“Protest Songs”
Pete Seeger's assertion that,
'The right song at the right time can change history'
Essential Questions
• What impact do songs have on social
movements?
• What is the historical context in which
these songs are written and performed?
• What makes a song effective in a cause?
Role of Music
• Music has been used to lift the spirits of
poor, oppressed and rebels.
• Music has been used to communicate
the ideas of change and protest.
• From different historical eras from
slavery, The Great Depression, Civil
Rights Movement and Vietnam,
individuals have shared their opinions of
injustice.
Joe Hill, American Songwriter
•His music was a
uniting force that
captured the spirit of
the radical Industrial
Workers of the World
(I.W.W.) labor
movement.
•He would influence
the likes of Woody
Guthrie ad John
Lennon.
He was executed on November
19, 1915 for killing two people in
Utah.
Joe Hill’s words
• He stated: “A pamphlet, no matter how good,
is never read more than once. But a song is
learned by heart and repeated over and over.”
• “And I maintain that if a person can put a few
common sense facts into a song and dress
them up in a cloak of humor, he will succeed
in reaching a great number of workers who
are too unintelligent or too indifferent to
read.”
"Workers of the World" by Joe Hill
"Workers of the world awaken.
Break your chains, demand your
rights.
All the wealth you make is taken, by
exploiting parasites.
Shall you kneel in deep submission
from your cradle to your grave.
Is the height of your ambition to be a
good and willing slave?"
“The preacher and the slaves” by Joe Hill
Long-haired preachers come out every
night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and
what's right;
But when asked how 'bout something
to eat
They will answer with voices so sweet:
If you fight hard for children and
wife
Try to get something good in this life
You're a sinner and bad man, they
tell,
When you die you will sure go to hell.
Main Chorus:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and Pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you
die.
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and Pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.
And the starvation army they play,
And they sing and they clap and they
pray.
Till they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they tell you when you are on the
bum:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and Pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.
Workingmen of all countries unite,
Side by side we for freedom will
fight;
When the world and its wealth we
have gained
To the grafters we'll sing this refrain:
You will eat, bye and bye,
When you've learned how to cook
and to fry
Chop some wood, 'twill do you good
And you'll eat in the sweet bye and
bye.
Woody Guthrie
• Woody was
constantly moving
around the country
and he began to
attract followers.
• While in New York,
he recorded Dust
Bowl Ballads.
• He wrote about
different causes such
as Sacco & Vanzetti.
“What Are We Waiting On?” by Woody Guthrie
There's a great and a bloody fight
'round this whole world tonight
And the battle, the bombs and
shrapnel reign
Hitler told the world around he
would tear our union down
But our union's gonna break them
slavery chains
Our union's gonna break them
slavery chains
I walked up on a mountain in the
middle of the sky
Could see every farm and every town
I could see all the people in this
whole wide world
That's the union that'll tear old Hitler
down
That's the union that'll tear the
fascists down
When I think of the men and the
ships going down
While the Russians fight on across
the dawn
There's London in ruins and Paris in
chains
Good people, what are we waiting
on?
Good people, what are we waiting
on?
Yes, I thank the Soviets and the
mighty Chinese vets
Allies the whole wide world around
To the battling British, thanks, you
can have ten million Yanks
If it takes 'em to tear the fascists
down, down, down
If it takes 'em to tear the fascists
down
But when I think of the ships and the
men going down
While the Russians fight on across
the dawn
There's London in ruins and Paris in
chains
Good people, what are we waiting
on?
Good people, what are we waiting
on?
So I thank the Soviets and the
mighty Chinese vets
Allies the whole wide world around
To the battling British, thanks, you
can have ten million Yanks
If it takes 'em to tear the fascists
down, down, down
If it takes 'em to tear the fascists
down
Pete Seeger
• He was born May 3,
1919 in Manhattan
• “Pete Seeger has
embodied the ideals
of folk music –
communication,
entertainment,
social comment,
historical continuity,
inclusiveness.”
Pete Seeger fight for justice
• “A fearless warrior for
social justice and the
environment, Pete’s
political activism – from the
Civil Rights movement and
anti-McCarthyism to
resistance to fascism and
the wars in Vietnam and
the Middle East – has
become the template for
subsequent generations of
musicians and ordinary
citizens with something to
say about the world.”
