If there’s a silver lining in our turbulent times, it’s that musicians are reviving the protest song, a tradition that has withered since the end of the Vietnam War. Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “lucky sonArlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun”–These songs all took aim at the increasingly misguided war effort of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. But it was Neil Young I wrote The most disgusting protest song. when Ohio National Guard shoots and kills four students at Kent State University In 1970, Young went missing for several hours and returned with the haunting lyrics:ohio”
The Tin Soldier and Nixon are coming,
I am finally on my own.
This summer, you can hear the sound of drums.
Four people died in Ohio.Let’s get down to business now
soldiers are cutting us down
Should have done it a long time ago.
what if you knew her
and found her lying on the ground
How can I run if I know this?
Bruce Springsteen picks up on this thread in a new song released this week. “Streets Of Minneapolis” chronicles the killings of civilians in Minnesota’s largest city. January 7th, ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot Renee Good in the head multiple times.lost the mother of three children. January 24th, Two federal agents fire at least 10 shots at Alex Pretikilling an ICU nurse instantly. Days later, the identities of these murderers remain hidden. The press seems strangely oblivious to this, as if they have quietly accepted that we live in a police state. Since when was it possible for American agents to wear masks before killing civilians and then hide behind a veil of anonymity? Yes, that’s the norm.
Springsteen wrote on social media: “In response to the state terror in the city of Minneapolis, I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday, and released it today. This song is dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, to our innocent immigrant neighbors, and to the memory of Alex Preti and Lenny Goode.” You can read the lyrics below.
Overcoming the winter ice and cold
down Nicollet Avenue
The burning city fought fire and ice
“Under the Occupier’s Boots”
King Trump’s Private Army at DHS
Secure the gun to your coat with a belt
I came to Minneapolis to enforce the law.
Or their story goes like this
against smoke and rubber bullets
in the early light of dawn
Citizens stood up for justice
their voices ring through the night
And there were bloody footprints
where mercy should stand
And two people were left dead on the snow-covered road.
Alex Preti and Renee Good
Oh, our Minneapolis, we hear you
sing in the bloody fog
We will stand our ground for this land.
and a stranger in our midst
They roamed around, killing people here in our house.
In the winter of 26
we remember the names of those who died
on the streets of minneapolis
President Trump’s federal thugs assault
his face and chest
then I heard gunshots
And Alex Preti was lying dead in the snow.
Their claim was self-defense, sir.
just don’t believe your eyes
it’s our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies
Oh, our Minneapolis, we hear you
crying in a bloody fog
we remember the names of those who died
on the streets of minneapolis
Now they say they’re here to uphold the law.
But they trample on our rights
If you have black or brown skin, my friend.
Just being seen can lead to questioning and deportation.
Come out now with the ICE chant
The heart and soul of our city remains
Through broken glass and tears of blood
on the streets of minneapolis
Oh, our Minneapolis, we hear you
sing in the bloody fog
They roamed around, killing people here in our house.
In the winter of 26
We will stand our ground for this land.
and a stranger in our midst
we remember the names of those who died
on the streets of minneapolis
we remember the names of those who died
on the streets of minneapolis
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Woodstock’s legendary protest songs: Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and more perform protest songs this week at the music festival that started 50 years ago
David Byrne’s curated playlist of great protest songs written over the past 60 years: stream online
Powerful messages carved into guitars and banjos by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger: “This machine kills fascists” and “This machine surrounds hate and forces hate to surrender.”
Nina Simone performs heartbreaking civil rights protest song live
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
