Attacking the Left
The song has become one of Ochs' most widely appreciated topical songs, as it breaks from a long line of "protest" songwriters who have assailed conservative points of view. Turning the tables, the tune calls out the folks who claim to be liberal because of what it represents, but who fall short of taking action to affect social change, lest it not go well and tarnish their reputation.
"Love Me I'm a Liberal" Lyrics
The tune came at a time in history after the Civil Rights Movement had come to a head and its leaders were assassinated, and as the anti-Vietnam War movement was heating up. The final verse assails older liberals who looked down on Baby Boomer activists for their radicalism:
Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
(Read the full lyrics for "Love Me I'm a Liberal."