Source: Appleseed Recording
“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” Sung by Peter, Paul and Mary
Where Have All the Flowers Gone
Where have all the flowers gone, long
time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long
time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone,
long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone,
long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the husbands gone, long
time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long
time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long
time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long
time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone,
long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone,
long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the flowers gone, long
time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long
time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
“We Shall Overcome” by 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.
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
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.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
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.
Phil Ochs
• Phil Ochs was born in
El Paso, Texas on Dec.
19. 1940.
• His songs are
humorous and political.
• He wrote about the
Vietnam War, Civil
Rights and famous
people.
• He committed suicide
on April 9, 1976 at the
age of 35
“I Ain't Marching Anymore” By Phil Ochs
Oh I marched to the battle of New
Orleans
At the end of the early British war
The young lad started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore
For I marched to the battles of the
German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore
For I've killed my share of Indians
In a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn
I heard many men lying I saw many
more dying
But I ain't marchin' anymore
(chorus)
chorus)
It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the
saber and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all
For I stole California from the Mexican
land
Fought in the bloody Civil War
Yes I even killed my brothers
And so many others But I ain't marchin'
anymore
For I flew the final mission in the
Japanese sky
Set off the mighty mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning I knew
that I was learning
That I ain't marchin' anymore
Now the labor leader's screamin'
when they close the missile plants,
United Fruit screams at the Cuban
shore,
Call it "Peace" or call it "Treason,"
Call it "Love" or call it "Reason,"
But I ain't marchin' any more,
No I ain't marchin' any more
“Here's to the State of Mississippi”
Here's to the State of Mississippi,
For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her muddy rivers, nameless bodies you will
find.
Oh the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
The calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
Whoa here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the people of Mississippi
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand
And they tremble in the shadows at the thunder of the
Klan
Oh the sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from
off their hands
For they smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a
man.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teachin’ all the children that they don't have
to care.
All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
And there's nobody learning such a foreign word as ‘fair’
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewin’ their tobacco as they lock the prison door
And their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you
to the floor
No they don't like takin’ prisoners in their private little
wars
And behind their broken badges there are murderers and
more
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
And they're guarding all the bastions of their phony legal
fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused the trial is always
short
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the government of Mississippi
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging
down
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns
And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one
hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a
clown
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the laws of Mississippi
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay
While the Constitution’s drowning in an ocean of decay
‘Unwed mothers should be sterilized,’ I've even heard
them say
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the churches of Mississippi
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with
rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
Oh the fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
And heaven only knows in which God they can trust
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
“is there anybody here” by Phil Ochs
Is there anybody here who'd like to
change his clothes into a uniform
Is there anybody here who thinks they're
only serving on a raging storm
Is there anybody here with glory in their eyes
loyal to the end, whose duty is to die
I wanna see him
I wanna wish him luck
I wanna shake his hand, wanna call his name
Put a medal on the man.
Is there anybody here who'd like to wrap
a flag around an early grave
Is there anybody here who thinks they're
standing taller on a battle wave
Is there anybody here like to do his part
soldier to the world and a hero to his heart
I wanna see him
I wanna wish him luck
I wanna shake his hand, wanna call his name
Put a medal on the man
Is there anybody here proud of the parade
who'd like to give a cheer and show they're not
afraid
I'd like like to ask him what he's trying to
defend
Oh I'd like to ask him what he thinks he's
gonna win
Is there anybody here who thinks that
following
the orders takes away the blame
Is there anybody here who wouldn't
mind a murder by another name
Is there anybody here whose pride is on the
line
with the honor of the brave and the courage
of the blind
I wanna see him
I wanna wish him luck
I wanna shake his hand, wanna call his name
Put a medal on the man
Is there anybody here so proud of the parade
who'd like to give a cheer and show they're
not afraid
I'd like to ask him what he's trying to defend
I'd like to ask him what he thinks he's gonna
win
Is there anybody here who thinks that
following
the orders takes away the blame
Is there anybody here who wouldn't
mind a murder by another name
Is there anybody here whose pride is on the
line
with the honor of the brave and the courage
of the blind
I wanna see him
I wanna wish him luck
I wanna shake his hand, ganna call his name
Put a medal on the man
Medal on the man
Bob Dylan
•He was born on May 24,
1941.
•His given name is Robert Allen
Zimmerman. He changed it in
college to Bob Dylan after the
Welsh Poet, Dylan Thomas
• In 1961, he visited Woody
Guthrie, who was dying.
•After meeting Woody Guthrie,
he wrote furiously.
