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Protest Songs


CanAm

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If this subject has been dealt with in a previous post, I apologize in advance. Many great protest songs have been recorded over the years and I'd like to know which ones you like best. The songs can protest war, poverty, discrimination, child abuse or any number of other things.

My favourite protest songs are:

Fortunate Son - CCR

Ohio - CSNY

Scarecrow (lamenting the loss of family farms) - John Mellencamp

Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon/The Beatles

All She Wants To Do Is Dance - Don Henley (If I understand this song correctly, Henley is criticizing American involvement in Nicaragua)

The Times They Are A Changin' - Bob Dylan

Southern Man - Neil Young

:happybanana:

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  • 3 years later...

Good People ~ Jack Johnson

You win it’s your show now

So what’s it going to be?

Cause' people will tune in

How many train wrecks do we need to see?

Before we lose touch

And we thought this was low

Well it’s bad, getting worse….

Where’d all the good people go?

I’ve been changing channels and I don’t see them on the tv shows

Where’d all the good people go?

We’ve got heaps and heaps of what we sow

They got this and that with a rattle a tat

Testing, one, two, man whatcha gonna do

Bad news misused, got too much to lose

Give me some truth now, who’s side are we on

Whatever you say

Turn on the boob tube, I’m in the mood to obey

So lead me astray

And by the way now…

Where’d all the good people go?

I’ve been changing channels and I don’t see them on the tv shows

Where’d all the good people go?

We’ve got heaps and heaps of what we sow

Sitting around feeling far away

So far away but I can feel the debris, can you feel it?

You interrupt me from a friendly conversation

To tell me how great it’s all going to be

You might notice some hesitation

'cause its important to you, it’s not important to me

way down by the edge of your whole reason

Well it's beginning to show and ALL I really want to know is…

Where’d all the good people go?

I’ve been changing channels and I don’t see them on the tv shows

Where’d all the good people go?

We got heaps and heaps of what we sow

(Where’d all the good people go?)

They got this and that with a rattle a tat

Testing one, two man whatcha gonna do

Bad news misused give me some truth

You got too much to lose

Whose side are we on today, anyway

Okay, whatever you say

Wrong or resolute but in the mood to obey

Station to station desensitizing the nation

where'd all the good people go

Going, going, gone.

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I like protest songs too. I went to an anti-war rally in Chicago last year with SDS and made a CD, but most of them didn't really like it because it was mostly "hippie music." Other people didn't care because they were high and everything was good...

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I like protest songs too. I went to an anti-war rally in Chicago last year with SDS and made a CD, but most of them didn't really like it because it was mostly "hippie music." Other people didn't care because they were high and everything was good...

Q: What do Deadheads say when they run out of drugs?

A: "My God, what is that awful music?" :P

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Any song of Dylan's from the beginning of his career seems to be put in the protest song category. His best include:

"Masters of War" on political leaders

"Only a Pawn in Their Game" on racial violence

and "Blowin' in The Wind" on people who can't face up to resonsibility.

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God Bless the Grass

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1964 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1992. People often think of this as an ecology song, but Malvina wrote it after reading Mark Lane’s book, Rush to Judgment, about the Kennedy assassination.

God bless the grass that grows thru the crack.

They roll the concrete over it to try and keep it back.

The concrete gets tired of what it has to do,

It breaks and it buckles and the grass grows thru,

And God bless the grass.

God bless the truth that fights toward the sun,

They roll the lies over it and think that it is done.

It moves through the ground and reaches for the air,

And after a while it is growing everywhere,

And God bless the grass.

God bless the grass that grows through cement.

It's green and it's tender and it's easily bent.

But after a while it lifts up its head,

For the grass is living and the stone is dead,

And God bless the grass.

God bless the grass that's gentle and low,

Its roots they are deep and its will is to grow.

And God bless the truth, the friend of the poor,

And the wild grass growing at the poor man's door,

And God bless the grass. :hippie:

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  • 3 months later...

Here's one which is bang up to date, covering a pretty traumatic situation:

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH, I’M NOT GUILTY – Tara Hack

The song can be heard from here, which also provides a free MP3 download:

http://www.schapelle.net/music.html

It's about Schapelle Corby (whose story is here:

)

Lyrics:

Did you ever hear a word about poor Schapelle

She’s locked away in a prison cell

She went to Bali on a holiday

Little did she know she’d be forced to stay

The trip turned out to be a real drag

When they found four kilos in a plastic bag

But truth be told she starts to wonder

She gets no help from the government down under

Welcome to Indonesia

Where they’re always glad to see ya

And they show their appreciation

By giving you a permanent vacation

Just ask Schapelle

She touched down she didn’t get far

She got framed in Denpasar

She planed to stay at a fine hotel

But her stay in Bali turned into Hell

Take 2 weeks on a fine vacation

She spent 9hrs in interrogation

A one way ticket straight to Heaven

She won’t get out til she’s forty-seven

Welcome to Indonesia

Where they’re always glad to see ya

Go back to Queensland well rested

Just as long as you don’t get arrested

Ask Schapelle

Ask Schapelle

She’s in Hell

Oh, poor Schapelle

(chorus x2)

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

I’M NOT GUILTY

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

I’M NOT GUILTY

(chorus-background x6)

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

SAYA TIDAK BERSALAH

I’m not guilty

Welcome to Indonesia

Where they’re always glad to see ya

And they show their appreciation

By giving you a permanent vacation

Welcome to Indonesia

Where they’re always glad to see ya

Go back to Queensland well rested

Just as long as you don’t get arrested

Please don’t walk away

Please don’t walk away

Please don’t walk away

Don’t walk away, don’t walk away

I really love this song. Passion, stark, and what a voice.

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  • 4 months later...

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