Phil Ochs - The Doll House (Live in Vancouver 1968)

From the "Live in Vancouver 1968" album, which was released in 1990.
Lost in the valley of vaults
Fell from the path, it was nobody's fault
That I was alone
Time dripped from the trees
Left through a nail, fell to my knees
Before the throne
And the crown was covered with jewels
Sparkling schools of beautiful falls
The magnificent battle was fought
And the Cinderella soldier fish was caught
And the lady from the lake
Helped me to escape
And led me to myself at last
Though I danced with the dolls in the doll house
The flower fled from my feet
Tom Sawyer voice through the hole of the key
Landed so gently
The castles cover the cave
I had no choice, the visions were brave
And the phantoms were friendly
And Pirate Jenny was dancing for pennies
Knucklebones tossed in a spin
There were silver songs on her skin
And she wasn't caring when the ship came in
And the lady from the lake
Helped me to escape
And led me to myself at last, at last
Though I danced with the dolls in the doll house
My costume dropped to the floor
Naked at last, I couldn't fight any-more
And the service was rendered
A poem fell from the wine, buried the past
The future was mine and the present surrendered
And the ballet master is beckoning faster
The ballerina was posed
In the fragile beauty we froze
Let go, let go, let go, let go, let go
And the lady from the lake
Who helped me to escape
Left me with myself at last
Though I danced with the dolls in the doll house

[@spinningspin6053]

We all live in a doll house and a lonely place it is. Hope you have found a better place Phill miss you.

[@jerrysalem7383]

Last time I saw him in concert was at Max's Kansas city, he had fallen from grace by then. It was around 1974. He opened for an unknown singer at the time named Patty Smith.

[@forlani2446]

He never fell from grace in my mind or heart. I still grieve for him

[@thatguy6919]

As do I

[@rancemuhammitz805]

I was there. It was December 1973. Patti opened for Phil.

[@Феюшкаиз]

What was the atmosphere like in the concert?

[@tamara7210]

One of my favorite Phil Ochs songs. I just wish this album was available on iTunes.

[@paganmaestro]

Early 1969, this concert, after Chicago. The record company got the date wrong.

[@padraiggillon]

Phil's Dylan impression is pretty good, even if he couldn't really get all of the sweetness out of voice.

[@margaretross9150]

Dylan seemed to lurk in Phil's mind.

[@Elayman1]

@@margaretross9150 He got asked about him all the time, from formal interviews to social occasions. It must have been incredibly frustrating.

[@filipchetwynd7746]

ooooo... savage!🔥🔥🔥

[@padraiggillon]

@Hannah Phil's voice was sweet. Not Dylan's.

[@michaelmiller7160]

Phils imitated Bob but many of his songs are far better than Dylan or they can speak to me much more. Dylan wrote many clunkers and his plagiarism is not even surpassed by Led Zeppelin. I guess with folk music it's just easy to steal melodies. Ochs didn't steal in that way. He shouldn't even try to imitate Dylan here; the rest of the song stands on its own though I wouldn't call this a very good Ochs song; he's got 25 far better. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIbTdmaeer2jgpY Changes. love this morbidity. 10 on 1 to 10 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qamndWx5i5KLgJY When I'm Gone. Sweet beautiful song rate 10 kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWGllnh-jc-Lf68 there but for Fortune .rate 10 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opfOmXV9jNCEqNU Cross my Heart. Moving, strings and orchestration make the song. rate 9. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joumo2aMjr94n5o Celia. rate 9. A fascist prisoner sings a song to his lady. Corny by gut-wrenching. When will i lie beside my Celia 'neath the tree oh when will Celia come to me? (Listen to this song and feel the tears almost fall) kzbin.info/www/bejne/in6whpaCeM-hipo Flower Lady rate 10. exponential poignancy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGGyaauoq5h5bck Tape from California. Rating 10 Jazzy cool psychedelic sound. One of his top 5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXOXqaOng7iMps0 The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo. Genius Lyrics. Few songs approach this kind of picturesque lyrics such as "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. Later on: 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" Ringing of Revolution has great lyrics. Think of the monumental Charles Dickens "great expectations". Lyrics that were written in 15 mins? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iprWZauXpMmXjaM Lyrics should be studied in school kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ-nfZhud6h4fNk Half a century High. Eerie playful and soars and pours into Phil's unconsciousness. 9.5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fl6zlWqXr96ne80 That was the President. Best tribute song to Kennedy. 8.5 Here's a memory to share, here's a memory to fade. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWWckGZvi7mmnqs Another Age. Catchy. 8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaS7aaCVmbGId5Y Pretty Smart on my Part. catchy. 8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIKlfXWsnptqnNk I kill therefore I am. country twang sounds good. 8 catchy too.

[@OrionFarrScience]

He does the dylan reference in the studio album too, and the ship coming in line is a reference too. What's the inspiration behind the song?

[@christinem.1622]

+DesolateGrunt I always thought the "ship came in" is a reference to the Brecht/Weill song "Pirate Jenny": "And the ship - the Black Freighter - with a skull on its masthead - will be coming in."

[@Elayman1]

He is talking about the empty passion of a whore house.

[@Elayman1]

It is funny in that he was always deriding Phil for political music to the detriment of and developing his personal stuff, the meaning of his life, finding oneself etc. (although Bob never did that terribly successfully himself and not until much later). When Phil does work those themes in a song (Lady of the Lakes from King Arthur ?) without a doubt it is more moving and thought provoking than anything Dylan could touch.

[@JamesGale1]

@@Elayman1 Lady of the Lakes from King Arthur ? Phil Ochs? Where, when - can't find it 😭

[@Hi_Brien]

​@@JamesGale1 it's in his dylan impression on this video

[@thesecretlivesofcats]

Jerry, was it true that he had lost his voice? And did you see him any other times? Curious.

[@thatguy6919]

He " lost his voice" after being choked and mugged in south africa that damaged his vocal chords but this was largely Phil just being self critical as the difference is slight. I found this info from the American Masters doc on him called "there but for fortune"