The political songs of today?

Subject: Lyr Add: UNDEFEATED (Robb Johnson)
From: GUEST,Scabby Douglas
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 06:55 AM

Robb Johnson has wonderful political songs, some very specific, and others more general.

Here's one of my favourites:

Undefeated
Robb Johnson

What will they say of us, one hundred years from now,
When they look back on these unhappy days?
They'll shake their heads at how so many swallowed lies;
That dog eat dog so long went undefeated

Will they curse us then, that so much death crept in?
There was so little left to build again.
Or will their smiles salute, and like a song recall
The ones who through it all, went undefeated?

I'm tired of wearing thin these same old words of rage
Some days the bad guys win, but nothing's changed
For though the language fail and the nerves of love grow numb
Somehow we carry on, undefeated.

Holding all people's lives to be of equal worth
More dear than the money talk, or the tricks of the state
The hands that work no wrong, the breath that lifts the song
The hearts that hold each other, undefeated.

The hands that work no wrong, the breath that lifts the song
The hearts that hold each other
The hearts that hold each other
The hearts that hold each other, undefeated.

Youtube video for "Undefeated"

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 06:24 AM

Richard, there are plenty of people out there writing good radical stuff. The trouble is you won't hear most of it in folkclubs. You would probably be better off trying a few acoustic nights. Also of course socialist choirs etc on demos.

Also, I gather that the anti-capitalist road show will be at the Lewes folk festival this year. Definitely worth checking out. For individual singers, Alun Parry from Liverpool, is for my money the best person writing political stuff at the moment. http://parrysongs.co.uk/go/ . Also, Claire Mooney in Manchester has written some good stuff. And there's Kevin Littlewood in Southport and Janet Russell and Jim Wooodland who are now based in Derbyshire. Sorry about the concentration on the north west, but that's the part of the country I know most about. Of course there's Robb Johnson, who's conveniently down your way, and who I believe runs a radical singing club (in Lewes ?). I find him a bit obscurantist, but that's probably personal taste.

On top of all that, there's the wonderful Sisters Unlimited, who combine radical and feminist songs with an indomitable sense of fun! Who said that fighting the system has to be all doom and gloom and broken pit props?

Plus there's quite a lot of stuff on Youtube. In fact I hope to get some of my own songs on there in the next few days. I'll post the URLs on Mudcat when I finally acheive the breakthrough.

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 04:07 AM

Thank you Acorn. I was vaguely aware of Attila the Stock Broker. Amusing words, but hardly exciting melodies. Some Tom Robinson Band is good too although 70s/80s rather than current.

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Acorn4
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 03:51 AM

Third time lucky:-

http://www.attilathestockbroker.com/

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Acorn4
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 03:50 AM

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Acorn4
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 03:50 AM

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 07:15 PM

Ithink I ahve some recorded stuff from Robb Johnson.

I've heard that Bedroom tax song before - it' heart in in the right place but it ain't great song is it?

I've been directed to Grace Petrie - views?

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 04:58 PM

There are some from Occupy Wall Street, now dispersed into other means of protests.

One reason is the demise of the Left in America. Most of the earlier protest songs emanated from a time of "The Popular Front", no longer operative.

Still, they are out there. Just not on mainstream media. You have to search for them.

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Ged Fox
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 01:49 PM

There's no politics any more - just irresponsible, blatently corrupt and conscienceless men in suits.

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Jim McLean
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 01:19 PM

Bedroom tax

Try this

Subject: RE: The political songs of today?
From: Will Fly
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 10:50 AM

Why not contact Brighton poet/singer Robb Johnson - I gather that he sings very contemporary, anti-establishment material of his own making. He may help you to go further.

http://www.robbjohnson.co.uk/

Subject: The political songs of today?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 10:34 AM

The US has its dustbowl era protest songs (and their fine chroniclers Guthrie and Seeger). The 60s had a good crop of protest songs with some good examples from Dylan (even if a lot of it was somewhat teen-angst protest). The 80s produced some excellent anti-Thatcher songs (Hilda's Cabinet Bend, A living Wage, Lamb to the Slaughter (Coope Boyes and Simpson)).

Where are the protest songs of now against the austerity measures imposed to save the bankers from the consequences of their own overweening pride? The protests over the hospital bed dying in their own shit because of insufficient nurse staffing levels, the ten thousand who have died (some by suicide in despair) within 6 weeks of being declared "fit to work", the suicides of those driven from their homes by the bedroom tax, even the destruction of the planet to extract (and as a result of the consequent warming by) fossil fuels?

So far I can think of about one - "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed". I'm on the verge of re-creating KirkPatrick's "Monster Science".   

I'd love more examples - preferably with links to words and chords and performances so that I may learn and perform such songs.