Post the lyrics to your favorite protest songs here.

[amerikat]

I'll start. Words(and music) are by Brenda Kahn.

"Goldfish Don't Talk Back"

I used to get scared
when a plane flew by.
thought a russian bomb
was droppin out of the sky.

Thought I'd fight and die and go to heaven.
but I learned some things since then.
Like know one really knows what two plus two is,
and you can't always trust the man in blue.
And you may think the worlds gone mad
but baby they think it's you.

Every candy store on the block sells crack.
every supreme court ruling is three steps back.
There's acid rain in the drinking water.
But the goldfish they don't talk back.

This song is for Phil Ocks.
He hung himself with a length of rope.
took his job seriously weren't no nine to five folk singer like the ones on MTV.
That's what (unknown name) said to me on the corner of Clinton and Houston Streets where

Every candy store on the block sells crack.
every supreme court ruling is three steps back
There's acid rain in the drinking water.
But the goldfish don't talk back.

I went down to the Laundromat
and there's a woman with a face like sundays cat,
tryin to wash her only clothes'
the clothes on her back.
shes in a St. Vincent wheelchair
but it looks like St Vincent doesn't care.
A sixty pound skeleton in under ware,
Mr. president the nation doesn't look secure
are you sure what you spent all our money for?

There's a great big hole where the sky used to be
and an asshole on my tv
who says act now you get nine issues free
plus an issue of women with an eating disease.

Every candy store on the block sells crack.
every supreme court ruling is three steps back
There's acid rain in the drinking water.
But the goldfish don't talk back

Lets not be goldfish.

[Catholic Sensation]

1. My favorite protest song

Switch
Alright ready
Come on man, this is what I do
Yo mic check, mic check, yeah here you go
Nah, he over here
Yeah, I heard he got that hot new thing
It's called "Switch" (switch)
Let's get it going

Hey switch, turn it over and hit it
Turn around, now switch
Turn it over and hit it

Hey, vibe to vibe a second, it's a club girl why you arrived naked
Hear that, how the veteran glide the record
But don't download, go out and buy the record
Hey, something sexy bout her
Girl on the floor, all her friends around her
I mean real clean, ain't gotta touch or nothing
It ain't like I like a chick on chick or something
I'm just a sucker for a hot track
Gimme a drink and a chick to tell 'Stop that'
Dance is a hop and a clap, flip it round
Now bring it on back, break it down
Now switch

Hey switch, turn it over and hit it
Turn around, now switch
Turn it over and hit it

Uh uh uh
I gotta question, I need to ask somebody
Why is it that when y'all see me at the party
Y'all be looking like, "Ooh, he a movie star
He ain't supposed to be out on the floor with everybody"
But oh wait, whoa, y'all forgetting
When I was, amateur spitting before the scripts were written
First one in, last one out the club
Bursting in, passing out in the club
Back at it, this cat is the wit and the charm
Taking you higher, like a syringe hittin' ya arm
Bringing the fire, making your Benz ring the alarm
Let me see you clap, spin baby, come on
Switch

Hey switch, turn it over and hit it
Turn around, now switch
Turn it over and hit it

Oh, you just gonna stand there, huh
What you too cute to dance, or you scared

It ain't really that hard to do and
I aint trying to be in love with you and
All I wanted was a moment or two to
See if you could do that switch-a-roo and
Shut your mouth fool, get your crew and
The thick body and the rear one too and
I'll be right hear waiting on you to
See if y'all can do that switch-a-roo

Hey, hey

That's what I'm talking bout, do that thing mama
That's what I'm talking bout, do that thing mama
That's what I'm talking bout, do that thing mama
That's what I'm talking bout, switch

Hey switch, turn it over and hit it
Turn around, now switch
Turn it over and hit it

[elperromagico]

2. Never before have I heard my ideology put into song form

so eloquently.

[Catholic Sensation]

5. the chorus clearly is refering to America needing to "Switch"

its leadership.

I gotta question, I need to ask somebody
Why is it that when y'all see me at the party
Y'all be looking like, "Ooh, he a movie star
He ain't supposed to be out on the floor with everybody"

Shows that Big Willy is criticizing those who think that movie stars shouldn't be politically active. That and he's still a populist musician from Philadelphia.

[elperromagico]

9. How about these deep lyrics?

Oh, you just gonna stand there, huh
What you too cute to dance, or you scared

Will is saying to the young people of America: "Get involved! You can't stay out of this fight! We've got to save America."

It's the modern equivalent of Frederick Douglass's famous call to "Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!"

[Catholic Sensation]

11. Will Smith is a modern Frederick Douglas

with his message in the 90's for people to start

"Gettin jiggy wit it... gettin jiggy wit it... getting jiggy wit it"

Na na na na na na na na.

[elperromagico]

20. Don't forget Will's stinging indictment of child abuse,

the classic "Parents Just Don't Understand."

My parents walked in
I got my grip, I said, "Ah, Mom, Dad, how was your trip?"
They didn't speak
I said, "I want to plead my case."
But my father just shoved me in the car by my face
That was a hard ride home, I don't know how I survived
They took turns -
One would beat me while the other one was driving.
I can't believe it, I just made a mistake

That's right up there with "Luka" by Suzanne Vega, as far as I'm concerned.

[Mythsaje]

25. How about "Hell is for Children"

by Pat Benatar?

[Catholic Sensation]

29. the beat isn't as hot as Parents Just Don't Understand

[elperromagico]

39. You're absolutely right.

Those three songs are like a trilogy on the ordeal of child abuse, presented from three distinct musical angles.

[name not needed]

6. here's mine

I’m on fire and now I think I’m ready to bust a move
Check it out I’m rocking steady
Go!

Betty won’t stop listening to modern rock
Now She hates to be alone
I try to compensate her lack of love with coffee cake
Ice cream and a bottle of ten dollar wine she says hey
I rock the Haro sport
I rock the cow girl blues
I rock too fast for love I’m footloose in my Velcro shoes
What’s up with Will & Grace?
I don’t get drum and bass
The future freaks me out

I’m on fire and now I think ready to bust a move
Check it out I’m rocking steady
To the beat in my head
It goes oh, oh, oh, oh
I know that she’s the only one
I’d rather waste our time together
Yea, ‘cause we can get down

Betty can’t quit carving question marks in my wrist
How come we’re so alone?
We waste away the days with nicotine and television samples
From an era we hate to admit we embrace
We fail to represent
We fail to be content
We fail at everything we ever even try to attempt
And so the story goes
As only Betty knows
It’s time we take control

I’m on fire and now I think I’m ready to bust a move
Check it out I’m rocking steady
To the beat in my head
It goes oh, oh, oh, oh
I know that she’s the only one
I’d rather waste my time with her

(Betty, I need you
I miss you
I’m so alone without you
To call up on the weekends with my cellular phone)

Betty it’s so hard to relate
To the whole human race
I don’t know where to begin
I don’t know where to begin
If we can both find a way
To do the things that we say
We might not sit in our rooms
And drink our daydreams away
Betty, I’m a dreamer
I’m not a vicious schemer
Oh betty won’t you.. ah fuck it

I’m on fire and now I think I’m ready to bust a move
Check it out I’m rocking steady
To the beat in my head
It goes oh, oh, oh, oh
I know that she’s the only one
I’d rather waste our time together
Yeah, ‘cause we can get down.

:P

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

16. GET DOWN WITH POLITICS

Will & Grace and not getting it is clearly demonstrating the liberal cry of "I don't get it, why can't there be an equal place in marriage for both Will's kind AND Grace's kind?"

