their backs to the parade with babes they're holding
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

A bullet cracks the sound, the army hit the ground, the sniper's callin'
So they open their guns, a thousand to one, no sense in stalling
He clutches at his head and totters on the edge, look now he's falling
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

In the red plaza square, the crowds come to stare, the heat is leaning
And the eyes of the dead are turning every head to the widows screaming
But the soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids, their teeth are gleaming
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

Up and down the coast, the generals drink a toast, the wheel is spinning
And the cowards and the whores are peeking through the doors to see who's winning
But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end, when it's beginning
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth, the sand is burning
And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight, their courses turning
As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest, the sea is churning
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo





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Phil Ochs Santo Domingo Comments
  1. J.... W....

    God bless the man.

  2. N.... B....

    I miss you, Phil

  3. C.... S....

    santo domingo then, Venezuela and hondorus today. Sad nothing changes

    C.... S....

    I'm here again for Bolivia.

  4. U.... M....

    His music is timeless. I’m having two of his songs played at my funeral: When I’m gone and There but for fortune.

  5. H.... N....

    Every once in a while, after a march or a terribly horrible day in Trumpland, Phil reminds me to use my voice. Whatever his issues, he had a lot to say, and no one could say it like him. I will always wish it ended differently for him.

  6. M.... C....

    It is sad that so many documentaries on the sixties / anti-war movement neglect to mention Phil, or use his songs...

    M.... C....

    eric conly his music is too painful a reminder to the loudmouth liberals that co-opted the socialist movements of the United States that they were then, and still are now, frauds..

  7. A.... U....

    How I wish he sang a song about the Philippines. My country was the first Vietnam of Yankee imperialism.

    A.... U....

    Wow, the willful dishonesty is pretty stunning. Actually, it's not, I expect nothing less from you. Please, attempt to explain to me how the labor battles and silencing and persecution of the left is a "conspiracy theory". You can read all about it in the goddamn FBI's own archives. Please tell me how my "logic" is "convoluted", what mental gymnastics am I engaging in?
    Never even implied that I exclusively understand Marx, yet another dishonest misrepresentation. Nope, it wouldn't be socialism if it was a small group, it must be a mass movement in which the people and workers democratically own and run the economy and society. No, only people like you with your dishonest, propaganda-influenced idiocy are reactionary. You don't honestly engage with anything, you just react. Are you threatening my free speech with violence...? I thought you were Free Speech Warriors...? And you're absolutely blind and wilfully ignorant if you don't honestly believe the status quo, the establishment, the state has an interest in violently crushing any dissenting mass movement, worker's movement - any movement that threatens their unjust and vile conquest of the people and their minds. Yeah, I'll admit it'd be crushed, even with a mass movement. These capitalist ruling class pigs spend TRILLIONS on their military, "law enforcement", campaigns to infiltrate and undermine and smear left wing movements, of course a poorly-armed, pretty-much-powerless working class movement is going to be incredibly vulnerable to the biggest, most technologically advanced military and propaganda apparatus in the history of the world. It'd take a helluva lot of effort to fight back. It has to be a mass movement. Unfortunately - as you exemplify - the propaganda apparatus has been successful in manipulating the masses to fight against their own interests. It'll take a long time and a lot of effort and organising to prepare the people to fight back. But all mass movements and revolutionary ideas will take time and have false starts and face horrific repression and violence in their efforts to empower the people. But that shows just how strong the stranglehold of the ruling class is. Can you tell me what Marxist or left wing literature and theory you've actually engaged with? Read any works? What left wing/labor/political history have you read and engaged with? Can you cite any authors or theorists without google? I Look forward to your response ;^)

    A.... U....

    Dirk Diggler has no idea about the concentration camps we built in the Philippines after the conquest. We did the same thing in Cuba, which was conquered in the same war, and continued on in Cuba long after independence thanks to the US dictator; many Cubans alive today thank Castro's campaign as the end of their enslavement.
    Dirk's an indoctrinated drone living in a fantasy world created by right wing propagandists where the US cares about freedom while also being the world leader in incarceration and illegal invasions. The right wing obsession with "free speech" has nothing to do with censorship, because they control the government; they just want to assert that their doublethink- I mean alternative facts, have a place in the modern world.

    A.... U....

    "you better show some appreciation for the nice concentration camps we built you, its the only thing that kept other people from coming in and putting you in concentration camps!"-dirk diggler, an intellectual

    "your an idiot." - "muh freeze peach"-dirk diggler

    A.... U....

    he sang 'Celia', about celia mariano and william pomeroy!

