Kathy Murguía: I recall singing this song both in
Berkeley
on the Peace Marches and in
Holly
Springs
,
Mississippi
at the local Church meetings during Freedom Summer (1964).
When the cops wanted to kick us out of
Sproul
Hall
Plaza
, that's what we sang. When the Hell's Angels converged at Sather Gate with their roaring cycles, that's what we sang.
What I love is that counterpoint---you can have people talking back and forth to each other in this song.
It was translated into Spanish in the fall of 1965, and was a hit on the picket lines. The NO aspect became a source of conviction that we'd never give up. I loved the counterpoint used at times to echo the NO. It was powerful.