This was sometimes called the most powerful thing I ever wrote. I thought we had mothballed it for good six years ago.

[DFW]

How bad do things have to get that it suddenly is current again??

Performance and production by my brilliant collaborator, Don Caron.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It's hard to know just how bad things can get when you're in the middle of it.

You've written many good songs, my dear DFW, but this has to be the top or very near it. Somber, melodic, full of grief and sorrow, this is an amazing bit of music.

In its approx 2 minutes, it covers a lot of our experience these days. So much truth!

[DFW]

3. At the time

I had just intended for it to be meant as a warning.

How very naïve of me.

[KS Toronado]

2. Very relevant today, it's aged well.

[ShazzieB]

9. It's aged like fine wine.

[cachukis]

4. Powerful.

[erronis]

5. "Trump will not be there when Johnny comes rolling home." - True, as he mutters 'losers'.

[QED]

14. New Trump statement - as vile as you'd expect:

"Three US Military service members have been killed in action... There will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is."

New Trump statement:

"Three US Military service members have been killed in action... There will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is."

— Adam Schwarz (@adamjschwarz.bsky.social) 2026-03-01T21:23:08.871Z

[karin_sj]

6. Beautifully sung, and the words are profound

But so sad and depressing as hell to think that it’s happening now. It’s already resulted in some terrible tragedies, with more to come.

[blm]

7. 😢

[czarjak]

8. FAFO

IF EVER! MOF, extreme vetting much?

[Bumbles]

10. Chills ran down my spine while listening to this. Brilliant piece.

Sadly, history repeats itself.

[struggle4progress]

11. Veterans Have Borne Administration's Deep Cuts to Federal Personnel

February 20, 2026, 10:53 am
The Trump Administration has radically slashed the federal civilian workforce, sidestepping Congress and causing disruptions, slowdowns, and fragility in a range of critical public services that people and communities depend on. Veterans have been affected by these cuts both as members of the federal workforce and as recipients of federal health care and other benefits available to them based on their service.

The federal government has been a large employer of veterans for many decades, with veterans accounting for roughly 30 percent of all federal employees in recent years. Between September 2024 and December 2025, the number of veterans working in the federal government fell by nearly 10 percent. This loss of roughly 62,000 veterans from federal service — including 13,000 fewer veterans serving at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — has resulted in the lowest number of federal employees who are veterans in over 15 years, according to historical Office of Personnel Management data no longer available online.

Veterans have felt the impact of the Administration’s chaotic and sweeping personnel policies across the federal government, including at the IRS, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Department of Education.

But it’s at the VA — the federal agency dedicated to running programs and services that benefit veterans and their families, including providing care through nearly 1,400 health care facilities — where the harm to veterans may be most acute. The Trump Administration cut nearly 28,000 VA employees (about 6 percent of agency staff) between January and December of 2025. Included in these losses were over 2,700 nurses, over 1,000 medical officers, and more than 1,000 psychologists and social workers, as well as over 1,800 people tasked with evaluating veterans’ claims for benefits. As a result, VA health centers and offices in every state have seen staffing declines ...

https://www.cbpp.org/blog/veterans-have-borne-trump-administrations-deep-cuts-to-federal-personnel

[Joinfortmill]

12. OMG, magnificent! Post this on Substack, if you haven't already

[malaise]

13. K & R

Damn!

[leftstreet]

15. DURec

[BurnDoubt]

16. So Sorry, Johnny...

You’re ALWAYS what happens when we’re out of ideas.
It’s like drinking your troubles away.
You know when you wake… Epstein is still there.
Have we reached “High Crimes and Treason” yet???
Just asking… for Johnny.
At least he got his “Obama Moment”… check “Bucket List”.

[GigiLeigh]

17. That was

Hauntingly beautiful. I made sure to go to YouTube and hit the like button. I have chills! Thank you for posting.

[vanessa_ca]

18. Serious kudos!!!!!! -eom

[Lionel Mandrake]

19. The band won't play. We won't all turn out.

The original Irish folk song was also somber. Here is a powerful performance of it:

[DFW]

21. As with all flawlessly executed choral performances

The timing and harmonies were flawless, but I still couldn’t make out a word of the lyrics. That is why we almost always have running lyrics in our videos, no matter how clear WE think they might be.

[Lionel Mandrake]

22. I really like those running lyrics.

Even when I think I can hear the words, it's nice to have confirmation.

I think I can hear most of the lyrics in the UCLA performance, but that's true only because I have heard the song before. Here is a version of the traditional lyrics:
https://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/Johnny_I_Hardly_Knew_Ye.shtml

[Wild blueberry]

20. Apt sorrow

What a deep shame.
Thank you.

[niyad]

23. Dear Goddess, I am in tears here, my friend. DAMN that orange monster.