[Zhade]

80. Who's that by?

One of my faves, from the guy in my sigline:

Special Delivery

I tried to go clean from protesting but I'm a recidivist
my government behaving with unlimited wickedness
in the interest of peace is how a liar wages war
then clamors for more.
I wish we had elections every day
wave the ballot in the air like a sign when I say
that democracy delivered by the bomb and the gun
is terror elsewhere on the world I'm from

do you cheer for the once-and-for-all of an enemy
whose hand our man don was on in '83
but who now exemplifies all evil
that's what you get for shaking hands with people
who represent the vast and sinister interests of industry
we protect the free trade world, so don't dare try to stop us
we deliver them bullets and sell them their coffins

and I wish that I could afford the ear of Bush the second
I'd ask is it your favorite philosopher who recommended
invading and exterminating all who defy us,
crying out justice but seeking out triumphs?
wasn't your christ unbeloved of empires?
one nailed his ass to a post; he expired!
a terrorist, as roman evidence showed
put down like a retard on the death row
in texas, I guess "tough luck," right George?
ain't that how every war gets scored?
big gun wins, winner gets a free turn
enemy after enemy burns
are you listening sir? or did your mind drift
to the next country in your axis
to all the cool bombs drops you get to call
delivery fresh from the 4th reich to y'all

(Shout-out to all devotees of the Flying Spaghetti Monster - Brother Frontalot is apparently a believer in His Noodly Appendage!)

[Catholic Sensation]

82. Will Smith

A great protest song writer if there ever was one. An activist who has represented the ideals of Bob Dylan straight from the streets.

WICKY WICKY WILD!

[lildreamer316]

84. Prince Of Darkness

My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
I don't know when I noticed life was life at my expense
The words of my heart lined up like prisoners on a fence
The dreams came in like needy children tugging at my sleeve
I said I have no way of feeding you, so leave
But there was a time I asked my father for a dollar
And he gave it a ten dollar raise
When I needed my mother and I called her
She stayed with me for days
And now someone's on the telephone, desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
But I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace, my sight grows stronger and I will not
be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)
Maybe there's no haven in this world for tender age
My heart beat like the wings of wild birds in a cage
My greatest hope my greatest cause to grieve
And my heart flew from its cage and it bled upon my sleeve
The cries of passion were like wounds that needed healing
I couldn't hear them for the thunder
I was half the naked distance between hell and heaven's ceiling
And he almost pulled me under
Now someone's on the telephone desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch of spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace my sight grows stronger, grows stronger)
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
(And I will not be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)

--indigo girls

[walldude]

3. Roger Waters: The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range

You have a natural tendency
To squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties
You wear the right masks
You're old but you still
Like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change
You're at home on the range
You opened your suitcase
Behind the old workings
To show off the magnum
You deafened the canyon
A comfort a friend
Only upstaged in the end
By the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you
Remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris
I swam in your pools
And lay under your palm trees
I looked in the eyes of the Indian
Who lay on the Federal Building steps
And through the range finder over the hill
I saw the front line boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find
On their desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
Hey bartender over here
Two more shots
And two more beers
Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
For righting wrongs
You hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range

Malloy plays this one sometimes, it was written during the first Gulf War. Old Man is Poppy Bush....

[dissent1977]

43. I love that song...

Roger Waters does not get nearly enough credit for his solo work, Amused to Death is truly one of the greatest albums ever.

[etch a sketch prez]

4. "Ignoreland" by REM

These bastards stole their power from the victims of the us v. them years,
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into the trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotised the summer, 1979
Marched into the capital brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready,
Heartless, and labeled. super us citizen, super achiever,
Mega ultra power dosing. relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense. yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah

The information nation took their clues from all the sound-bite gluttons
1980, 84, 88, 92 too, too
How to be what you can be, jump jam junking your energies
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn, 1979
Calculate the capital, up the republic my skinny ass
Tv tells a million lies. the paper’s terrified to report
Anything that isn’t handed on a presidential spoon,
I’m just profoundly frustrated by all this. so, fuck you, man (fuck ’em)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
If they weren’t there we would have created them. maybe, it’s true,
But I’m resentful all the same. someone’s got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol. no solution, spleen-venting,
But I feel better having screamed. don’t you?
They desecrated winter, 1979
Capital collateral. brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready,
Heartless, and labeled. super us citizen, super achiever,
Mega ultra power dosing. relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense. yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. yeah, yeah, yeah
I did not do the revolution
Thank you

[Warren DeMontague]

66. I like that tune, too.

And I've been an R.E.M. fan since the days of Murmur & Reckoning.

Lots of people think that's the weakest tune on AFTP, but I've always dug it.

Edit: By the way, Welcome to DU, etch a sketch prez! :hi:

[Mythsaje]

7. Monster...by Steppenwolf

Words and music by John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas and Larry Byrom

(Monster)
Once the religious, the hunted and weary
Chasing the promise of freedom and hope
Came to this country to build a new vision
Far from the reaches of kingdom and pope
Like good Christians, some would burn the witches
Later some got slaves to gather riches

But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light

And once the ties with the crown had been broken
Westward in saddle and wagon it went
And 'til the railroad linked ocean to ocean
Many the lives which had come to an end
While we bullied, stole and bought our homeland
We began the slaughter of the red man

But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light

The blue and grey they stomped it
They kicked it just like a dog
And when the war over
They stuffed it just like a hog

And though the past has it's share of injustice
Kind was the spirit in many a way
But its protectors and friends have been sleeping
Now it's a monster and will not obey

(Suicide)
The spirit was freedom and justice
And it's keepers seem generous and kind
It's leaders were supposed to serve the country
But now they won't pay it no mind
'Cause the people grew fat and got lazy
And now their vote is a meaningless joke
They babble about law and order
But it's all just an echo of what they've been told
Yeah, there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watchin'

Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin' the land
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can't understand
We don't know how to mind our own business
'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us
Now we are fighting a war over there
No matter who's the winner
We can't pay the cost
'Cause there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching

(America)
America where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster

[annabanana]

83. OH yeah! Monster

.. It echoes down through the years, undimmed by time..

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

8. Oh most definitely Modern Chemistry by Motion City Soundtrack

i believe in medication and i believe in therapy
and i believe in crystal light
'cause i believe in me yeah
it's so uplifting
fuck yeah
i barely have the motivation
they say i suffer from a lack of seratonin synapses
they happen too
infrequently for me to be functioning properly
i took the pills i took the advice the panic stopped
but still i'm not right
racing thoughts and wasted time
it's the same old story-line
this is my nursery rhyme and it goes:
i believe in medication and i believe in therapy
and i believe in crystal light
'cause i believe in me yeah
it's so uplifting
fuck yeah
i'm barely off the medication
and now the walls are closing in again
i can't breathe and i can't bleed
will you be my alibi?
tell them that i truly tried to give in?

[Catholic Sensation]

13. Sounds like a good song

but it certainly ain't no Switch or "Wild Wild West" by the Sojourner Truth of modern black America Will Smith.

does this set of lyrics:

i believe in medication and i believe in therapy
and i believe in crystal light
'cause i believe in me yeah

Also remind you of the heroic struggle parents of the war dead are going through?

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

18. Wicky wicky wild

Every damsel that's in distress
be outta that dress when she meet Jim West

[Catholic Sensation]

22. clearly talking about liberating womyn from the dresses of

male chauvanism.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

32. Absolutely.

Agreed.

[JohnKleeb]

15. man that line is like so uplifting

i believe in medication and i believe in therapy
and i believe in crystal light
'cause i believe in me yeah
it's so uplifting

Hes clearly protesting how the mentally ill are treated.