•He wrote a song in honor of
Woody Guthrie, A Song to
Woody.
“Song to Woody”
I’m out here a thousand miles from
my home
Walkin’ a road other men have gone
down
I’m seein’ your world of people and
things
Your paupers and peasants and
princes and kings
Hey, hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote
you a song
’Bout a funny ol’ world that’s acomin’ along
Seems sick an’ it’s hungry, it’s tired
an’ it’s torn
It looks like it’s a-dyin’ an’ it’s
hardly been born
Hey, Woody Guthrie, but I know
that you know
All the things that I’m a-sayin’ an’
a-many times more
I’m a-singin’ you the song, but I
can’t sing enough
’Cause there’s not many men that
done the things that you’ve done
Here’s to Cisco an’ Sonny an’
Leadbelly too
An’ to all the good people that
traveled with you
Here’s to the hearts and the hands
of the men
That come with the dust and are
gone with the wind
I’m a-leavin’ tomorrow, but I could
leave today
Somewhere down the road
someday
The very last thing that I’d want to
do
Is to say I’ve been hittin’ some hard
travelin’ too
“Blowin’ In the Wind”
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
cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
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
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
“Master of War”
Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.
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.
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.
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
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.
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'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.
You fasten all 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.
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 over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead.
Sung by Eddie Vedder
Joan Baez
• She was born on:
January 9, 1941.
• In 1963, She sang
We Shall Overcome
at the Lincoln
Memorial with
Martin Luther King.
• She sang for Cesar
Chavez to help the
United Farm
Workers.
“Mary” sung Joan Baez
Mary you're covered in roses, you're covered
in ashes
You're covered in rain
You're covered in babies, you're covered in
slashes
You're covered in wilderness, you're covered
in stains
You cast aside the sheet, you cast aside the
shroud
Of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
On some sunny day and always stay, Mary
Jesus says Mother I couldn't stay another day
longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her
face
While the angels are singin' his praises in a
blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the
place
Mary she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Everytime the snow drifts, everytime the sand
shifts
Even when the night lifts, she's always there
Jesus said Mother I couldn't stay another day
longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her
face
While the angels are singin' his praises in a
blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the
place
Mary you're covered in roses, you're covered
in ruin
you're covered in secrets
Your'e covered in treetops, you're covered in
birds
who can sing a million songs without any
words
You cast aside the sheets, you cast aside the
shroud
of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
on some sunny day and always stay
Mary, Mary, Mary
Written by Patty Griffin
“Forever Young” sung by Joan Baez
May God's blessing keep you
always,
May your wishes ALL come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the
stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be
righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the LIGHT surrounding
you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong
foundation
When the winds of changes
shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
Written by Bob Dylan
Peter, Paul and Mary
• Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and
Mary Travers began to perform in 1961.
• Their number one song was Puff, the
magic dragon. It is not about drugs but
based on poem by Leonard Lipton .
“If I had a hammer” sung Peter, Paul & Mary
If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between my
brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a bell,
I'd ring it in the morning,
I'd ring it in the evening,
All over this land
I'd ring out danger,
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers
and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a song,
I'd sing it in the morning,
I'd sing it in the evening,
All over this land
I'd sing out danger,
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers
and my sisters,
All over this land.
Well I got a hammer,
And I got a bell,
And I got a song to sing, all over this
land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my
brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my
brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Words and music by Lee
Hays and Pete Seeger
“Fortunate Son” sung by Creedence Clearwater
Revival
Some folks are born to wave the
flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to
the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you,
Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no
fortunate one, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no
fortunate one, no,
Yeah!
Some folks inherit star spangled
eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war,
Lord,
And when you ask them, "How
much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more!
more! yoh,
Some folks are born silver spoon in
hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves,
oh.
But when the taxman comes to the
door,
Lord, the house looks like a
rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no
fortunate one, one.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
fortunate son, no no no,
“Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
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 cutting 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 cutting 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.
