Oh, the Ladies' Auxiliary
It's a good auxiliary.
'Bout the best auxiliary
That you ever did see.
If you need an auxiliary,
See the Ladies' Auxiliary.
It's the Ladies' Auxiliary.

WWG

Not sure about regional stuff, but when I say "guys" I mean everyone I'm addressing... sometimes it's my children both male and female, sometimes it's my students... to me it has nothing to do with gender. Just an inclusive term.

There once was a union maid, she never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.
She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,
And when the Legion boys come 'round
She always stood her ground.

Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union.
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

no no its nothing to do with being PC. It's to do with being left out even when you are there. Come on, try imagine yourself busting your butt to become a soldier or a cop etc. and you are female (or black or white,gay or lesbian or whatever )and you got left out, or made to feel like your a novelty (not all the time but still by some by some people), like with females (cos thats the one I can feel).............."four police officers, including a female, were injured during the arrest" or "ten soilders, including three females, were caught in crossfire etc etc..."or we are praying for our boys over there" I mean you hear it all the time.

I don't believe in tokenism, I believe in Humanism, that everyone has a right to do things you are good at or capable of or believe in no matter what color gender etc.

And how would you like it if you weren't allowed to do the real work but were always relegated to making the tea and scones. (or even more than that, back in the early days of the peace movement,.....you know that quote I'm talkin' about!!)

I have never belonged to any kind of Ladies Auxiliary and never will, yes they were around for a long time but I think they are a dying breed.
Would you want to belong to a Men's Auxiliary?? ( Yeah there are all kinds of Auxiliarys like in war, Auxiliary Troops etc). But I mean part of a club or community service group etc. We should all just muck in together and share the real work and the support work, and I guess that's what is starting to happen these days...Heck the even have female presidents in Rotary now!

I can't feel what its like to be a male, black, diabled, gay etc. person and be left out but I can sure feel empathy for them and try to understand and try to help change peoples perceptions so we can be different in the ways we are different (like I don't want to BE a man, but don't want to be excluded from things I'm capable of doing cos I'm not one) but still be included and that includes in everyday language and communication.

Nothing is written in stone.

There is nothing anti women about the song it's just the exclusion, women who have busted their butt to serve their country would feel excluded, even though it wasn't done on purpose or meant to exclude them...see what I mean?

Feminist is a word that gets thrown around and at people too much, I prefer Humanist, but because I'm female I can only speak from the veiw of a female who is part humankind.

I think women have their place!

you may be treading on some vveeerryyy thin ice there PSB

Have you been taking "How to be as funny as Larry Lessons" PSB?
I have too but, I think you're way ahead of me in class.....Darn!
Better get back to the books so I can catch up................

hey, i didn't say nothing!

I'm with you ARR. Where I'm from "guys" can just mean you are part of the group. But that's so called liberal Massachusetts. Texas has a tiny speck of blue in the center of a red sea, Austin, which is ironically the capital, and one of the great music cities of the country. Didn't mean to make a big deal out of this with my gender neutral suggestions, just responding to the other post, tryin to be helpfull. It's your song, it should reflect you, not the aggregate opinion of arlonet. They haven't taken that away from us yet...you can still say anything you want in a song, just don't ask anyone else what they think of it or you will find out...trust your gut, and do what you want with the tune (though you did ask for feedback and man did you get it). Like Ben Franklin said "those who give up liberty for security end up with neither" . And like Arlo said "better to fail at being yourself than to succeed at being someone else". Keep on creating !

PS> Don't take offense Ceashel.......I would never mess with Texas......too bad Ann Richards was not brought to the National stage rather than W. No one is cooler than Uncle Willy, except Arlo...which reminds me there is some great video of Arlo and Uncle Willy on utube.
Hey if any of you "guys" like good cheap cigars check out Finck cigar co. in San Antonio on the web.......the best for the price in the land.

No offense taken, Kevin. I'm an Austinite by right--lived there 1972-1979, in the Willie/Waylon/Asleep at the Wheel/progressive politics years, and was a player. I'm now an Austinite living in Dallas for reasons of the heart.

I have learned from my arlonet friends that 'guys' is inclusive to people in the Northeast, but it is not considered inclusive in the bulk of this country--even Austin--and 'man' is not inclusive to an even larger percentage of the population throughout the country.

One's lyrics are one's own, yes, but yes, if you ask for an opinion, I have never been accused of being at a loss for one, and you will get it. If you want your music to play in a small part of the country, you don't need to hear what others think. I had sworn last night not to post on this thread again, but here I am, because yours was a reasoned comment. I do like the lyrics, and was only trying to offer an asked-for (I thought), friendly opinion. That's it; I'm done.

I don't mean to seem like I'm getting pissed off because you gave the feedback I asked for; I was just taken aback. Normally feedback to my songs that I get is just face-value stuff - "change this word," "this is too cliche," etc - no one has ever psychoanalyzed my lyrics before

I do appreciate the feedback. It just wasn't the feedback I was anticipating, so I was a bit taken aback. I do appologize if I came off as snappy.

Ok If you want your songs to be just taken at face value so be it.

But if you want your songs to mean something then should'nt you ask someone who will tell you the truth and so maybe add some depth??
Heck people are still psychoanalyzing Dylan (and of course adg).

I am a proud, dedicated,soldier, Im female, I come back from a stinkin' war that I never should have been in...............then I hear some guy singin' a new song about the war I just came back from, but he's singin' about weary men and wives. I would be pissed off and worse, very hurt.

OR he's singin about weary men and women and husbands and wives. Then I would feel like somebody cared and would be very greatful and very touched, and would probably want to thank him.


I know which version I would like to hear.

Hey Shel, when you used to see Asleep at The Wheel was Lucky Oceans in it. He has lived and worked in Oz for many years now he has a radio show called The Planet where he plays great music from all over the world. I fell in love with his voice about ten years ago.

I like Lucky Oceans, I heard him sing with the Cornell Hurd band. Don't rememeber him in Asleep at the wheel. I saw Asleep at the Wheel a bunch in my life, great fun. Saw them once in a place called the Diamond Barroom with Jerry Jeff and the Gonzo Band back in 74 or so. Great twin fiddles and the original female singer that was in ASleep at the Wheel. A beautiful voice and her and Ray sang some great duets. She seemed to be just one of the guys. Jerry Jeff was late as usual but was all to happy to assure us he was Gettin' By!

So women have a place, yes or no? I always thought they had their place and I have found some to be powerfully admirable (admirable enough to make me just a bit stupid (speaking as a man who rarely knows his place))!

Just gettin by on gettin by is my stock and trade
livin it, day to day
picking up the pieces
wherever they fall

just lettin it roll
lettin the hi times carry the load
just livin my life
easy come, easy go

Lucky Oceans played steel and guitar with Asleep at the Wheel through the 1970's. Chris O'Connell had a great voice and I think went on to do Christian singing. Don't know where she is now.

This is the first time I ever heard that "guys" wasn't considered inclusive in other parts of the country. I grew up in New Jersey where it's a standard basic in the language. It can refer specifically to a plurality of males, but it can also refer to several people of any gender. I thought it was just the Eastern version of "y'all" or something like that. You learn something every day......