[elperromagico]

26. These lines are brilliant:

they say i suffer from a lack of seratonin synapses
they happen too
infrequently for me to be functioning properly
i took the pills i took the advice the panic stopped
but still i'm not right

That's an attack on the Republican Party's unholy alliance with the pharmaceutical industry, an insightful analysis of our society's often unnecessary dependence on medication.

Wow. Deep. Fucking deep.

[OrlandoGator]

10. War Pigs...as applicable today as it was in the 70's.

Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away.
They only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah.

Time will tell on their power minds,
making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait till their judgement day comes, yeah.

Now in darkness world stops turning,
ashes where the bodies burning.
No more War Pigs have the power,
Hand of God has struck the hour.
Day of judgement, God is calling,
on their knees the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercies for their sins,
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.
Oh lord, yeah!

[Mythsaje]

21. Absolutely...

To me this is one of the major anti-war songs.

I was just caught between it and Steppenwolf's Monster, and I figured there was a good chance someone else would post Sabbath, but it was almost guaranteed that no one else would consider Monster.

[Swamp Rat]

23. My favorite!!!

:headbang:

[Swamp Rat]

31. dupe

[ahem]

12. Army Dreamers

by Kate Bush

Our little army boy
Is coming home from B.F.P.O.
I’ve a bunch of purple flowers
To decorate a mammy’s hero.

Mourning in the aerodrome,
The weather warmer, he is colder.
Four men in uniform
To carry home my little soldier.

What could he do?
Should have been a rock star.
But he didn’t have the money for a guitar.
What could he do?
Should have been a politician.
But he never had a proper education.
What could he do?
Should have been a father.
But he never even made it to his twenties.
What a waste --
Army dreamers.
Ooh, what a waste of
Army dreamers.

Tears o’er a tin box.
Oh, jesus christ, he wasn’t to know,
Like a chicken with a fox,
He couldn’t win the war with ego.

Give the kid the pick of pips,
And give him all your stripes and ribbons.
Now he’s sitting in his hole,
He might as well have buttons and bows.

What could he do?
Should have been a rock star.
But he didn’t have the money for a guitar.
What could he do?
Should have been a politician.
But he never had a proper education.
What could he do?
Should have been a father.
But he never even made it to his twenties.
What a waste --
Army dreamers.
Ooh, what a waste of
Army dreamers.
Ooh, what a waste of all that
Army dreamers,
Army dreamers,
Army dreamers, oh...

[evilqueen]

14. Bob Dylan

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
by Bob Dylan

Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters Around you have grown
And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'.
For the loser now Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land
And don't criticize What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command
Your old road is Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn The curse it is cast
The slow one now Will later be fast
As the present now Will later be past
The order is Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

[Mythsaje]

17. And can't forget

Cry Freedom by Gaia Consort

MP3 or stream available @ http://www.gaiaconsort.com/lyrics.html

From the bottom of the heap
Shouts an angry voice that says “No, I will not remain asleep”
I have seen it with my eyes
Seen that all religion lives by a steady trade in lies

They try to hold us back with reins of holy smoke
But I am here to say we will not bear the yoke

Once the fact is clearly seen
There is no turning back for fairytales or bloody dreams
If we dare not speak our minds
The Inquisition has a test for each of us in time

Do you trust a creed that claims to set you free
By spending half a lifetime begging on your knees?

Cry freedom! We have nothing but this day...
Cry Freedom We have nothing but our chains – to lose!

In a single cup of earth
Sings the mystery of the all expanding universe
Trust that brain behind your eyes
To carve a space for us within the universal mind

And if it's up to us to bring some balance back
Let it not be said it's courage that we lack

Cry freedom! We have nothing but this day...
Cry Freedom We have nothing but our chains – to lose!

Christopher Bingham October 30, 2000

[fooj]

19. Another Dylan classic...

Blowin' in the Wind-B. Dylan.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.


Peace.:patriot:

[EstimatedProphet]

24. This might be a protest song in the right light

It certainly always reminds me of the cynical underhandedness of this administration!

"U.S. Blues"
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission

Red and white/blue suede shoes
I'm Uncle Sam /how do you do?
Gimme five/I'm still alive
Ain't no luck/I learned to duck

Check my pulse/it don't change
Stay seventy two/come shine or rain
Wave the flag/pop the bag
Rock the boat/skin the goat

Wave that flag
Wave it wide and high
Summertime
Done come and gone
My oh my

I'm Uncle Sam /that's who I am
Been hidin' out/in a rock and roll band
Shake the hand that shook the hand
Of P.T. Barnum/and Charlie Chan

Shine your shoes/light your fuse
Can you use/them ol' U.S. Blues?
I'll drink your health/share your wealth
Run your life/steal your wife

Wave that flag
Wave it wide and high
Summertime done
Come and gone
My oh my

Back to back/chicken shack
Son of a gun/better change your act
We're all confused/what's to lose?
You can call this song/the United States Blues

Wave that flag
Wave it wide and high
Summertime done come and gone
My oh My
Summertime done come and gone
My oh My

[fooj]

27. Lennon

Imagine
John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.




Peace.
:hug:

[DanCa]

28. You aint a cowboy stephan smith

You Ain't a Cowboy
By Stephan Smith
Chorus:
You ain't a cowboy because you wear the clothes,
no one here is fooled by what yer up to.
You can't stop this. The harder that you try,
The harder it's gonna roll all over you.


Now buddy 'ro, I wrote down a song for you,
it's gonna get you read right, and awful blue.
Yer gonna trade in your boots for some walkin' shoes
when I'm done learnin you how us real cowboys do.
Don't be scared, I ain't even gonna use yer name
when I pick apart your act and bring yer whole life to shame.
You ain't nothin but a oil tycoon.
You ate yer whole life from a silver spoon.
The whole country knows you're an aristocrat goon,
but still you ain't got the sense to know when it's high noon?
Yer daddy bought you a ranch, you thought it was cool.
You drank mint juleps by the swimmin' pool
and flunked school, while the hired hands did all the work.
You carried on and partied like a frat-boy jerk.
Y'see, we rode the herd while you got the free ride.
What yer kind represents makes my poor grandma cry.


Chorus:
You ain't a cowboy because you wear the clothes,
no one here is fooled by what yer up to.
You can't stop this. The harder that you try,
The harder it's gonna roll all over you.


When being a ranger became your wet dream,
the closest you could come was buy a baseball team?
Then they bought you your way in the old Whitewash House,
the first cowboy ever that was afraid of a mouse.
You out and bought you a hat and some boots
to add to yer collection of photo-op suits.
And, sure, you looked cute in yer new suit of clothes,
but what was that white line going up yer nose?
Why if you so much rode a horse for a half mile ride
you'd cry home to mommy about yer little raw hide.
You never were a soldier, but you wore the uniform
to look like you've got the guts to go out in a storm.
Meanwhile our kids go do your dirty work,
while you and your oil buddies get raises and perks.
Still, you don't get why no one here¹s fooled.
Why, if I said "ho' the do'," would you get a garden tool?


Chorus:
You ain't a cowboy because you wear the clothes,
no one here is fooled by what yer up to.
You can't stop this. The harder that you try,
The harder it's gonna roll all over you.


