The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag

"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" is a song by the American psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, written by Country Joe McDonald, and first released as the opening track on the extended play Rag Baby Talking Issue No. 1, in October 1965. "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag"'s dark humor and satire in a ragtime rhythm made it one of the most recognized protest songs against the Vietnam War. Critics cite the composition as a classic of the counterculture era.

The song was usually preceded by "The Fish Cheer", a cheer spelling out "F-I-S-H". At a show in Central Park in 1968, the band’s drummer, Gary Hirsh, suggested they change the word "fish" to "F-U-C-K" to make a free speech statement. The altered version of the cheer resulted in a television ban for Country Joe and the Fish in 1968, for the vulgarity, but was applauded by concert-goers.

"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" saw a more commercial release on the group's second album, I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die, which was distributed in November 1967. Released as a single in 1969, this version reached number one on Tio i Topp in Sweden. The song was a favorite among the hippie culture, and was featured in McDonald's set list at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Decades later, McDonald had a lawsuit filed against him for allegedly infringing on the copyright of Kid Ory's tune, "Muskrat Ramble". McDonald denied these allegations and the suit was later dismissed.