  8. F.... H....

    Great song , typical Phil humour

  9. G.... i....

    I am dominican let me say. Yall missed up in the DR. Great song tho

    G.... i....

    I think Phil would agree with you

    G.... i....

    Yeah, we sure did. We messed up with outright imperialist adventures all over the Caribbean and Central America, and supported torturing murdering governments there and in South America (Chile, Brazil, Argentina, etc.)

    G.... i....

    That's exactly the point of this song. Phil was 100% in agreement with you. It's a right tragedy the world lost him so young. Such a brilliant mind and big heart and hairless tongue, all wrapped up in an emotional disorder medicine didn't understand, exacerbated by American 'national security' attacking him day in and day out for speaking the truth, culminating in a physical assault that irreparably damaged his voice.

  10. A.... G....

    song starts at 1:00 thank me later

    A.... G....

    what, why would I thank you skipping a great, funny, witty introduction?!

  11. b.... ....

    BRILLIANT!

  12. G.... E....

    RIP PO. The guy was a genius. I wish I had met him.

  13. j.... g....

    One day usa imperialist need to end so we can live in peace and have a future in our country trump need to build a wall to keep everyone safe from the cia

    j.... g....

    I'm not going to argue with you on any of these points because all you're going to do is demand citation and me dregging up all my sources would be remarkably overwhelming for a youtube comment. So I'll leave with this:

    1) I apologize for misrepresenting the democrat's stance on environmental issues. I was wrong to say that.

    2) Clinton is basket case of scandals, some too big to be ignored.

    3) Read the TPP for yourself.

    4) Thank you for calling my incoherent comment drivel. It means a lot to me that I receive that recognition. Besides, I wrote that hastily and I'm probably not going to mean half the shit I said in an hour or so.

    j.... g....

    +Abaddon Flame

    "1) I apologize for misrepresenting the democrat's stance on environmental issues. I was wrong to say that."

    It's good of you to realize that. Being able to admit when wrong is a skill too few people have.

    "2) Clinton is basket case of scandals, some too big to be ignored."

    You have to look at who's making these claims. Overwhelmingly it's Republicans who you'd be likely to not agree with on *anything* else. Why do you suddenly believe them on Clinton?

    "3) Read the TPP for yourself."

    Like all trade deals, it has positives and negatives. The biggest negative for all trade deals however is not inherent to the trade deals.

    But rather, globalization *requires* that the first world nations entering into them invest in education and training to transition their working population away from relying on the jobs that are lost - something that Republicans have flat-out refused to allow. That's why trade deals can appear bad - it's not because of the deal itself, but because the deals *cannot* operate in vacuum and *must* be accompanied by necessary changes to account for them.

    It also requires that we're careful to not engage in usurious relationships with the less developed world - that corporations aren't allowed to ignore safety and environmental regulations and poison the developing nations they move to. This is another thing that we've had a tendency to fail at doing and which must be addressed.

    j.... g....

    Enjoy the hordes of filth for they are your betters?

    j.... g....

    Kevin Clark looks fine to me actually America seems better since he came to power

    j.... g....

    Pyre Spirit I'd agree that they're not pushing institutional racism, nationalism etc., but I do think their policies sometimes have the indirect effect of doing so. For instance, liberal warhawkishness can lean into irrational nationalism, militarism and xenophobia. I think center-right Dems - most of the party until Bernie's ascendancy - have prioritised profits over people, especially since Bill Clinton. Clinton also passed a "crime" bill that disproportionately harmed black and Hispanic communities. Their policies have also contributed to immense wealth inequality. They seem to be coming round thanks to the ascendancy of Sanders, but it'd be wrong to say that Dems haven't played a serious role in some of the worst tendencies of the US system. Of course, they're nowhere near the same level as Republicans, but they certainly are perpetrators themselves in another way.

  14. K.... C....

    RIP Phil

  15. C.... H....

    And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth
    The sand is burning
    And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight
    Their courses turning

    As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest
    The sea is churning
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets
    The day's a-burning
    As the warships sway and thunder in the bay
    Loud the morning

    But the boy on the shore is throwing pebbles no more
    He runs a-warning
    That the the marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    The streets are still, there's silence in the hills
    The town is sleeping
    And the farmers yawn in the gray silver dawn
    The fields they're keeping

    As the first troops land and step into the sand
    The flags are weaving
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    The unsmiling sun is shining down upon
    The singing soldiers
    In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls
    They're getting bolder

    The old women sigh, think of memories gone by
    They shrug their shoulders
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed
    Now they are rolling
    And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks
    Where fear is unfolding