Now here's one that'll bring you on down to your knees:
to tell an oilman from a real southerner, please!
All you have to do is put your nose in the breeze.
Only one of em'll make you haul off and sneeze...
The other one'll make you lock your wife and children in the house.
You remember when they flew you out onto that boat
and your PR firm decided to inflate your coat?
I guess that was so you could float. Or by chance,
was that so millions of children would look at your pants?
Now I's tellin ya this cause we all get a wail
when an oilman tells you he swaths and he bails.
But don't look so sad bud, your check's in the mail.
In the meantime, try some vinegar on yer kale.
Now friends, that's all I've come here to say.
I've ridden that hot air Texas tornado away.


Chorus:
You ain't a cowboy because you wear the clothes,
no one here is fooled by what yer up to.
You can't stop this. The harder that you try,
The harder it's gonna roll all over you.


copyright 2004 by Stephan Smith

[evilqueen]

30. I also like this one...

One Tin Soldier
By Coven

Listen children to a story
That was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley folk below

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley people swore they'd
Have it for their very own

{Refrain}
Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they'd kill

Came an answer from the kingdom
With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of the mountain
All the riches buried there

{Refrain}
Now the valley cried in anger
Mount your horses draw your sword
And they killed the mountain people
So they got their just reward

Now they stood beside the treasure
On the mountain dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
"Peace on Earth" was all it said

{Refrain}

[fooj]

33. I love that one, too.

Peace.

[DanCa]

36. Awesome one i was going to go with that

[Swamp Rat]

34. "Man in Black" - Johnny Cash

Man in Black

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

- Johnny Cash

[Mythsaje]

46. Thanks for this...

it gave me chills.

Johnny Cash was "one righteous dude."

You know, maybe we need a new Man In Black to take up the banner...remind a whole new generation what it stood for.

[evilqueen]

57. Reminds me of...

Bruce Springsteen when he was out on the campaign for Kerry... he wore black in just about every picture I saw.

[shockingelk]

35. Broomstick Cowboy

circa 1968 ...

Dream on little broomstick cowboy
Of rocket ships and Mars
Of sunny days and Willie Mays
And chocolate candy bars

Dream on little broomstick cowboy
Dream while you can
Of big green frogs and puppy dogs
And castles in the sand

For all too soon you'll waken
Your toys will all be gone
Your broomstick horse will ride away
To find another home

And you'll have grown into a man
With a cowboy of your own
And then you'll have to go to war
To try and save your home

And then you'll have to learn to hate
You'll have to learn to kill
It's always been that way my son
I guess it always will

No broomstick gun they'll hand you
No longer you'll pretend
You'll call some man your enemy
You used to call him friend

And when the rockets thunder
You'll hear your brothers cry
And through it all you'll wonder
Just why they had to die

So dream on little broomstick cowboy
Dream while you can
For soon you'll be a dreadful thing
My son, you'll be a man

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

37. Another good one...

Pon De Replay by Rihanna

Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay
Come Rr. DJ won't you turn the music up
All the gyal pon the dancefloor wantin some more what
Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up


it goes 1 by 1 even 2 by 2
everybody on the floor let me show you how we do
lets go dip it low then you bring it up slow
wine it up 1 time wine it back once more


Run, Run, Run, Run
Everybody move run
Lemme see you move and
Rock it til the grooves done
Shake it til the moon becomes the sun (Sun)
Everybody in the club give me a run (Run)
If you ready to move say it (Yeah Yeah)
One time for your mind say it (Yeah Yeah)
Well i'm ready for ya
Come let me show ya
You want to groove im'a show you how to move
Come come


Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay
Come Rr. DJ won't you turn the music up
All the gyal pon the dancefloor wantin some more what
Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up


Hey Mr.
Please Mr. DJ
Tell me if you hear me
Turn the music up


It goes 1 by 1 even 2 by 2
Everybody in the club gon be rockin when i'm through
Let the bass from the speakers run through ya sneakers
Move both ya feet and run to the beat


Run, Run, Run, Run
Everybody move run
Lemme see you move and
Rock it til the grooves done
Shake it til the moon becomes the sun (Sun)
Everybody in the club give me a run (Run)
If you ready to move say it (Yeah Yeah)
One time for your mind say it (Yeah Yeah)
Well i'm ready for ya
Come let me show ya
You want to groove im'a show you how to move
Come come


Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay
Come Rr. DJ won't you turn the music up
All the gyal pon the dancefloor wantin some more what
Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up


Hey Mr.
Please Mr. DJ
Tell me if you hear me
Turn the music up

[Catholic Sensation]

44. clearly mocking clear channel

telling the dj to replay everything over and over, with a call afterwards to turn the music up, which is an unambiguous statement demanding a raising of intelligence in our popular culture.

[anarchy1999]

38. "Something is happening here.........

RB and I have consistently been on top of it since August of 2001.

By the way, anyone heard from RB?

[Yellow_Dog]

40. Ballad of Penny Evans

Ballad of Penny Evans
* Steve Goodman
My name is Penny Evans and my age is twenty-one
I'm a widow of the war that was fought in Vietnam
I have two baby daughters and I do the best I can
They say the war is over but I think it's just begun

I remember I was seventeen when first I met my Bill
At his father's grand piano we played old 'Heart and Soul'
I only knew the left hand part, he knew the right so well
He's the only boy I slept with, and the only one I will

First we had a baby girl, we had two good years
And next the warning notice came, we parted without tears
Then it's nine months from our last goodbye our second child appears
And it's ten months and a telegram confirming all our fears

So once a month I get a check from some army bureaucrat
And once a month I tear it up and mail the damn thing back
Do they think that makes it all right? Do they think I'll fall for that?
They can keep their bloody money, it won't bring my Billy back

I never cared for politics, speeches I don't understand
Likewise I'll take no charity from any living man
But tonight there's fifty thousand gone in that unhappy land
And fifty thousand 'Heart and Souls' being played with just one hand

My name is Penny Evans and my age is twenty-one
I'm a widow of the war that was fought in Vietnam
I have two baby daughters - thank God I have no son
They say the war is over but I think it's just begun

Copyright Steve Goodman
SOF

[rumpel]

41. What's Going On

What's Going On

Tell me
People dying
People crying
Lord help us

Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Oh, brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
That's right
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

Oh my father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Barricades, can't block our way
Don't punish me with brutality

Talk to me
So you can see

Oh what's going on
What's going on
Yeah what's going on
Ahh what's going on

What's going on in a world filled with pain
Where's the love for which we pray
What's going on
When our children can't play
Homeless can't eat
There's got to be a better way
What's going on
When we politically blind
Can't see the signs of endangered times
What's going on

What's goin' on in the world today
I'd rather be dead than to turn my head away
We got this first world vision too
Comfy to lift up our hands in the air
And cry for a switch

Father, father
Father help us, come on
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Together we can all be strong
United we stand, divided we fall
Oh you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Barricades can't block our way
Don't punish me with brutality
Baby talk to me
So you can see

Yeah, what's going on
Hey, what's going on
Somebody tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's goin' on-uh

What's going on 'cross seas
Every minute a child dies by this disease
In record numbers indeed
Got momma's crying out please
My baby hold on
My child ain't done nothing wrong
Still I want to holler
Ask them why they don't bother
Oh no, oh no
Make me turn to my father
And ask him why they all got a trapped soul

I can feel what was bothering Marvin
Why his words forever remain
Dealing with these modern day problems
'Cause of ignorance surrounding me and my constituents
Too many infected
Too many lives diminishing
Nobody say Protestants, Jews, Blacks, and Whites, Latinos and Asians
Pray together
Less fight
We better unite
As genocide chemical war
And the rich and the poor
Know that God delivers a cure

It's a shame our reality is devastating
People praying for a cure
Dying while they're waiting
Ask the Lord for the comfort and strength to face it
All the kids with dreams
Won't get the chance to chase it
Makes me sad
Think about the lives they would've had
Think about the orphan babies got no moms and dads
How can we sit back and not try to make it right
We gotta come together
We gotta fight for life

Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
We got human beings using humans for a bomb
But everyone wanna live
Don't nobody really want to die
You feeling me right
I can't be watching people die (die)
And watching people cry
Let me break it down for a minute
If there's enough room here for you and me
There's plenty of room for some humanity

Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(What's going on)

[DanCa]

42. Who would Jesus Bomb (lyrics)

Who Would Jesus Bomb?
by David Rovics

I've seen you in the markets I've seen you in the streets And at your political convention Talking of your crusade Talking of your nation And other things too terrible to mention And you proclaim your Christianity You proclaim your love of God You talk of apple pie and mom Well I've just got one question And I want an answer Tell me, who would Jesus bomb?
Maybe Jesus would bomb the Syrians 'Cause they're not Jews like him Maybe Jesus would bomb the Afghans On some kind of vengeful whim Maybe Jesus would drive an M1 tank And he would shoot Saddam Tell me, who would Jesus bomb?

