I've Heard It All Before.

The musical "Shenandoah" opened in January of 1975 (it was based on the 1965 Jimmy Stewart movie), more than thirty years ago. The subject was the Civil War. The lyrics from one of its songs, sung by the widowed West Virginia patriarch who is the protagonist of the musical, entitled "I've Heard It All Before", are below:

Stand and show your colors. Let's all go to war. Lord will surely bless us. I've heard it all before. I've heard it all a hundred times. I've heard it all before.

They always got a holy cause to march you off to war. Tyranny or justice, anarchy or law. We must defend our honor. I've heard it all before. I've heard it all a hundred times. I've heard it all before.

They always got a holy cause that's worth the dyin' for. Someone writes a slogan, raises up a flag. Someone finds an enemy to blame. The trumpet sounds the call to arms to leave the cities and the farms. And always, the ending is the same, the same, the same, the same.

The dream has turned to ashes, the wheat has turned to straw. And someone asks the question: "What's the dyin' for?" The living can't remember, the dead no longer care. But next time it won't happen. Upon my soul I swear. I've heard it all a hundred times. I've heard it all before.

Don't tell me "It's different now." I've heard it all, I've hard it all, I've heard it all before.