NEW YEARS EVE EVE

That word "eve" is strange - strange the way we use it.  What did the first woman have to do with the evening before an event?  How does that happen?  Turns out that it was not used as the eve of an event until the 13th century.  Go figure.  

We always refer to the day or night before Christmas or New Years Day as the eve but not many other days.  I've never heard anyone say Easter Eve.  

In my search for uses of the word 'eve', I came up with an "anti-war song" from the sixties/seventies.  A guy named Toby McGuire recorded a good example of that genre called "The Eve of Destruction".  Here is a link to it on YouTube.  If the link doesn't work, you can easily call it up.

 https://youtu.be/qfZVu0alU0I?si=6_P3eEzjgAWLe4jh 

If you don't want to listen, you can read the lyrics here.  The main difference in that era is that nuclear war was always on people's minds.  As someone commented to the recording, "We never learn."

The eastern world it is exploding
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill but not for votin'
You don't believe in war but whats that gun you're totin'?
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'

But you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction

Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to say
Can't you feel the fears I'm feelin' today?
If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you boy, it's bound to scare you boy

And you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction

Yeah my blood's so mad feels like coagulating
I'm sitting here just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth it knows no regulation
Handful of senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'

And you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for four days in space
But when you return it's the same old place
The pounding of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don't leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor but don't forget to say grace

And tell me
Over and over and over and over again my friend
You don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction
Mmm, no, no, you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction