Give Us a - Political - Song!

[cgannon64]

I've been listening to alot of Radiohead lately, and I just discovered an interesting political side to some of their lyrics. For example, here is the song 2+2=5, off of their new album, Hail to the Thief (a mocking slogan after Bush was elected).

Radiohead - 2+2=5

are you such a dreamer
to put the world to rights
i'll stay home forever
where two and two always makes a five
i'll lay down the tracks
sandbag and hide
january has april showers
and two and two always makes a five
it's the devil's way now
there is no way out
you can scream and you can shout
it is too late now
because you're not there
payin' attention
payin' attention
payin' attention
payin' attention
yeah i feel it, i needed attention
payin’ attention
payin’ attention
payin’ attention
yeah i need it, i needed attention
i needed attention
i needed attention
i needed attention
yeah i love it, the attention
payin’ attention
payin’ attention
payin’ attention
soon oh
i try to sing along
but the music's all wrong
cos i’m not
cos i’m not
i’ll swallow up flies ?
back and hide
but i’m not
oh hail to the thief
oh hail to the thief
but i'm not
but i'm not
but i'm not
but i'm not
don't question my authority or put me in the box
cos i'm not
cos i'm not
oh go up to the king, and the sky is falling in
but its not
but its not
maybe not
maybe not

What are some political songs/lyrics you know of? Either blatent or subtle, I always find political songs interesting...

 

[Archer 007]

"War" is a clear one i think of.

 

[Theige]

Originally posted by archer_007
"War" is a clear one i think of.

One of my favorite

Also by Bob Marley 'Africa Unite' and 'Bufaloe Soldier'

 

[Archer 007]

Originally posted by theage

One of my favorites

Me too. And it perfectlly summed up the era when it was written.

 

[Greadius]

Toby Keith - Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)
American Girls and American Guys
We’ll always stand up and salute
We’ll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There’s a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free.

Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
`Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass
It`s the American way

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Yeehaw!

 

[napoleon526]

Oh Greadius, you shame Democrats everywhere with your obtuse jingoism!

 

[LesCanadiens]

One... Two... One Two Three Four...

If you cannot find Osama, Bomb Iraq.
If the markets are a drama, Bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is far too risky, Bomb Iraq.

If we have no allies with us, Bomb Iraq.
If we're thinkin' someone's dissed us, Bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections,
Let's look tough for the elections,
Close your mind and take directions, Bomb Iraq.

It's "pre-emptive non-aggression", Bomb Iraq.
Let's prevent this mass destruction, Bomb Iraq.
They've got weapons we can't see,
And that's good enough for me
'Cos it's all the proof I need, Bomb Iraq.

If you never were elected, Bomb Iraq.
If your mood is quite dejected, Bomb Iraq.
If you think Saddam's gone mad,
With the weapons that he had,
(And he tried to kill your dad), Bomb Iraq.

If your corporate fraud is growin', Bomb Iraq.
If your ties to it are showin', Bomb Iraq.
If your politics are sleazy,
And hiding that ain't easy,
And your manhood's getting queasy, Bomb Iraq.

Fall in line and follow orders, Bomb Iraq.
For our might knows not our borders, Bomb Iraq.
Disagree? We'll call it treason,
Let's make war not love this season,
Even if we have no reason, Bomb Iraq.

Hey! The Christian God's on our side, Bomb Iraq.
Bless the weapons, take the ride and Bomb Iraq.
Let the innocents be killed,
And lots of heathen blood be spilled,
To get our fuel tanks cheaply filled, let's BOMB IRAQ!