“I Should Be Proud” by Martha Reeves and Vandellas
I was under the dryer when the telegram
came:
"Private John C. Miller was shot down in
Vietnam"
Through my tears I read: "No more
information at this time
He's missin' in action somewhere on the Delta
Line"
And they say that I should be proud; he was
fightin' for me
They say that I should be proud, those too
blind to see
But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny
didn't have to fight for me
He was fightin' for the evils of society
Now I prayed night & day that my Johnny
wouldn't die
Love, faith & hope was all that kept me alive
Then 6 weeks later came that cold & heartless
letter:
"Private Johnny was killed in action, number
54327"
And they say that I should be proud; he was
keepin' me free
They say that I should be proud, those too
blind to see
But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny
didn't have to die for me
He was fightin' for the evils of society
They shipped him home with medals of honor
& glory
Even our local paper ran a front-page story
But the whole time gave him praisin' & said
how honored I should be
But I don't want no superstar, just the good
man they took from me
And they tell me I should be proud; he was
fightin' for me
They say that I should be proud, those too
blind to see
But he wasn't fightin' for me, my Johnny
didn't have to die for me
He's a victim of the evils of society
I should be proud of my Johnny
They tell me that I should be proud; they just
don't want Johnny for me
They tell me that I should be proud of my
Johnny...
“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today - Ya
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
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
Father, father, everybody thinks we're
wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here
today
Oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
Bruce Springsteen
• He was born on
September 23, 1949
from the state of New
Jersey.
• He is known as “The
Boss”.
• His first album was
released in 1972.
• He writes on various
types like anti-war
songs, social injustice
and the right of
underprivilege.
• His influences are
Woody Guthrie, Pete
Seeger and Phil Ochs.
“My City in Ruins” by Bruce Springsteen
There is a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves,
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Now's there's tears on the pillow
Darlin' where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands,
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the faith, Lord
We pray for your love, Lord
We pray for the lost, Lord
We pray for this world, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
Come on
Come on
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Men walkin' 'long the railroad tracks
Goin' someplace there's no goin' back
Highway patrol choppers comin' up over the
ridge
The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretchin' 'round the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleepin' in their cars in the
Southwest
No home no job no peace no rest
Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop
beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and
hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a
place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me."
The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it
goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad
He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and takes a drag
Waitin' for when the last shall be first and the
first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
Got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and gun in your
hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathin' in the city aqueduct
Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it
goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad
“Born in the USA”
•Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the
ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat
too much
Till you spend half your life just
covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam so they put
a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and
kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "son don't you understand now"
Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off
the Viet Cong
They're still there he's all gone
•He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.
“Born To Run”
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a
runaway american dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in
suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin
out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while were young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to
run
Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs round these velvet rims
And strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
Well run till we drop, baby well never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
`cause baby Im just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild, girl I want to
know if love is real
Beyond the palace hemi-powered drones
scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you wendy on the streets
tonight
In an everlasting kiss
The highways jammed with broken heroes on
a last chance power drive
Everybodys out on the run tonight but there's
no place left to hide
Together wendy well live with the sadness
Ill love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday girl I don't know when were gonna
get to that place
Where we really want to go and well walk in
the sun
But till then tramps like us baby we were born
to run
Victor Jara
•He was born on
September 23, 1932.
•He was Chilean folk
singer who challenged
military rule.
•He was imprisoned
and torture.
•The broke his hands
because he used them
to play his guitar to
sing his protect songs.
He taunted the soldiers by
singing.
He died on September 16,
1973. He was shot 44 times
by the miliarty who
supported Augusto Augusto
Pinochet.
“Victor Jara”
Victor Jara was a peasant
He worked from a few years old
He sat upon his father's plow
And watched the earth unfold
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Then the generals seized Chile
They arrested Victor then
They caged him in a stadium
With five-thousand frightened men
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Now when the neighbors had a wedding
Or one of their children died
His mother sang all night for them
With Victor by her side
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Victor stood in the stadium
His voice was brave and strong
And he sang for his fellow prisoners
Till the guards cut short his song
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He grew up to be a fighter
Against the people's wrongs
He listened to their grief and joy
And turned them into songs
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
They broke the bones in both his hands
They beat him on the head
They tore him with electric shocks
And then they shot him dead
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He sang about the copper miners
And those who worked the land
He sang about the factory workers
And they knew he was their man
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Victor Jara of Chile
Lived like a shooting star
He fought for the people of Chile
With his songs and his guitar
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He campaigned for Allende
Working night and day
He sang "Take hold of your brothers hand
You know the future begins today"
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
by Adrian Mitchell, music
by Arlo Guthrie
“El Martillo “
Oh hermano, oh hermano.
Si tuviera un martillo
golpearía en la mañana
golpearía en la noche
por todo el país
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.
Si tuviera una campana
tocaría en la mañana
tocaría en la noche
por todo el país
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.
Si tuviera una canción
cantaría en la mañana
cantaría en la noche
por todo el país
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.
Ahora tengo un martillo
y tengo una campana
y tengo una canción que cantar
por todo el país.
Martillo de justicia
campana de libertad
y una canción de paz.
“El derecho de vivir en paz”
El derecho de vivir
poeta Ho Chi Minh,
que golpea de Vietnam
a toda la humanidad.
Ningún cañón borrará
el surco de tu arrozal.
El derecho de vivir en paz.
Indochina es el lugar
mas allá del ancho mar,
donde revientan la flor
con genocidio y napalm.
La luna es una explosión
que funde todo el clamor.
El derecho de vivir en paz.
Tío Ho, nuestra canción
es fuego de puro amor,
es palomo palomar
olivo de olivar.
Es el canto universal
cadena que hará triunfar,
el derecho de vivir en paz.
The right to live in peace Lyrics
Victor Jara
The right to live
poet Ho Chi Minh
striking of Vietnam
all humanity.
No gun cleared
the path of your rice.
The right to live in peace.
Indochina is the place
beyond the wide sea,
where the flower burst
with genocide and napalm.
The moon is an explosion
which merges all the clamor.
The right to live in peace.
Uncle Ho, our song
Fire is pure love,
is the pigeon loft
oil of olive.
It is the universal song
a string that will succeed
the right to live in peace.
“Estadio Chile”
Somos cinco mil
en esta pequeña parte de la ciudad.
Somos cinco mil
¿ Cuántos seremos en total
en las ciudades y en todo el país ?
Solo aqui
diez mil manos siembran
y hacen andar las fabricas.
¡ Cuánta humanidad
con hambre, frio, pánico, dolor,
presión moral, terror y locura !
Seis de los nuestros se perdieron
en el espacio de las estrellas.
Un muerto, un golpeado como jamas creí
se podria golpear a un ser humano.
Los otros cuatro quisieron quitarse todos los temores
uno saltó al vacio,
otro golpeandose la cabeza contra el muro,
pero todos con la mirada fija de la muerte.
¡ Qué espanto causa el rostro del fascismo !
Llevan a cabo sus planes con precisión artera
Sin importarles nada.
La sangre para ellos son medallas.
La matanza es acto de heroismo
¿ Es este el mundo que creaste, dios mio ?
¿Para esto tus siete dias de asombro y trabajo ?
en estas cuatro murallas solo existe un numero
que no progresa,
que lentamente querrá más muerte.
Pero de pronto me golpea la conciencia
y veo esta marea sin latido,
pero con el pulso de las máquinas
y los militares mostrando su rostro de matrona
llena de dulzura.
¿ Y Mexico, Cuba y el mundo ?
¡ Que griten esta ignominia !
Somos diez mil manos menos
que no producen.
Ay, canto qué mal me sales
cuando tengo que cantar espanto.
Ay, canto qué mal me sales
Ay, canto qué mal me sales.
¿Cuántos somos en toda la Patria?
La sangre del companero Presidente
golpea más fuerte que bombas y metrallas
Asi golpeará nuestro puño nuevamente
¡Canto que mal me sales
Cuando tengo que cantar espanto!
Espanto como el que vivo
como el que muero, espanto.
De verme entre tanto y tantos
momentos del infinito
en que el silencio y el grito
son las metas de este canto.
Lo que veo nunca vi,
lo que he sentido y que siento
hara brotar el momento
hará brotar el momento.
Chile Stadium
There are five thousand of us here
in this small part of the city.
We are five thousand.
I wonder how many we are in all
in the cities and in the whole country?
Here alone
are ten thousand hands which plant seeds
and make the factories run.
How much humanity
exposed to hunger, cold, panic, pain,
moral pressure, terror and insanity?
Six of us were lost
as if into starry space.
One dead, another beaten as I could never have
believed
a human being could be beaten.
The other four wanted to end their terror
one jumping into nothingness,
another beating his head against a wall,
but all with the fixed stare of death.
What horror the face of fascism creates!
They carry out their plans with knife-like precision.
Nothing matters to them.
To them, blood equals medals,
slaughter is an act of heroism.
Oh God, is this the world that you created,
for this your seven days of wonder and work?
Within these four walls only a number exists
which does not progress,
which slowly will wish more and more for death.
But suddenly my conscience awakes
and I see that this tide has no heartbeat,
only the pulse of machines
and the military showing their midwives’ faces
full of sweetness.