I've seen you on the TV And on the battleships I've seen you in the house upon the hill And I've heard you talking About making the world safer And about all the men you have to kill And you speak so glibly About your civilization And how you have the moral higher ground While halfway around the world Your explosives smash the buildings Ah, if you could only hear the sound

But maybe Jesus would sell land mines And turn on his electric chair Maybe Jesus would show no compassion For his enemies in the lands way over there Maybe Jesus would have flown the planes That killed the kids in Viet Nam Tell me, who would Jesus bomb

Yes I hear you shout with confidence As you praise the lord And you talk about this God you know so well And you talk of Armageddon And your final victory When all the evil forces go to hell Well you'd best hope you've chosen wisely On the right side of the lord And when you die your conscience it is clear You'd best hope that your atom bombs Are better than the sword At the time when your reckoning is here

'Cause I don't think Jesus would send gunships into Bethlehem Or jets to raze the towns of Timorese I don't think Jesus would lend money to dictators Or drive those SUV's And I don't think Jesus would ever have dropped A single ounce of napalm So tell me, who would Jesus bomb?

[OneBlueSky]

45. Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag . . . Country Joe & the Fish . . .

Come on all of you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Viet Nam
So put down your books and pick up a gun
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun!

(CHORUS)
And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for?
Don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Viet Nam
And it's five, six, seven, open up the Pearly Gates,
There ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee, we're all gonna die!

Come on generals, let's move fast
Your big chance has come at last
Gotta go out and get those reds
Cuz the only good commie is the one that's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we blow 'em all to kingdom come!

Chorus

Come on Wall Street, don't be slow
Why, man, this is "War a Go-Go!"
There's plenty of good money to be made
By supplying the army with their tools of trade
Let's hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

Chorus

Come on mothers throughout the land
Pack your boys off to Viet Nam
Come on fathers don't hesitate
Send your sons off before it's too late
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box!

Chorus

[name not needed]

47. Here's another

McDonalds is a place to rock
It is a restaurant where they buy food to eat
It is a good place to listen to the music
People flock here to get down to the rock music

Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds

McDonalds will make you fat
They serve Big Macs
They serve Quarter Pounders
They will put pounds on you

Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds

McDonalds hamburgers are the worst
They are worse than Burger King
A Big Mac has 26 grams of fat
A Quarter Pounder has 28 grams of fat

Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds

Rock on London
Rock on Chicago
Wheaties, breakfast of champions

[JohnKleeb]

48. Man that song is like a protest on fast food and how

its corrupting all of us. Ill never eat a big mac again.

[Catholic Sensation]

50. my favorite lyrics are these two lines

Rock n Roll McDonalds
Rock n Roll McDonalds

from the second chorus, they're more profound than the other times they're said.

[elperromagico]

51. I've heard that that song inspired the film "Super Size Me."

I could be wrong...

[Catholic Sensation]

53. actually it inspired "Must Love Dogs"

[name not needed]

54. It also caused Syd Barrett to lose his mind.

[DanCa]

49. Devils and Dust, and This land is your land -

seriously this land is your land was a protest song written to protest to god bless america.

[Carolab]

52. Tryin' to Make It Real -- Compared to What

1. Love the lie and lie the love
Hangin' on, with a push and shove
Possession is the motivation
that is hangin' up the God-damn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut (everybody now!)
Tryin' to make it real — compared to what?

2. Slaughterhouse is killin' hogs
Twisted children killin' frogs
Poor dumb rednecks rollin' logs
Tired old ladies kissin' dogs
Hate the human, love that stinking mutt (I can't stand it!)
Try to make it real — compared to what?

3. The President, he's got his war
Folks don't know just what it's for
Nobody gives us rhyme or reason
Have one doubt, they call it treason
We're chicken-feathers, all without one gut (God damn it!)
Tryin' to make it real — compared to what? (Sock it to me, now)

4. Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Tryin' to duck the wrath of God
Preacher's fillin' us with fright
Tryin' to tell us what he thinks is right
He really got to be some kind of nut (I can't use it!)
Tryin' to make it real — compared to what?

5. Where's that bee and where's that honey?
Where's my God and where's my money
Unreal values, crass distortion
Unwed mothers need abortion
Kind of brings to mind ol' young King Tut (He did it now)
Tried to make it real — compared to what?!

© Eugene McDaniels

[dissent1977]

55. ADD (American Dream Denial) by System of a Down

We fought your wars with all our hearts,
You sent us back in body parts,
You took our wills with the truth you stole,
We offer prayers for your long lost soul.

The remainder is,
An unjustifiable, egotistical, power struggle,
At the expense of the American Dream,
Of the American dream, of the American, of the American.

We don't give a damn about your world,
With all your global profits and all your jeweled pearls,
We don't give a damn about your world,
Right now, right now.

We don't give a fuck about your world,
With all your global profits, and all your jeweld pearls,
We don't give a fuck about your world,
Right now, right now.

There is no flag that is large enough,
To hide the shame of a man in cuffs,
You switched the signs then you closed our blinds,
You changed the channel then you changed our minds.

You bring about the stick,
We bring about the confusion,
Bring about the solution,
Bring about the fusion,
Bring about the collusion,
Bring about revolution,
Bring about revolution,
Bring it about.

We don't give a damn about your world,
With all your global profits and all your jeweled pearls,
We don't give a damn about your world,
Right now, right now.

We don't give a fuck about your world,
With all your global profits, and all your jeweld pearls,
We don't give a fuck about your world,
Right now, right now.

No flag large enoguh,
Shame on a man un cuffs,
You closed our blinds.

The remainder is,
An unjustifiable, egotistical, power struggle,
At the expense of the American Dream,
Of the American dream, of the American, of the American.

We don't give a damn about your world,
With all your global profits and all your jeweled pearls,
We don't give a damn about your world,
Right now, right now.

We don't give a fuck about your world,
With all your global profits, and all your jeweld pearls,
We don't give a fuck about your world,
Right now, right now, right now, right now, right now, right
now, right now, pararara...

[LeftyMom]

56. Masters of War by Bob Dylan

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead


Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

[hippywife]

58. Wasteland of the Free by Iris Dement

Living in the wasteland of the free...

