The Eastern world, it is explodin'Violence flarin', bullets loadin'You're old enough to kill but not for votin'You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'?And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin' But you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendHow you don't believeWe're on the eve of destruction Don't you understand what I'm trying to sayCan't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' awayThere'll be no one to save with the world in a graveTake a look around you boy, it's bound to scare you, boy And you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendHow you don't believeWe're on the eve of destruction Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'I'm sittin' here just contemplatin'I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulationHandful of senators don't pass legislationAnd marches alone can't bring integrationWhen human respect is disintegratin'This whole crazy world is just too frustratin' And you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendHow you don't believeWe're on the eve of destruction And think of all the hate there is in Red ChinaThen take a look around to Selma, AlabamaAh, you may leave here for four days in spaceBut when you return, it's the same old placeThe poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgraceYou can bury your dead, but don't leave a traceHate your next door neighbor but don't forget to say grace And you tell meOver and over and over and over again, my friendYou don't believe we're on the eve of destructionNo no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Det er næsten 60 år siden Barry McGuire hittede med P. F. Sloans “Eve of destruction”, som Thøger Olesen fordanskede til “Jorden i flammer” til Cæsar. Men teksten er i det store hele lige så relevant som den var dengang. Vi er stadigvæk ‘on the eve of destruction’. Måske endnu mere end dengang, fordi vi nu også har en truende, uomgængelig klimakrise, som vi ikke kan snakke os ud af.
Her i en udgave med sangskriveren selv: