Peet Seeger was a member of the Almanacs. This anti-World War II song was inspired by a speech given by Sen. Burton K. Wheeler (D-Mont.)in January, 1941, in which he accused the Roosevelt administration of pursuing a foreign policy that would "plow under every fourth American boy."
The song was on "Songs for John Doe," an album of anti-war songs that was available for a few weeks before it was abruptly pulled off the market after Germany invaded the Soviet Union, prompting a change in the Communist Party line on intervention in the war.
An album in 1941? Dude, you’re stretching!