Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers

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Look what's happening out in the streets
Got a revolution Got to revolution
Hey I'm dancing down the streets
Got a revolution Got to revolution
Ain't it amazing all the people I meet
Got a revolution Got to revolution
One generation got old
One generation got soul
This generation got no destination to hold
Pick up the cry
Hey now it's time for you and me
Got a revolution Got to revolution
Come on now we're marching to the sea
Got a revolution Got to revolution
Who will take it from you
We will and who are we
We are volunteers of America

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Lyrics submitted by FearAndLoathing

Track duration: 02:04

"Volunteers" as written by Marty Balin, Paul L. Kantner

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing

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Volunteers song meanings
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13 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment:I am proud to say that I attended woodstock and DO remember this song well. It is about the coming revolution of the then 1960's. Government was then somewhat afraid of what the generation of that time would do as it related to the war in Nam, the political climate and the out spoken youth. I attended a couple of demonstrations at Columbia University in New York.
    The other group the government feared at that time was the weatherman. If not familiar, look them up.
    Flag bill9935on April 20, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Calling for CHANGE (revolution), for America to live up to her ideals, is as relevant today as it was then. It's a challenge that one chooses to do out of love for one's country not because they are told to do so because those ideals actually mean something, they're not just words.

    This song conveys the triumphant joy of taking on that challenge. A challenge I'm proud to see many young people still take on today and MAKE IT HAPPEN (Obama).

    This song is for all those courageous warriors, of today and yesterday.
    Flag brumuson November 23, 2008   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • 0
    General Comment:Marty Balin has said in interviews that one morning he woke up to a lot of noise in the street outside his room and saw these people dragging a sign that said "Volunteers of America" and he wrote down some lyrics.

    I would tend to agree that the volunteers are not the soldiers, but the hippies and other counterculturals, because the Airplane were hardly themselves soldiers ("We are volunteers of America"), and they refer to one generation getting soul. He calls for his generation to "pick up the cry" and "revolution" ("got to revolution") because "this generation has no destination to hold": ie, it has no future unless it takes action.
    Flag dream of horseson July 03, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:the volunteers are the men & women in the armed forces...while theyr over there fighting, there are some people unaware...dancing around with flowers in their hair...kinda like today...hmmm
    Flag thewhoandzepp4evron June 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The only thing or goal, in my life is to start a revolution. my generation needs to do it, history tends to repeat itself, and maybe my generation will get it right this time.
    Flag audioslave48195on July 20, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I don't believe it's talking about the people being drafted, I believe it's talking about the revolutionaries, those demonstrating in anti-Vietnam war, peace marches, and the like.
    Flag ilovetorunon July 16, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:One generation got old
    One generation got SOLD
    This generation got no destination to hold
    Flag Mrs.Molkoon February 28, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think "volunteers" also means that there are many ways to serve your country beyond serving in the military. This makes the song both a protest of the draft and a taking back of patriotism.
    Flag Smokleron February 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i jsut love this song but then again i love all the revolution/peace songs
    they all have the same meaning
    Flag THE WHO 191on December 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:They're talking about the people being drafted.
    The whole song is a protest song against the draft.
    Flag pepsitrayon May 17, 2006   Link

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