Phil Ochs - The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns [Live 1969 - Phil plays the piano]

This is one of the only two known live versions of Phil's haunting shipwreck ballad, The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns. Unlike the performance from the Vancouver concert known as "There & Now" where Phil played the guitar, this version features Phil playing the piano on the song. It was one of the rare occasions where Phil played the piano in the 60s. He always played the piano on "Jim Dean of Indiana" in the 70s, but it was rare of him to play the piano in the 60s.

"The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns" was released on Phil's album "Rehearsals for Retirement", which came out in 1969. The song was inspired by the story of the USS Scorpion, a nuclear submarine that mysteriously sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1968, killing all 99 crew members on board. It is a haunting and poetic tribute to the lost sailors, who never received a proper explanation or farewell from their government or families. It also reflects Phil's disillusionment with the American society and politics at the time.

This song is one of the two shipwreck ballads Phil had written throughout his short career, the other being "The Thresher" from 1963.

Here is the other song from this concert where Phil also played the piano:    • Phil Ochs - Rehearsals for Retirement [Liv...