Today, in honor of World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2011, we would like to share excerpts from Allen Ginsberg's song-poem "Put Down Your Cigarette Rag (Don't Smoke)".... 
 
Put Down Your Cigarette Rag (Don't Smoke)
 
 
by Allen Ginsberg
 
Dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke
Dont smoke
It's a nine billion dollar
Capitalist Communist joke
Dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke
Dont smoke
 
Smoking makes you cough,
You cant sing straight
You gargle on saliva
& vomit on your plate
Dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke,
Dont smoke smoke smoke smoke
 
You smoke in bed
You smoke on the hill
Smoke till yr dead
You smoke in Hell
Dont smoke dont smoke in living Hell Dope Dope
Dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke
 
You puff your fag
You suck your butt
You choke & gag
Teeth full of crud
Smoke smoke smoke smoke Dont dont dont
Dont Dont Dope Dope Dope Dont Smoke Dont Dope
 
Pay your two bucks
for a deathly pack
Trust your bad luck
& smoke in the sack
Dont Smoke Dont Smoke Nicotine Nicotine No
No dont smoke the official Dope Smoke Dope Dope
 
Four Billion dollars in Green
'swat Madison Avenue gets
t' advertise nicotine
& hook you radical brats
Dont Smoke Dont Smoke Dont Smoke
Nope Nope Dope Dope Hoax Hax Hoax Hoax
Dopey Dope Dopey Dope Dope Dope dope dope
 
Black magic pushes dope
Sexy chicks in cars
America loses hope
& smokes and drinks in bars
Don't smoke dont smoke dont smoke,
dont smoke dont dont dont dont dont
choke choke choke choke kaf kaf
Kaf Kaf Choke Choke
Choke Choke Dope Dope
 
Communism's flopped
Let's help the Soviet millions
Sell 'em our Coffin-Nails
& make a couple billions
Big Bucks Big Bucks bucks bucks
bucks bucks smoke smoke smoke smoke
smoke Bucks smoke bucks Dope bucks big
Dope Bucks Dig Big Dope Bucks Big Dope
Bucks dont smoke big dope bucks
Dig big Pig dope bucks
 
Nine billion bucks a year
a Southern Industry
Buys Senator Jesse Fear who pushes Tobacco subsidy
In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Dope smokes dope smokes dont smoke dont smoke
Cloak cloak cloak room cloak & dagger
smoke room cloak room dope cloak
cloak room dope cloak room dope dont smoke
 
Nine billion bucks for dope
approved by Time & Life
America loses hope
The President smokes Tobacco votes
Dont Smoke dont smoke dont smoke dont smoke
Dont smoke nope nope nope nope
 
30 thousand die of coke or
Illegal speed each year
430 thousand cigarette deaths
That's the drug to fear
In USA Dont smoke Dont smoke Dont smoke
 
Get Hooked on Cigarettes
Go Fight the War on Drugs
Smoke any other Weed
Get bust by Government Thugs
Dont smoke dont smoke the official dope
 
Make believe yer sick
Stay in bed and lick
yr cigarette habit greed
One day's all you need
In deed in deed in deed in deed smoke weed
smoke weed Put something green
in between but don't smoke smoke dont smoke
hope hope hope hope Nicotine dont
smoke the official dope
Dope Dope Dope Dope Dont Smoke
Smoke weed indeed smoke grass yass yass
smoke pot but not nicotine no no
indeed it's too obscene
put something green
in between your lips get hip not square
listen to my wail don't dare smoke coffin nails
ugh ugh ugh ugh the government Drug
official habit for Mr. Babbitt
Dont smoke the official dope
dope dope dope dope don't smoke
Dont Smoke Dont Smoke.
~1971; May 20, 1996