Protest Songs

[TigerFan]

can't go past Born In The USA.

half of its brilliance lies in the fact that most of its listeners don't even recognise the message contained within

 

[Monkster]

can't go past Born In The USA.

half of its brilliance lies in the fact that most of its listeners don't even recognise the message contained within

You'd have to be pretty thick not to understand what the song is about

 

[TigerFan]

You'd have to be pretty thick not to understand what the song is about

tell that to Ronald Reagan...

and every American that thinks it's patriotic

 

[Monkster]

tell that to Ronald Reagan...

and every American that thinks it's patriotic

How the public view a song can be very different to the original meaning, take for instance the song about a sheep theif who kills himself that many people want as our national anthem.

 

[materamagic]

NWA songs might not be appropriate, but valid. another fellow dead? and why???

 

[bradrowe#32]

Body Count - Cop Killer
About the 1991 LA riots

Pearl Jam - Soon Forget
About Bill Gates and globalisation

At The Drive In - Invaild Litter Dept
About women from Juarez, a small town in Mexico, where they work at a factory for shocking pay and conditions. These women are usually r*ped and found murdered and it feels like nothing has been done to help them.

The Clash - Know Your Rights
A general call to arms

The Who - My Generation

John Lennon Gimme Some Truth

CCR - Fortunate Son

Augie March - A Hole In The Roof

Neil Young - Ohio, War of Man, Souther Man, Alabama

Bruce Springsteen - 41 Shots
About Amadou Diallo who was a West African migrant living in America. He was stopped by police and after he reached into his jacket (to get his wallet and ID), the cops shot him. 41 times.

 

[whythelongface]

Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart

Images of perfection, suntan and napalm -Grenada - Haiti - Poland - Nicaragua -who shall we choose for our morality -I'm thinking right now of Hollywood tragedy -big mac smack: phoenix r: please smile y'all -Cuba, Mexico can't cauterize our discipline -your idols speak so much of the abyss -yet your morals only run as deep as the surface -cool - groovey - morning - fine -Tipper Gore was a friend of mine -I love a free country -the stars and stripes and an apple for mommy -conservatives say there ain't no black in the union jack -democrat say there ain't enough white in the stars and stripes -Compton - Harlem - a pimp ********ed a priest -the white man has just found a new moral saviour -vital stats - how white was there skin -unimportanat - just another inner-city drive-by thing -morning - fine - serve your first coffee of the day -real privilege, it will take your problems all away -number one - the best - no excuse from me -I am here to serve the moral majority -cool - groovey - morning - fine -Tipper Gore was a friend of mine -I love a free country -the stars and stripes and an apple for mommy -Zapruder the first to masturbate -the world's first taste of crucified grace -and we say there's not enough black in the union jack -and we say there's too much white in the stars and stripes -******** the Brady bill -******** the Brady bill -if God made man they say -Sam Colt made him equal.

 

[Freo Big Fella]

The Internationale [variant words in square brackets]

Arise ye workers [starvelings] from your slumbers
Arise ye prisoners of want
For reason in revolt now thunders
And at last ends the age of cant.
Away with all your superstitions
Servile masses arise, arise
We'll change henceforth [forthwith] the old tradition [conditions]
And spurn the dust to win the prize.

So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale unites the human race.
So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale unites the human race.

No more deluded by reaction
On tyrants only we'll make war
The soldiers too will take strike action
They'll break ranks and fight no more
And if those cannibals keep trying
To sacrifice us to their pride
They soon shall hear the bullets flying
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.

No saviour from on high delivers
No faith have we in prince or peer
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear
E'er the thieves will out with their booty [give up their booty]
And give to all a happier lot.
Each [those] at the forge must do their duty
And we'll strike while the iron is hot.

My Uncle was working as a Journo in London at the time of the whole Wapping Dispute, he managed to record the whole crowd of printers and hangers on singing this on his tape recorder. Makes for deadset spine-tingling listening.

 

[Contra Mundum]

Hrmm that's different to the Born Dead that I know weird.

Born dead
1994 BC still in the house
They did everything they could do to take us out
But like any good monster that just made us stronger
You see, they don't like us and they don't like you,
The BC fan,
'Cause they know we stand for three things
Truth, justice and ******** the american way
That word justice got me ********ed up though
Twenty cops in the street, two go to jail
Thousands of people died in wars
Overseas and it's justice ?
You think they give a ******** about us ?
You're a fool
Born yellow,
Born brown,
Born red,
Born black,
Born dead
Dead
Born dead
Born asian,
Born jewish,
Born latino,
Born poor,
Born dead
Dead
Born dead
But you don't hear me though
Dead
New York , Atlanta, Chicago, Oakland, Miami, Detroit
Every day I gotta get out my mutha********in' bed,
Put on my mutha********in' gun,
Down in my mutha********in' pants, 'cause
Mutha********a's out here is trippin'
How the ******** you gonna get up every morning
Tryin' to worry about if you gonna make it to the next evening
Do you understand ?
Sometimes we take for granted
The little things like food, like freedom
Born in somalia,
Born in south america,
Born in south africa,
Born in south central,
Born dead
Dead Born dead

I thought after I posed it that those lyrics where not familar ********in LyricZone!