We got preachers dealing in politics and diamond mines
and their speech is growing increasingly unkind
They say they are Christ's disciples
but they don't look like Jesus to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got politicians running races on corporate cash
Now don't tell me they don't turn around and kiss them peoples' ass
You may call me old-fashioned
but that don't fit my picture of a true democracy
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got CEO's making two hundred times the workers' pay
but they'll fight like hell against raising the minimum wage
and If you don't like it, mister, they'll ship your job
to some third-world country 'cross the sea
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

We got little kids with guns fighting inner city wars
So what do we do, we put these little kids behind prison doors
and we call ourselves the advanced civilization
that sounds like crap to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got high-school kids running 'round in Calvin Klein and Guess
who cannot pass a sixth-grade reading test
but if you ask them, they can tell you
the name of every crotch on mTV
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We kill for oil, then we throw a party when we win
Some guy refuses to fight, and we call that the sin
but he's standing up for what he believes in
and that seems pretty damned American to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

While we sit gloating in our greatness
justice is sinking to the bottom of the sea
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free

[NeoTraitors]

61. Whoa... Gotta love Iris Dement!

She is the best thing going in about 3 genres these days!

Here is mine: Joe McCarthy's Ghost by the Minutemen

Can you really be sure of the goddamn time of day?

Can you take the dirt from the fist of a foreigner?

Are you going to fight when they call out your number?

Can you toe the line? Can you repeat what you've been told?

Can you bite the bullet? Can you see the enemy?

Can you point your finger? Can you prove your loyalty?

Joe McCarthy's ghost

[dissent1977]

59. Rage Against the Machine-Bullet in the Head

Read the lyrics carefully, there are some powerful metaphors in this song. (Hint: the word bullet is not to be taken literally, and the drive-bys they talk about in this song happen in many American homes every night.)

This time the bullet cold rocked ya
A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika
Nothin' proper about ya propaganda
Fools follow rules when the set commands ya
Said it was blue
When ya blood was read
That's how ya got a bullet blasted through ya head

Blasted through ya head
Blasted through ya head

I give a shout out to the living dead
Who stood and watched as the feds cold centralized
So serene on the screen
You were mesmerised
Cellular phones soundin' a death tone
Corporations cold
Turn ya to stone before ya realise
They load the clip in omnicolour
Said they pack the 9, they fire it at prime time
Sleeping gas, every home was like Alcatraz
And mutha fuckas lost their minds

Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high
Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high

Run it!

Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high
Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high

Checka, checka, check it out
They load the clip in omnicolour
Said they pack the 9, they fire it at prime time
Sleeping gas, every home was like Alcatraz
And mutha fuckas lost their minds

No escape from the mass mind rape
Play it again jack and then rewind the tape
And then play it again and again and again
Until ya mind is locked in
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say how high
Ya brain-dead
Ya gotta fuckin' bullet in ya head

Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high
Just victims of the in-house drive-by
They say jump, you say how high

Uggh! Yeah! Yea!

Ya standin' in line
Believin' the lies
Ya bowin' down to the flag
Ya gotta bullet in ya head

Ya standin' in line
Believin' the lies
Ya bowin' down to the flag
Ya gotta bullet in ya head

A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
A bullet in ya head!
Ya gotta bullet in ya fuckin' head!

Yeah!

Yeah!

[rman]

60. Michael Franti - Bomb The World (Armageddon version)

Bomb The World (Armageddon version)
Michael Franti and Spearhead

I DON¹T UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE REASON WHY
YOU TELLIN¹ US ALL THAT WE NEED TO UNIFY
RALLY ROUND THE FLAG
AND BEAT THE DRUMS OF WAR
SING THE SAME OLD SONGS
YA KNOW WE HEARD 'EM ALL BEFORE
YOU TELLIN¹ ME IT¹S UNPATRIOTIC
BUT I CALL IT WHAT I SEE IT
WHEN I SEE IT¹S IDIOTIC
THE TEARS OF ONE MOTHER
ARE THE SAME AS ANY OTHER
DROP FOOD ON THE KIDS
WHILE YOU¹RE MURDERIN¹ THEIR FATHERS
BUT DON¹T BOTHER TO SHOW IT ON CNN
BROTHERS AND SISTERS DON¹T BELIEVE THEM
IT¹S NOT A WAR AGAINST EVIL
IT¹S REALLY JUST REVENGE
ENGAGED ON THE POOREST BY THE SAME RICH MEN
FIGHT TERRORISTS WHEREVER THEY BE FOUND
BUT WHY YOU NOT BOMBING TIM MCVEIGH¹S HOMETOWN
YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT PROPAGANDA TELEVISION
BUT ALL BOMBING IS TERRORISM

WE CAN CHASE DOWN ALL OUR ENEMIES
BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE
WHOA WE MAY EVEN FIND A SOLUTION
TO HUNGER AND DISEASE
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE

911
FIRE IN THE SKIES
MANY PEOPLE DIED
AND NO ONE EVEN REALLY KNOWS WHY
THEY TELLIN¹ LIES OF DIVISION AND FEAR
WE YELLED AND CRIED
NO ONE LISTENED FOR YEARS
BUT LIKE, "WHO PUT US HERE?"
AND WHO¹S RESPONSIBLE?
WELL, THERE¹S NO DEBATIN¹
CAUSE IF THEY ASK ME I SAY
IT¹S BIG CORPORATIONS
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
TRI-LATERAL ACTION
INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS, SATAN
SEEMS LIKE IT¹LL BE AN ENDLESS PRICE TAG
OF WARS TREMENDOUS
AND MOST DISTURBINGLY
THE DEATH TOLL IS SO HORRENDOUS
SO I SEND THIS TO THOSE
WHO SAY THEY DEFEND US
SEND US INTO HARM'S WAY
WE SHOULD ALL MAKE A REMEMBERENCE THAT
THIS IS BIGGER THAN TERRORISM
BLOOD IS BLOOD IS BLOOD AND UM
LOVE IS TRUE VISION
WHO WILL LISTEN?
HOW MANY SONGS IT TAKES FOR YOU TO SEE
YOU CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
YOU CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE

WE CAN CHASE DOWN ALL OUR ENEMIES
BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE
WHOA WE MAY EVEN FIND A SOLUTION
TO HUNGER AND DISEASE
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE

POWER TO THE PEACEFUL
AND I SAY, LOVE TO THE PEOPLE Y¹ALL
POWER TO THE PEACEFUL
AND I SAY, LOVE TO THE PEOPLE Y¹ALL

WE CAN CHASE DOWN ALL OUR ENEMIES
BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE
WHOA WE MAY EVEN FIND A SOLUTION
TO HUNGER AND DISEASE
WE CAN BOMB THE WORLD TO PIECES
BUT WE CAN¹T BOMB IT INTO PEACE

[Warren DeMontague]

62. R.E.M. "Bad Day", the 2003 version:

A Public service announcement followed me home the other day
I paid it nevermind. Go away.
Shits so thick you could stir it with a stick
Free Teflon whitewashed presidency
We're sick of being jerked around
Wear that on your sleeve

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
We're sick of being jerked around
We all fall down.

Have you ever seen the televised St. Vitus subcommittee prize
Investigation dance? Those-ants-in- pants glances.
Well, look behind the eyes
It's a hallowed, hollow anesthesized
"save my own ass, screw these guys"
smoke and mirror lock down

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
the papers wouldn't lie!
I sigh. Not one more

Its been a bad day.
Please dont take a picture
Its been a bad day.
Please

We're dug in the deep the price is steep.
The auctioneer is such a creep.
The lights went out, the oil ran dry
We blamed it on the other guy
Sure, all men are created equal.
Here's the church, here's the steeple
Please stay tuned--we cut to sequel
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord, Count your blessings.
Embrace the lowest fear/Ignore the lower fears
Ugh, this means war.

