Songfacts®:

• This anti-war rocker was one of Bob Seger's early efforts; he and his band were called the Bob Seger System at the time. The song is about how obvious it was to anyone but the politicians that the Vietnam War was a disaster. Seger sings that even though he's not a genius, he still knows how to add 2+2, and that he knows that sending young people to Vietnam is a bad idea.
• This was Seger's first release on Capitol Records, where Seger relocated after the Cameo-Parkway label shut down. It was issued in January 1968, and got some traction as part of the anti-war movement, but Seger was unknown in most major cities outside of Michigan, so places like San Francisco which were embracing protest songs didn't get to hear it. It wasn't until the mid-'70s that Seger made a national impact.