    All the young wives afraid, turn their backs on the parade
    With babes they're holding
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    A bullet cracks the sound, the army hit the ground
    The sniper is callin'
    So they open their guns, a thousand to one
    No sense in stalling

    He clutches at his head and totters on the edge
    Look how he's falling
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    In the red plaza square, the crowds come to stare
    The heat is leaning
    And the eyes of the dead are turning every head
    To the widows screaming

    But the soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids
    Their teeth are gleaming
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    Up and down the coed, the generals drink a toast
    The wheel is spinning
    And the cowards and the whores are peeking
    Through the doors to see who's winning

    But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end
    When it's beginning
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth
    The sand is burning
    And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight
    Their courses turning

    As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest
    The sea is churning
    The marines have landed on the shores
    Of Santo Domingo

    C.... H....

    Thanks.😇

    C.... H....

    Coline H thanks for the lyrics!

  16. 1.... ....

    peace be with you cornetta, I think Mr Ochs big beef was with the politicians who needlessly sacrificed the lives of brave soldiers who didn't have to die. guess im a hopeless lefty, cheers!

    1.... ....

    @mike goldberg sorry pops didn't mean to trigger you. I wasn't talking about the music i was talking about the sick twisted little man who was phil Ochs.
    You wish to discuss his music. He was a less than mediocre guitar player. His voice was one dimensional. He had no depth or range.
    His song writing was repeditive and simplistic. His lyrics are slightly better than his guitar playing but thats not saying much.This song was probably lyrically his best, but again thats not saying much.
    There is a good reason his music didn't stand the test of time. It wasn't that good. I am probably one of the few people under 60 who has even heard of this delusional paranoid alcoholic.
    Since you brought up current politics and reverted to far from clever childish name calling. I shall have a go. Please do run the hideous old crone again or perhaps Bernie the Red. Either way Donald J Trump will be the last boomer we ever have as president.lol
    You ain't marchen anymore.

    1.... ....

    Doofus, if he only cared about the rev, why did he write and sing songs that have nothing to do with rev? You gonna ignore the question for the THIRD time?
    You can think he was a twisted little man and a third rate musician all you want, a helluva lot more people love and admire him and his music than will ever love or admire you.

    1.... ....

