“We Can Be Together” was not Jefferson Airplane‘s most popular song, but it’s one of their most controversial. Released in 1969 as the B-side to the better-known “Volunteers” and included on the album of that name, the song is a hippie call to action in the face of the Vietnam War and other oppressive actions of those in power at the time, including Republican President Richard Nixon. Here are some of the lyrics to “We Can Be Together”:
We are all outlaws in the eyes of America
We are obscene, lawless, hideous, dangerous, dirty, violent
And youngWe should be together
Come on all you people standin’ around
Our life’s too fine to let it die
We should be togetherAll your private property is
Target for your enemy
And your enemy is weWe are forces of chaos and anarchy
Everything they say we are, we are
And we are very proud of ourselvesUp against the wall
Up against the wall, motherfuckers!
Tear down the wall
Tear down the wall