Protest Songs

Today I'm sad and a bit cynical.  Started off the day listening to news and interviews from Syria.  Then veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.   Reminds me of the bumper sticker, "War is unhealthy for living things."

So I've got protest songs on the brain.  Not just protesting war, although that's where I started today, but protesting injustice and plain ol' meanness. The first few that come to mind are as follows (not in any significant order):

1) "Eve of Destruction" - Barry Mcquire. 1965.

The eastern world it is 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.

 2) "Fixing to Die" - Country Joe and the Fish. 1968.

Yeah, 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 Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun. 

 

3) "Harper Valley PTA"- Jeannie C. Riley. 1978

And then you have the nerve 

to tell me as a mother I ain't fit
Well this is just a little Peyton place 

and you're all Harper Valley hypocrits 

4) "Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday. 1939.

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the popular trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter cry

5) "Get Up, Stand Up" - Bob Marley. 1973.

We're sick and tired of your ism-schism game
To die and go to heaven in Jesus' name
We know and understand
Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
And now we've seen the light (What you gonna do)
We gonna stand up for our rights

I know there is good in the world because people call evil out.  We write songs against it, compose poetry, march and wave our signs.  Every age has good and evil, peace and violence, love and hate.  

One does evil enough when one does nothing good.  ~German Proverb