"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" is a song written by Pete Seeger in 1967 and made famous because of its censorship from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Imperiously ignoring his sergeant's concerns, the captain orders the platoon to continue with himself in the lead until they are finally up to their necks.

Suddenly, the captain drowns and the sergeant instantly orders the unit to turn back to the original shore.

The narrator declines to state an obvious moral but intimates from what he has read in the paper that his nation itself is being led into similar peril by authoritarian fools.

Kronos Quartet's 2020 album Long Time Passing, celebrating the music of Pete Seeger, includes their recording of the song with Brian Carpenter.