    His music "didn't stand the test of time"?! Are you kidding?! It's as relevant now as it was then! Try to look through your rabid reactionary anti-leftism and honestly engage with things for a change, yeah? Jesus christ I really can't be bothered to go through debunking the points you've literally parroted from the dozens of other misinformed, dishonest anti-leftists who clearly have never actually engaged with ANY left-wingers or the theory and literature behind it. But just because you incense me with your obnoxious idiocy, I'll do it briefly:
    1. How'd it make your point...? Look forward to that one.
    2. Stalin didn't implement socialism or communism, he implemented Stalinism that was essentially state capitalism. Workers had no power, had no democratic ownership or control of their workplace, democracy barely existed, there was a strong hierarchical system that benefited a small elite class - decidedly anti-socialist/Marxist. Mao is a similar case - revised it to fit his own views, though it was a better effort than Stalin, still didn't achieve communism. BTW, China and Russia went from backwards feudal wastelands to economic and military superpowers in like 40 years - it took the capitalist nations 200-300 years - and 10s of millions of deaths - to get to the same position. Pol Pot was assisted by the CIA, and was more a cult of personality bizarro cult than any kind of communist or socialist. Castro managed to bring universal healthcare, education and economic justice to a backwards and impoverished country that had been exploited by right wing and foreign corporate interests at the expense of the people for decades. Yeah, I disagree with a fair few of his behaviours - though a lot of it is incredibly misrepresented, like there is democratic elections in Cuba, just not the typical manner you understand. you'll say "oh it's 1 party!", well yeah the US is a "2 party" system (tho not very distinguishable). Cuba is not 1 party in the sense you can only vote communist, you vote for representatives who present their policies and party is ignored. It's nowhere near perfect, but considering the intense pressure from the Western world, embargoes, sanctions, sabotage, CIA intevention etc., it's done fairly well. At least it can provide healthcare and education to its citizens - something the US cannot claim to do.
    It's incredibly ignorant and dishonest to equate all leftists with Stalin and genocidal tendencies. It's idiotic, as the left is a massive and diverse set of tendencies, currents and beliefs from hundreds of different theorists and schools of thought. The vast majority of the left today rejects Stalin et al as revisionist and not remotely socialist or communist. Also, the whole "1000 gajillion murders!" is a myth - the authors of the "Black Book" admit they were dishonest and embellished numbers and used unreliable sources. And I'm not at all justifying the murder, but if we're gonna count deaths under "communism" - not actually communism - it's only fair that we count the death-toll of capitalism. Let's just say... in the last 10 years, 20million children have died from easily-treatable health conditions, solely because Pharma companies would rather profit than saving 10s of millions of childrens' lives. This isn't even counting the likely-over-100-million deaths caused by capitalist wars, imperialism, colonialism, famine, treatable health conditions untreated due to profit motive, those who don't seek healthcare for fear of bankruptcy - it's incomprehensible. The number is just uncountable, it's too much. All in the pursuit of profit over people. But we don't count that, because capitalism has a hegemonic control of every aspect of society and won't let those numbers be attributed to its awful ideology.
    3. No, you can get all of Marx and Engels work for free online and elsewhere.
    4. If the workers are exploited, then it's not a worker's paradise, is it? Thanks for confirming that the USSR isn't socialist/communist. Are you fucking kidding me?! Workers are the LEAST exploited in capitalist societies?! Holy shit you are deluded my friend.You are incredibly out of touch if you honestly believe that bullshit. Look at the social democratic countries in Europe, the workers enjoy SO much more freedom, power and dignity than they do in the capitalist hell-hole that is the US. European social democracies are nowhere near perfect, but they borrow socialist demands in order to save their capitalist skins, because they know workers want these policies. You're a goddamn rube if you honestly fall for the ruling class' propaganda that you don't deserve any benefits or security for propping up the capitalist system, with wealthy assholes sitting on their ass extracting wealth from your hard work.
    5. Venezuela .... Eurgh, not this bullshit again. Is that the best you lot have got? It's pretty pathetic. Venezuela is not socialist, Chavez implemented some social democratic policies that halved the number in absolute poverty and empowered the people. It went sour when it started veering towards anti-democratic shit under Maduro, but it began because there was an active effort to subvert the will of the people and sabotage the Chavista era - with the support of the US and capitalist powers. 70% of the economy is in private hands - it actually increased under Chavez. The economy is collapsing due to Dutch Disease - bad management that relied far too much on oil revenue and imports, meaning it was incredibly vulnerable to fluctuations in the oil market. That was very bad management, and it's coming back to bite them in the ass. Add to that unjust sanctions and quiet sabotage and you've got a disaster on your hands. Maduro is a terrible executive and the authoritarian turn is unfortunate and stupid, but you have to consider that in context: the right wing, supported by outside capitalist powers and industrialists, are exploiting this economic crisis to overthrow the popular and democratically elected government, so there has to be some fighting back against an overt coup that is attempting to use the democratic reforms that Chavez introduced to overthrow the democratic will of the masses. Of course they have all this assistance from the US et al. So yeah, please actually honestly engage with the issue before you parrot that tired bullshit attempt at a "gotcha".
    6. They absolutely haven't all ended in a dictatorship... Please learn your history. Also, you realise capitalism IS a despotic dictatorship, right? Every workplace is a mini-dictatorship - the boss commands the worker who has absolutely no say in what happens and faces being fired for voicing their views. Capital, the wealthy and the elite control our politics and economy. You HAVE to engage with this system or you die. You can't fight against the system without being smeared & harassed by the state - look at the history of murder, imprisonment and COINTEL. If there is a dictator, it is not socialism or communism. These ideologies are ANTI hierarchical in that sense. Having a king-like figure is completely anti-socialist/communist. Same with an elite ruling class - the Soviet Union had an elite. That automatically discredits its claim to being socialist or communist. We seek to abolish class systems, that patronage system is completely antithetical to our goals.
    7. Errr... look at the stats mate, there's a solid number in Russia and some of the ex-Soviet countries that long for the return of the past systems.
    8. They're not? They certainly weren't. If you know anything about labor movements and the working class struggles of the 19th and 20th centuries, you'd know that the vast majority were working class people. Unfortunately, a century of murder, harrassment, propaganda, violence, imprisonment etc. has destroyed the class consciousness of the working class. Many have been convinced they don't deserve anything. Unfortunately, it seems that it's middle class people that have the time and education to engage with Marxism and left wing ideas properly. If we were able to make education accessible to all, then I'm sure many more working class leaders would emerge. Unfortunately decades of massive state efforts to crush labor movements, unions and worker class consciousness have succeeded in crushing the working class' spirit. Gotta build it back up.
    9.It actually doesn't fail internally, it is crushed by the brute force of the capitalsit reactionary powers. Revolutionary Spain abolished money and created a massive anarchist society that worked very well, even within the 2 years that it existed before a fascist coalition - financially and materially supported by Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and US industrialist fascists like Ford - committed a massacre of 500,000 Republicans and people. Their self-admitted purpose for the White Terror was that they had to eradicate all socialists because they knew that any left over would inspire the workers to revolt again. Workers have the power so the industrialists and capitalist ruling class must violently crush the spirit of the workers, break their unity and generally suppress them in order to keep their stranglehold on society. Unfortunately, their efforts seem to have gotten to you. It doesn't "always fail", it is mostly always crushed by capitalist forces. Let's not forget, capitalism fails on a regular basis. Remember 2008? Great Depression? 60s? 70s? 20s? I mean, there is an endless list of capitalism failing, unfortunately the ruling class (who often benefit from its failure) have such a strong grip on everything that they are able to revive the system despite its obvious disaster-prone nature - because it makes them money!
    I don't care to talk for you. You've been fooled by the capitalist ruling class' propaganda. I mean, if you're genuinely pleased to be exploited, treated like shit, underpaid, abused by the state and industry, stripped of your rights, dictated to by bosses and society, etc.you need to wake up.

