Tonight’s song is angry. In 1965 the world was full of fear: the Cold War, nuclear weapons, the war in Vietnam, violence over civil rights. A young songwriter put all of it into one song and said: we are on the eve of destruction.
Learn from Songs · Specials: War and peace · B1–B2
Eve of Destruction
Barry McGuire’s angry 1965 protest song: too / enough (old enough to fight, but not old enough to vote), negative questions (Don’t you understand?), the present continuous for what is happening in the world now, and how to discuss a protest song fairly, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
The eve? Like the evening before?
SOPHIA
Exactly: the night before the end. Many people loved it; many hated it; some radio stations banned it. We’ll listen, and then we’ll argue about it fairly.
PHILO
A song that makes people argue is worth studying.
Before you listen: the song
Los Angeles, 1965
P. F. Sloan was only nineteen or twenty when he wrote “Eve of Destruction”. Barry McGuire, a former member of the folk group the New Christy Minstrels, recorded it in one quick session; his rough vocal was meant to be a practice take, but it was released as it was.
The song went to number one in America in September 1965. Some radio stations refused to play it, saying it was too gloomy or unpatriotic, and another group quickly recorded an answer song, “Dawn of Correction”, which argued that things were not so bad.
In the song, the singer lists what is happening in the world: wars, hatred, fear. He points out that young men are old enough to be sent to war but not old enough to vote, and he asks his listeners: don’t you see what is going on?
Listen to the protest, then think for yourself.
Listen: the warnings
PHILO
Listen once. What problems does he mention? What does he ask the listener?
SOPHIA
Listen to how rough and urgent his voice is. Then answer Section A.
💣 Listen to the song: “Eve of Destruction” (P. F. Sloan, 1965), sung by Barry McGuire.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Eve of Destruction”, Barry McGuire.Read the lyrics →
Too and enough
MARCOS
He’s old enough to fight, but not old enough to vote. He’s too young to vote.
SOPHIA
adjective + enough (+ to + infinitive): old enough to drive. too + adjective (+ to + infinitive) = more than is good: too young to vote. enough + noun: enough money. In 1965 the voting age in America was 21; it became 18 in 1971.
Negative questions
DEMETRIA
Don’t you understand? Can’t you see? Isn’t it obvious?
SOPHIA
Negative questions show surprise or a strong opinion: the speaker expects “yes”. Don’t you agree? = I think you should agree. Remember Oh, Sister in Unit 3?
Present continuous for world events
PHILO
The world is changing. Prices are rising. People are marching in the streets.
SOPHIA
be + -ing for things happening now or around now, and for trends: The climate is getting warmer. More people are learning English. News reports use it all the time.
Sophia’s comparison: Jeremiah and Cassandra
PHILO
The prophet Jeremiah warned Jerusalem for forty years that destruction was coming. People called him a traitor and threw him into a muddy well. And then the Babylonians came.
SOPHIA
And Cassandra of Troy could see the future, but nobody believed her. She warned them about the wooden horse. But not every warning comes true: a wise listener asks, is this Jeremiah, or just someone shouting?
MARCOS
So how do you know?
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adjective + enough (+ to…) | sufficient | old enough to vote |
| too + adjective (+ to…) | more than is good | too young to vote |
| enough + noun | sufficient amount | enough money |
| Don’t you / Can’t you…? | negative questions: surprise, opinion | Can’t you see? |
| be + -ing | events and trends now | The world is changing. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What does the singer say the world is on?
2. What is the problem with young soldiers, according to the song?
3. Who wrote the song?
4. What was special about the vocal?
5. How did some radio stations react?
6. What was “Dawn of Correction”?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. He’s old to fight, but not to vote.
8. He’s young to vote.
9. We don’t have money. (sufficient)
10. you understand? (negative question)
11. The world is fast. (change)
12. Prices are every month. (rise)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He is enough old to vote.”
14. “She’s too tired to walk.”
15. “Can’t you see the danger?”
16. “The world change very fast these days.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Old enough? At what age should people be allowed to vote, drive, work, marry? Use old enough to…, too young to… and give reasons.
Discuss (fairly). 1. Is a protest song useful, or does it just frighten people? 2. Were the radio stations right or wrong to ban it? 3. What would a song like this be about today? Listen to someone who disagrees with you.
Write (120–150 words). For and against. Write two paragraphs: one for the song’s message and one against it, using too / enough, negative questions and the present continuous.
Now play the gamebook: a call to war, and a city that asks why.Play the gamebook →