Let Mexico, Cuba and the world
cry out against this atrocity!
We are ten thousand hands
which can produce nothing.
How many of us in the whole country?
The blood of our President, our compañero,
will strike with more strength than bombs and
machine guns!
So will our fist strike again!
How hard it is to sing
when I must sing of horror.
Horror which I am living,
horror which I am dying.
To see myself among so much
and so many moments of infinity
in which silence and screams
are the end of my song.
What I see, I have never seen
What I have felt and what I feel
Will give birth to the moment.
Will give birth to the moment.
How hard it is to sing
when I must sing of horror.
How hard it is to sing
How hard it is to sing….
Sam Cooke “King of Soul”
A Change Is Gonna Come"
I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever
since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it
will
• He was on January 22,
1931 in Clarksdale,
Mississippi. He died at the
age of 33.
•He was a gospel singer
and crossed over to pop.
•He was killed in 1964 by a
hotel manager.
It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cos I don't know what's out there beyond the
sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it
will
I go to the movie
And I go down town
somebody keep telling me don't hang around
Its been along time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it
will
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees
There were times when I thought I couldn't
last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gone come, oh yes it will
Nina Simone "High Priestess of Soul"
•She was born on
February 21, 1933 and
died on April 21, 2003.
•She attended Julliard
for one year but ran
out of money.
•She wrote “Mississippi
Goddam” after the
death of Medgar Evers
and the Birmingham
church bombing that
killed four young
African-American girls.
"Mississippi Goddam"
The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam Lord have mercy on this land of mine
And I mean every word of it
We all gonna get it in due time
I don't belong here
Alabama's gotten me so upset
I don't belong there
Tennessee made me lose my rest
I've even stopped believing in prayer
And everybody knows about Mississippi
Goddam
Don't tell me
I tell you
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Me and my people just about due
Tennessee made me lose my rest
I've been there so I know
And everybody knows about Mississippi
They keep on saying "Go slow!"
Goddam
But that's just the trouble
Can't you see it
"do it slow"
Can't you feel it
Washing the windows
It's all in the air
"do it slow"
I can't stand the pressure much longer
Picking the cotton
Somebody say a prayer
"do it slow"
You're just plain rotten
Alabama's gotten me so upset
"do it slow"
Tennessee made me lose my rest
You're too damn lazy
And everybody knows about Mississippi
"do it slow"
Goddam
The thinking's crazy
"do it slow"
This is a show tune
Where am I going
But the show hasn't been written for it, yet
What am I doing
I don't know
Hound dogs on my trail
I don't know
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last
"Mississippi Goddam"
Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi
Goddam
I made you thought I was kiddin'
Picket lines
School boy cots
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
for my sister my brother my people and
me
Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you'd stop calling me Sister Sadie
Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You're all gonna die and die like flies
I don't trust you any more
You keep on saying "Go slow!"
"Go slow!"
But that's just the trouble
"do it slow"
Desegregation
"do it slow"
Mass participation
"do it slow"
Reunification
"do it slow"
Do things gradually
"do it slow"
But bring more tragedy
"do it slow"
Why don't you see it
Why don't you feel it
I don't know
I don't know
You don't have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Goddam
That's it!
"Why? (The King of Love is Dead)"
Written by
Gene Taylor
Once upon this planet earth
Lived a man humble down
Preaching Love and freedom
For his fellow man
Cause he’d seen the mountain top
And he knew he could not stop
Always living
With the threat of death ahead
He was dreaming our day
Peace would come to us to stay
And he‘d spread his message
All across the land
Folks you'd better
Stop and think
Cause we’re headed for the brink
What will happen now?
That he is dead
Turn the other cheek
He’d plead
Love thy neighbor
Was his creed
Pain, humiliation, death
He did not dread
With his bible at his side
From his foes he did not hide
It’s hard to think
That this great man is dead
Oh Yeah!
For the murders never cease
Are they men or are they beast
What do they ever hope?
Ever hope to gain
Will my country
For us, stand up tall
Is it too late for us all?
And did Martin Luther King
Just die In Vain
He was for equality
For all people you and me
With love and good will
Hate was not his way
He was not a violent man
Tell me folks if you can
Just Why
Why was he shot down?
The other day
You would say
He had seen
The mountain top
And he knew he could not stop
Always living with the
Threat of death ahead
Folks you'd better stop and think
And Feel Again
Cause we're headed for the brink
What’s going to happen?
Now that the King of love
Is dead!