Its been a bad day.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
We're sick of being jerked around
We all fall down.

Its been a bad day...

[dissent1977]

63. Anti-Flag- No Borders, No Nations

I always thought if you want to change the world
Then you have to start with yourself
So if the heads of state want to end terrorism
They should go ahead and kill themselves

I will not sign my blind faith away
To an unjustly leader of the unjust police state
Corporate masters live in their cess pool
Of extreme wealth and excess
Whoa Oh

The phrase world leaders
Does not describe the heads of state
Those few in power
Work only for the corporate sake
No action, no interest, no humanity at all
As the corporate towers rise up
They watch the people fall

A government untouchable by the people,
Run by the corporations of the world
Enslaving mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters
Profits put before people
Equal force, equal reaction
Equal suppression, equal intimidations
Equal prosecution, equal propaganda,
Equal rebellion

I won't sign my blind faith away
To an unjustleader of the unjust police state
Corporate masters live in their lapse pool
Of extreme wealth and excess
Whoa Oh

The phrase world leaders
Does not describe the heads of state
Those few in power
Work only for the corporate sake
No action, no interest, no humanity at all
As the corporate towers rise up..

We've got to make a change
No religions, sexual preference
And regardless of your race
We've got to make a change
No war, corporate run
Governments, no police state
We've got to make a change
For the good of the human race

And you still look me in the eye
And you still wonder why
Your cities fucking burn

No borders, no nations
No flags, no patriots

[ConsAreLiars]

64. Phil Ochs - White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land (read it carefully)

(on edit - and listen, if you can't hear Ochs' voice as you read the words, find a CD or mp3.)

The pilots playing poker in the cockpit of the plane
The casualties arriving like the dropping of the rain
And a mountain of machinery will fall before a man
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land

It's written in the ashes of the village towns we burn
It's written in the empty bed of the fathers unreturned
And the chocolate in the childrens eyes will never understand
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land

Red blow the bugles of the dawn
The morning has arrived you must be gone
And the lost patrol chase their chartered(*) souls
Like cold/old(?) whores following tired armies

Train them well, the men who will be fighting by your side
And never turn your back if the battle turns the tide
For the colours of a civil war are louder than commands
When you're white boots marching in a yellow land

Blow them from the forest and burn them from your sight
Tie their hands behind their back and question through the night
But when the firing squad is ready they'll be spitting where they stand
At the white boots marching in a yellow land

Red blow the bugles of the dawn
The morning has arrived you must be gone
And the lost patrol chase their chartered souls
Like cold whores following tired armies

The comic and the beauty queen are dancing on the stage
Raw recruits are lining up like coffins in a cage
We're fighting in a war we lost before the war began
We're the white boots marching in a yellow land

And the lost patrol chase their chartered souls
like cold whores following tired armies

[blogslut]

65. Tom Petty

Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down

Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down.

Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
No, I won’t back down

[Warren DeMontague]

67. The Grateful Dead; Throwing Stones & Standing on the Moon

Throwing Stones:

Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
Dizzy with eternity
Paint it with a skin of sky, brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me
A peaceful place, or so it looks from space
A closer look reveals the human race
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face
But afraid we may lay our home to waste

There's a fear down here we can't forget
Hasn't got a name just yet
Always awake, always around
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Now watch as the ball revolves and the night-time falls
And again the hunt begins and again the blood wind calls
By and by, again, the morning sun will rise
But the darkness never goes from some men's eyes
(Well I know)
It strolls the sidewalk and it rolls the streets
Staking turf, dividing up meat
Nightmare spook, piece of heat
It's you and me, you and me

Click flash blade in ghetto night
Rudy's looking for a fight
Rat cat alley, roll them bones
Need that cash to feed that Jones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Commissars and pinstripe bosses roll the dice
Anyway they fall, guess who gets to pay the price?
Money green, or proletarian gray
Selling guns instead of food today
So the kids they dance and shake their bones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit's sleeping then the flesh is ink
History's page will be neatly carved in stone
The future's here, we are it, we are on our own
On our own, on our own, we are on our own

If the game is lost, then we're all the same
No one left to place or take the blame
We will leave this place an empty stone
Or that shining ball of blue we call our home

So the kids, they dance, they shake their bones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Shipping powders back and forth
Singing black goes south and white comes north
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing I got mine and you got yours
While the current fashions set the pace
Lose your step, fall out of grace
The radical, he rant and rage
Singing someone got to turn the page
And the rich man in his summer home
Singing just leave well enough alone
But his pants are down, his cover's blown
And the politicians throwing stones
So the kids, they dance, they shake their bones
'Cause it's all too clear we're on our own
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
It's dizzying, the possibilities

Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Ashes, ashes, all fall down

Ashes, ashes, all fall down


Standing on the Moon:

Standing on the moon, I got no cobweb on my shoe
Standing on the moon, I'm feeling so alone and blue
I see the Gulf of Mexico as tiny as a tear
The coast of California must be somewhere over here
Over here

Standing on the moon, I see the battle rage below
Standing on the moon, I see the soldiers come and go
There's a metal flag beside me someone planted long ago
Old glory standing stiffly, crimson, white and indigo
Old glory standing stiffly, crimson, white and indigo
Indigo

I see all of South East Asia; I can see El Salvador
I hear the cries of children and the other songs of war
It's like a mighty melody that rings down from the sky
Standing here upon the moon I watch it all roll by
All roll by
All roll by
All roll by

Standing on the moon, I see a shadow on the sun
Standing on the moon, the stars go fading one by one
I hear a cry of victory, another of defeat
A scrap of age-old lullaby down some forgotten street

Standing on the moon, where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon, but I would rather be with you
Somewhere in San Francisco on a back porch in July
Just looking up to heaven at this crescent in the sky
In the sky

Standing on the moon with nothing left to do
A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you
A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you
Be with you
I'd rather be with you

[flyarm]

68. country joe & the fish..and it's one , two ,three

what are we fighting for...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE "I FEEL LIKE I'M FIXIN' TO DIE" RAG
Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in iraqqqqqqq
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?

Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is iraqqqqqqq;

And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,

Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.

Come on Wall Street, don't be slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade,
But just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the iiiiiiiraq( nooooooo!!!!!!!).

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is iiiiraq.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Now you can go out and get those reds
'Cause the only good commie is the one that's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is iiiiiraq;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.

Come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to iraq.
Come on fathers, and don't hesitate
To send your sons off before it's too late.
And you can be the first ones in your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam..........( iran)
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.


this song used to always make me cry!! fly

[flyarm]

69. "war!" what is it good for? absolutely nothing!

War
Edwin Starr

War, huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
War huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
Say it again y'all
War, huh good god
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. Listen to me

War-I despise
cause it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tear to thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives

War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Oh war, is an enemy to all mankind
the thought of war blows my mind
war has caused unrest in the younger generation
induction, then destruction who wants to die

War, good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say it say it
War uh huh yeah huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
got one friend that's the undertaker

oh war has shattered many young mans dreams
made him disabled bitter and mean
life is much to short and precious to fight mighty wars these days
war can't give life it can only take it away oooooh

War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Peace love and understanding tell me
Is there no place for them today
they say we must fight to keep our freedom
but lord knows there's got to be a better way

[sweetheart]

70. Alices Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie

<snip>
.
.
.
Came to talk about the draft.

They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street,
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,
neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one
day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to
look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted
to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all
kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave
me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."

And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and
guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and
he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down
yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me,
sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."