    1.... ....

    Dirk Diggler you don’t know crap. He loved this country and hated the fascist right that was and is trying to steal it.

    1.... ....

    Dirk Diggler we'll hang class traitor fucks like you

  17. A.... ....

    Music. Power. Truth. Thankyou for this.

  18. C.... G....

    if it were not for those Marines and Soldiers this bum would have never been able to sing this garbage. Why did he not sing the Marines Hymn instead.

    C.... G....

    The furthest left in the DR was social democracy. Which is just a term for left wing capitalism. We backed the military backed coup.

    C.... G....

    Lest we forget ... My Lai ...

    C.... G....

    Since you're so satisfied with what the Marine Corps has accomplished, how about looking up the career of Marine Corps General Smedley Butler? You don't have to agree with what he says but you might want to pay him the respect of taking his views seriously.

    C.... G....

    Those Marines who invaded the Dominican Republic in the interests of the American Sugar Industry?

    C.... G....

    Cornetta's Golf After the communist revolution here in the USA we'll shoot morons like you

  19. J.... ....

    More about the song... Phil was there. http://www.progressive.org/media_la2505

  20. P.... L....

    Who drove him to his death Naturephile55? Who paid people to attack Phil on that beach in Africa? Who had him followed? Who tapped his phone? Who said, six months after his death, that "Phil Ochs is still a very real threat to the life of the President of the United States of America"? Think about that. RIP Phil, always MY HERO.

    P.... L....

    Am I the only one listening to Phil Tonight?

    P.... L....

    Me too!

    P.... L....

    Warwick, We seem to be a diminishing group. Why do others persist to talk/or be critics about an absolutely brilliant and beautiful man who brought to us much music in a "genius" category. I often turn to Phil's music and just listen. I'm never disappointed at the brilliance, and how ageless and timeless, Phil's music is today! Thanks Warwick for being here in spirit with me. We may be a small group but we keep Phil alive today! Thanks Phil for all the great memories, RIP!

    P.... L....

    "Money doesn't talk, it swears"

    P.... L....

    Who cares. Burn in hell phil you know the truth now.

  21. 1.... ....

    Love Me I'm a Liberal, Cops of the World and Santo Domingo.
    Three outstanding songs.
    I remember in the sixties he showed up at every anti-war protest he could.
    I saw him perform twice...for free.

    1.... ....

    +18661873 He was at just about every demonstration I ever went to, and I was at a lot of them.

    1.... ....

    +Nancy Benefiel did you ever get the chance to meet him?

    1.... ....

    No, he hung himself first.

    1.... ....

    I met him many times. We both worked for Gene McCarthy back in 1968. We met each other many times at demonstrations in New York, Chicago, New Haven, and Washington DC. I can't claim to have known him well but he did know my name.

    1.... ....

    Did you go to meet him, or leave him hanging?

  22. E.... S....

    He was a complete genius and truth-teller.  Does anyone have a version where he is actually performing?  I'd love to see it.

  23. N.... ....

    Just another great song among so many amazing ones!

  24. N.... ....

    What a great voice.
    I've wondered how he died for many years, and assumed it was by suicide.
    Tonight I watched an American Masters production about him, and found out he hung himself.

  25. j.... ....

    ..this song, the voice, the lyrics, DAMN!

  26. n.... ....

    when these words are no longer relevant man will finally be grown up

  27. a.... ....

    i wish there were more people like phil osch, real entertainers