Protest Songs

Subject: Protest Songs
From: GUEST,MalariaMoon
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 08:44 AM

Dear All,
I am composing a short collection of songs themed around protest music from the past and present. Does anyone have any suggestions for traditional (rather than those written in the 60s protest movement and folk revival) songs that I could feature. They can be about specific issues, or of the 'state of the world today' kind.
I look forward to your suggestions.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Snuffy
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 09:15 AM

Entering @protest into the search box gets you a score of songs (mostly modernish) and hundreds of discussion threads. Try also:

Hard Times of Old England,
Hard Times Come Again No More
Handloom Weaver's Lament
Song of the Western Men (Trelawney)

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: InOBU
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 02:25 PM

Also try the songs of Lorcan Otway... in a number of InOBU posts.... here is one....
(All rights reserved... if you want to use it contact Lorcan Otway at [e-mail])

Home of the Brave and Land of the Free

By Bennington's fields in the steel light of dawn
crouched by a stone wall, where I knew they'd come on
Musket primed for a foe from far over the wave
in the land of the free and the home of the brave

In this fledgling nation, just learning to fly
we rallied to Shays vowing live free or die
George Washington's killers felled thousands like me
our crime being brave, our intent to be free

In tobacco fields my mother's labor pains
brought me to the life of the lash and slave chains
I fled north to Canada from slavery
to the home of brave and the land of the free

See Crazy Horse riding now over the plain
To greasy grass battle, a victory to gain
From Yellow Hair's murders his people to save
the Lakota live free in the home of the brave

In a dark prison cell, I barely can see
Hans Yoder who lies bruised and tortured like me
We Quakers and Amish no Great War will fight
We bravely sought freedom from tyranny's might

With great grandfather's musket I offered the fight
to a coward in a jet plane who struck in the night
My forefathers in these mountains like me
made Afghanistan home to the brave and the free

So now in these days when the banners all wave
ask yourself what is freedom and where are the brave
have courage to stand with the brave and the free
when your nation strays from the path of liberty

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Once Famous
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 04:30 PM

"Take This Job and Shove it" by Johnny Paycheck

Why limit yourself to traditional?

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 05:12 PM

Folk song from the first world war era.. "The Green Fields of France" is a favourite of mine and am sure you would find the lyrics somewhere on line.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 05:27 PM

Folk song from the first world war era.. "The Green Fields of France" is a favourite of mine and am sure you would find the lyrics somewhere on line.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: fat B****rd
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 03:06 AM

See this month's MOJO mag for the top 100 protest songs.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Snuffy
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 08:40 AM

Our guest is asking for pre-1960s protests.

RTFM

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 08:58 AM

Georgiansilver, ' Greenfields of France ' or to give it it's proper name, ' No Mans Land ' was only written a few years ago by eric Bogle.
Still a great song though.
eric

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: maire-aine
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 11:19 AM

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" comes to mind.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: maire-aine
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 11:28 AM

What I really meant was "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye". Also check out "Will Ye Go To Flanders"-- it's in the database, too.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: GUEST,georgiansilver
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 12:38 PM

Thanks Eric, nice to know the truth, even if it dashes the belief in old protest songs a bit. Best wishes.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Macha
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:06 PM

The band played Walzting Matilda and Paddy's Lamention are really good anti-war songs.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: s6k
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:13 PM

i dont know if you want songs before 1960
but anyway the following i have picked because they are by musicians you maybe wouldnt expect to write fantastic lyrics, but these truly are. i didnt think anyone else would mention them so here goes.

deep purple - soldier of fortune
iron maiden - paschendale
black eyed peas - where is the love

and billy bragg - bush war blues

they really are excellent lyrics

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Macha
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 04:13 PM

Tom Leher did a few protest songs

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: toadfrog
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 11:32 PM

Well, try I'M A GOOD OLD REBEL, a protest song from the 1860's. Or search for "Joe Hill" in the Forum. Lots of union songs beginning in the 1890's and running through the 1940's. Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, Butch Hawes et al., the Almanac Singers, used to sing those. Then there are all those Jacobite songs.

But as for "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye," there is a thread on that, and it appears that an older song was transformed into a Song of Protest in the 1960's, by adding a final verse that changed its meaning.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 08:26 AM

Refresh for my benefit.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: freda underhill
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 08:40 AM

Paul Spencer is an Australian singer songwriter currently living and working in the UK. here is a link to his site:

paul spencer and the stuff he's done

and also a link to his site's links page, which links to a lot of other good sites for protest music.

paul spencer links page

Paul is a great songwriter and a lovely man. His music is highly regarded in Australia, and is performed by a lot of folkies here.

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 08:54 AM

Chumbawamba's 'English rebel songs' CD contains a good selection
of old trad songs of resistance and dissent..

and is a beautifully crafted & harmoniously sung feast of an album
for a good old fashioned trad family xmas
sipping brandy and cider around a warm glowing logfire..
[or nicely burning local conservative club building..]

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 09:12 AM

all the lyrics to

"English Rebel Songs 1381—1984"


http://www.chumba.com/_rebelstext2.htm

Subject: RE: Protest Songs
From: Weasel Books
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 08:44 AM

Sic a Parcel of Rogues in the Nation. Burnes's reworking of a song about the closure of the Scottish Parliament, but it's still relevant whenever there are dirty politics.

Blake's Jerusalem. He would turn in his grave if he knew it were part of the Anglican Hymnal.

Maybe Burnes's Is There for Honest Poverty qualifies too, but I'm not sure.

Just for the comic aide of things (perhaps best way to protest?) you've got Awa' Whigs Awa'. Paraphrasing part from memory: My love had a garden and bonny bloomed the roses Whigs came by and withered a' the posies.