 

[Contra Mundum]

My Uncle was working as a Journo in London at the time of the whole Wapping Dispute, he managed to record the whole crowd of printers and hangers on singing this on his tape recorder. Makes for deadset spine-tingling listening.

I was in Freo that time of the first Police Charge in the Patrick's dispute - deadset it was sung like a hymn.

 

[Ray Nolan]

Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart

Images of perfection, suntan and napalm -Grenada - Haiti - Poland - Nicaragua -who shall we choose for our morality -I'm thinking right now of Hollywood tragedy -big mac smack: phoenix r: please smile y'all -Cuba, Mexico can't cauterize our discipline -your idols speak so much of the abyss -yet your morals only run as deep as the surface -cool - groovey - morning - fine -Tipper Gore was a friend of mine -I love a free country -the stars and stripes and an apple for mommy -conservatives say there ain't no black in the union jack -democrat say there ain't enough white in the stars and stripes -Compton - Harlem - a pimp ********ed a priest -the white man has just found a new moral saviour -vital stats - how white was there skin -unimportanat - just another inner-city drive-by thing -morning - fine - serve your first coffee of the day -real privilege, it will take your problems all away -number one - the best - no excuse from me -I am here to serve the moral majority -cool - groovey - morning - fine -Tipper Gore was a friend of mine -I love a free country -the stars and stripes and an apple for mommy -Zapruder the first to masturbate -the world's first taste of crucified grace -and we say there's not enough black in the union jack -and we say there's too much white in the stars and stripes -******** the Brady bill -******** the Brady bill -if God made man they say -Sam Colt made him equal.

Great song, I think I will be listening to The Holy Bible on the way home.

(It may come as surprise to those who know my Politics but I am a big fan of the Manics - go figure!)

 

[whythelongface]

Great song, I think I will be listening to The Holy Bible on the way home.

(It may come as surprise to those who know my Politics but I am a big fan of the Manics - go figure!)

I am listening to it right now Ray. Awesome album.

 

[meh]

System of a Down - Boom

Them trying to stop the war on terror, good meaning and the film clip shows the 2 billion or so that marched through streets of their towns to stop the war.

 

[TigerFan]

How the public view a song can be very different to the original meaning, take for instance the song about a sheep theif who kills himself that many people want as our national anthem.

I've never understood this, Waltzing Matilda does absolutely nothing for me

 

[materamagic]

GIMME SOME TRUTH - sung with venom

I'm sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope
Money for dope
Money for rope

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
Money for dope
Money for rope

I'm sick to death of seeing things
From tight-lipped, condescending, mama's little chauvinists
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth now

I've had enough of watching scenes
Of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima-donnas
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
It's money for dope
Money for rope

Ah, I'm sick to death of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now

I've had enough of reading things
by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now

All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

 

[krisholio14]

full metal jackoff - jello biafra and D.O.A

kill americans - T.I.S.M

the mean machine - jalal

 

[Boozecoaster]

Fortunate son. Love the Creedance

OR if you want to get expeld from school try *uck America-Leftover Crack
Don't ask me to put those lyrics up but it does make reference to 9.11

 

[TheGnu]

Oh Jesus where can you start?

check out Bob Marley and work through his stuff...

Almost anything by Public Enemy...

This is pretty subjective, but some of the best music going is "protest" stuff.

 

[bradrowe#32]

System of a Down - Boom

Them trying to stop the war on terror, good meaning and the film clip shows the 2 billion or so that marched through streets of their towns to stop the war.

Great song and film clip.

What about that Aussie song 'I was only 19'. The principal of my school played that at one assembly and it was very emotional. That guys vocal delivery and lyrics are sensational.

Who sings it?

 

[-VC-]

Dead Kennedy's did some very good protest songs. Holiday in Cambodia was probably the most high profile.
System of a Down's album from earlier this year obviously had a few that would still be pretty topical because, well it was released earlier this year. BYOB and Sad Statue spring to mind.

 

[bunsen burner]

Great song and film clip.

What about that Aussie song 'I was only 19'. The principal of my school played that at one assembly and it was very emotional. That guys vocal delivery and lyrics are sensational.

Who sings it?

Redgum

 

[IDGAF]

"God Save the Queen"....Sex Pistols

Heathens

 

[MrMeaner]

A couple that I think have been missed:

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (actually pretty much anything from that album)

Disposable Heros of Hipocrisy - Satanic Reverses, The Winter of the Long Hot Summer, California Uber Alles

 

[lucas_hsv]

The Living End - Roll On

 

[Contra Mundum]

The Revolution will not be televised