Didn't feel too good about it.
.
.
.
<snip>

http://www.arlo.net/lyrics/alices.shtml

[Sapphire Blue]

71. 'Shaking The Tree' - Peter Gabriel

'Shaking The Tree'

Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree
Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree

Waiting your time, dreaming of a better life
Waiting your time, you’re more than just a wife
You don’t want to do what your mother has done
She has done
This is your life, this new life has begun
It’s your day - a woman’s day
It’s your day - a woman’s day

Turning the tide, you are on the incoming wave
Turning the tide, you know you are nobody’s slave
Find your sisters and brothers
Who can hear all the truth in what you say
They can support you when you’re on your way
It’s your day - a woman’s day
It’s your day - a woman’s day

Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree
Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree
Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree

Changing your ways, changing those surrounding you
Changing your ways, more than any man can do
Open your heart, show him the anger and pain, so you heal
Maybe he’s looking for his womanly side, let him feel

You had to be so strong
And you do nothing wrong
Nothing wrong at all
We’re gonna to break it down
We have to shake it down
Shake it all around

Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree
Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree
Souma yergon, sou nou yergon, we are shakin’ the tree

[Sapphire Blue]

72. DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE

DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE
(STUDY WAR NO MORE)
Traditional. Adapted and arranged by Robert DeCormier,
Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers
© 1998 Mapape Lake Music Publishing - ASCAP

I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside
Study war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more

I'm gonna walk with that Prince of Peace,
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna walk with that Prince of Peace,
Down by the riverside
Study war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more

I'm gonna lay down that atom bomb
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down that atom bomb,
Down by the riverside
Study war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more

[Sapphire Blue]

73. We Shall Overcome

WE SHALL OVERCOME
Words and Music by Zilphia Hart., Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan
and Pete Seeger

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We shall all be free,
We shall all be free,
We shall all be free, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We are not afraid,
We are not afraid,
We are not afraid, TODAY

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

[ngGale]

74. "Eve of Destruction"

Recorded by "Barry McGuire"
Written by "P.F. Sloan"
Album: "Eve of Destruction"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The eastern world it tis explodin',
violence flarin', bullets loadin',
you're old enough to kill but not for votin',
you don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin',
and even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
but you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be noone to save with the world in a grave,
take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
but you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin',
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin',
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
handful of Senators don't pass legislation,
and marches alone can't bring integration,
when human respect is disintegratin',
this whole crazy world is just too frustratin',
and you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China!
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama!
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space,
but when you return, it's the same old place,
the poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
you can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
hate your next-door-neighbour, but don't forget to say grace,
and you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

[corksean]

75. "Something inside so strong" - Labi Siffre (for Cindy)

The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me
You can decide to turn your face away
No matter, cos there's....

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly
It will blind you
Cos there's......

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway x 4

Something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway x 4

Because there's something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me, so wrong
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

[XOKCowboy]

76. Two of many come to mind....

One I heard tonight on San Diego radio was Crosby, Stills, Nash singing "It's time we stopped now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going round"

and on of my all time favorites - Monster by Steppenwolf. Listen to the lyrics. Still timeless

[Sapphire Blue]

77. For What It's Worth

For What It's Worth
Stephen Stills, 1966
Buffalo Springfield


There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

[LiveWire]

78. Jack Johnson's "Crying Shame"

"Crying Shame"

Its such a tired game
Will it ever stop
How will this all play out
Upside out of my mouth

By now we should know
How to communicate instead of coming to blows
We're on a roll
And there ain't no stopping us now
We're burning under control
Isn't it strange how
We're all burning under the same sun
By now we say its a war for peace
Its the same old game
But do we really want to play?
We could close our eyes its still there
We could say its us against them
We can try but nobody wins
Gravity has got a hold on us all
We try to put it out
But its a growing flame
Using fear as fuel
Burning down our name
And it wont take too long
Cause words are burning same
And who we gunna blame now?

And oh, Its such a crying crying crying shame
Its such a crying crying crying shame
Its such a crying crying crying shame, shame, shame

By now
Its starting to show
A number of people are numbers who aint coming home
I can close my eyes its still there
Close my mind be alone
Close my heart and not care
But gravity has got a hold on us all
Its a terrific price to pay
But in the true sense of the word
Are we using what we've learned?
In the true sense of the word
Are we losing what we were?
Its such a tired game
Will it ever stop?
Is not for me to say
And is it in our blood?
Or is it just our fate?
And how will this all play out
Upside out of my mouth
And who we gunna blame?
On and on
Its such a crying crying crying shame
Its such a crying crying crying shame

[LisaM]

79. How about "We're the Cops of the World" by Phil Ochs

Creepily applicable to now.


Come, get out of the way, boys
Quick, get out of the way
You'd better watch what you say, boys
Better watch what you say
We've rammed in your harbor and tied to your port
And our pistols are hungry and our tempers are short
So bring your daughters around to the port
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
We pick and choose as please, boys
Pick and choose as please
You'd best get down on your knees, boys
Best get down on your knees
We're hairy and horny and ready to shack
And we don't care if you're yellow or black
Just take off your clothes and lay down on your back
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
Our boots are needing a shine, boys
Boots are needing a shine
But our Coca-Cola is fine, boys
Coca-Cola is fine
We've got to protect all our citizens fair
So we'll send a battalion for everyone there
And maybe we'll leave in a couple of years
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
And dump the reds in a pile, boys
Dump the reds in a pile
You'd better wipe off that smile, boys
Better wipe off that smile
We'll spit through the streets of the cities we wreck
And we'll find you a leader that you can't elect
Those treaties we signed were a pain in the neck
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
And clean the johns with a rag, boys
Clean the johns with a rag
If you like you can use your flag, boys
If you like you can use your flag
We've got too much money we're looking for toys
And guns will be guns and boys will be boys
But we'll gladly pay for all we destroy
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
Please stay off of the grass, boys
Please stay off of the grass
Here's a kick in the ass, boys
Here's a kick in the ass
We'll smash down your doors, we don't bother to knock
We've done it before, so why all the shock
We're the biggest and the toughest kids on the block
And we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World
And when we butchered your sons, boys
When we butchered your sons
Have a stick of our gum, boys
Have a stick of our bubble gum
We own half the world, oh say can you see
And the name for our profits is democracy
So, like it or not, you will have to be free
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

[kodi]

81. "John Brown" by Bob Dylan

John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama's face broke out all in a grin.

"Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home."

As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.

Oh! Good old-fashioned war!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train.
Your son's a-coming home from the war."

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!

Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.

"Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.

"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."

"Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
I'm a-tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."

Oh! Lord! Just like mine!

"And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."

As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand.
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

85. When one voice rules the nation

Just because they're top of the pile
Doesn't mean their vision is the clearest.
The voices of the people
Are falling on deaf ears
Our politicians all become careerists.

They must declare their interests
But not their company cars.
Is there more to a seat in parliament
Than sitting on your arse?
And the best of all this bad bunch
Is shouting to be heard
Above the sound of ideologies clashing.

Outside the patient millions
Who put them into power
Expect a little more back for their taxes.
Like school books, beds in hospitals
And peace in our bloody time
All they get is old men grinding axes.
Who've built their private fortunes
On the things they can rely
The courts, the secret handshake
The Stock Exchange and the old school tie
For God and Queen and Country
All things they justify
Above the sound of ideologies clashing.

God bless the civil service
The nations saving grace
While we expect democracy
They're laughing in our face
And although our cries get louder
The laughter gets louder still
Above the sound of ideologies clashing
Above the sound of ideologies,
Above the sound of ideologies,
Above the sound of ideologies clashing

[SalmonChantedEvening]

86. Ohio

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.