In Memoriam: Country Joe and The Fish - I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag

Country Joe McDonald - who died March 7, 2026 at age 84 - and his band, The Fish were almost entirely known for "The Fish Cheer" and its accompanying song "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag," but McDonald had a long career. He recorded over thirty-five albums and EPs with his group and as a solo artist, none of which are familiar to me.

McDonald used his fifteen minutes of fame at Woodstock for his performance of the infamous cheer that leads into his still well-loved, anti-Viet Nam war protest song.

Along with Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" the "Rag" was a strong statement against the war and was even more pointed than Guthrie's sidelong, LP narrative. Just like Guthrie, McDonald used dark humor to get his point across even though the subject matter wasn't the least bit funny. I remember snickering the first time I heard it way back in prehistoric times when I was a teenager and feeling bad about it later. Part of the humor came from the cute melody that functioned as the foundation for his politically charged, poetic lyrics. The last verse was the saddest.

"Come on mothers throughout the land
Pack your boys off to Viet Nam
Come on fathers, don't hesitate
Send your sons off before it's too late
And you can be the first ones on your block
To have your boy come home in a box."

The singer-songwriter's solo acoustic set opened with "The Fish Cheer." It starts with McDonald chanting, "Give me an F."  Then "Give me a U" and so on. The crowd responded wildly and loved every second of it. Then without hesitation, he immediately starts singing his controversial song while encouraging the large festival crowd to sing along too.

Country Joe McDonald passed away as a never-to-be-forgotten 1960s legend.

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