 

[aaminion00]

Watch The Right - Anti-Flag

One sided (of course), but it's a damn good song

it's on the radio
it's on the TV news
conservatives and liberals
with ever clashing views

but as the days go by
i can't tell which side is talking
their left is in the center
and labeled "liberal doctrine"

they do nothing for you...
they do nothing for me...
no! they give us nothing to believe
watch your right watch your left
watch the right watch the center
and watch your back!

let the feds pass a law that takes your rights away
cause, "you gotta sacrifice if you want to stay safe!"
til the day you find the feds in your back pocket
locking you away for saying, "question", "think", or "stop it"

joseph mccarthy and reagan, set the mother****in' stage
for the right leanings that now grip the u.s.a.
they framed and jailed the reds - lost the kays to the cell
set up the capitalist machine to go in for the kill
... yeah... yeah... yeah...

social divisions - encouraged by the few - few!
those few in power - suckerin' suckers like you - you!
as corporate welfare, flows from troughs of the state - state! yeah big business, takes more than their fair take - take!
but in the end it is suckers like you - you!
who buy that the poor, are givin' you the screw - screw!
can't you realize that it's just talk, talk, talk, talkin'...
like tax men at your door, ****in' knockin' knockin' knockin'...

 

[Greadius]

Originally posted by napoleon526
Oh Greadius, you shame Democrats everywhere with your obtuse jingoism!

Those aren't my words. I've never even heard the song. Just thought it would make an interesting juxtaposition with EVERY OTHER song that will be posted here.

Take the last two, for example. Give them a hard time

 

[Simon Darkshade]

I know of plenty of political songs of a rather right nature. I shall add a nice one in later.

 

[ozscott75]

CCR - Fortunate Son.

 

[Serutan]

The Ultimate political song...

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!


Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

 

[Kinniken]

Simply chilling...

If I had a rocket launcher - Bruce Cockburn

Here comes the helicopter -- second time today
Everybody scatters and hopes it goes away
How many kids they've murdered only God can say
If I had a rocket launcher...I'd make somebody pay

I don't believe in guarded borders and I don't believe in hate
I don't believe in generals or their stinking torture states
And when I talk with the survivors of things too sickening to relate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would retaliate

On the Rio Lacantun, one hundred thousand wait
To fall down from starvation -- or some less humane fate
Cry for guatemala, with a corpse in every gate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would not hesitate

I want to raise every voice -- at least I've got to try
Every time I think about it water rises to my eyes.
Situation desperate, echoes of the victims cry
If I had a rocket launcher...Some son of a ***** would die

 

[Chris85]

Rage Against the Machine - No Shelter

The main attraction - distraction
got ya number than number than numb
Empty ya pockets son; they got you thinkin that
What ya need is what they sellin
Make you think that buyin is rebellin

From the theaters to malls on every shore
Tha thin line between entertainment and war
The frontline is everywhere, there be no shelter here
Spielberg the nightmare works so push it far
Amistad was a whip, the truth was feathered and tarred
Memory erased, burned and scarred
Trade in ya history for a VCR

Cinema, simulated life, ill drama
Fourth Reich culture - Americana
Chained to the dream they got ya searchin for
Tha thin line between entertainment and war

There be no shelter here
Tha frontline is everywhere

Hospitals not profit full
Yet market bulls got pockets full
To advertise some hip disguise
View tha world from American eyes
Tha poor adore keep fiendin for more
Tha thin line between entertainment and war
They fix the need, develop the taste
Buy their products or get laid to waste
Coca-Cola is back in the veins of Saigon
And Rambo too, he got a dope pair of Nikes on
And Godzilla pure muthaf**kin filler
To keep ya eyes off the real killer

Cinema, simulated life, ill drama
Fourth Reich culture - Americana
Chained to the dream they got ya searchin for
Tha thin line between entertainment and war

American eyes, American eyes....
View the world from American eyes
Bury the past, rob us blind
And leave nothin behind

Just stare
Relive the nightmare

 

[Cilpot]

Roger Waters:

The Bravery of Being Out of Range
From the album Amused to Death(1992)

You have a natural tendency to squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties, you wear the right masks
You're old but you still like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change, you're at home on the range
You open the suitcase behind the old workings
To show off the magnum, you deafen the canyon
A comfort a friend only upstaged in the end by the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you, remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next

I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a US Marine in a pile of debris
I swam in your pools and lay under your palm trees
I looked in the eyes of the Indian who lay on the Federal Building steps
And through the range finder over the hill
I saw the frontline boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find on their desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next

Hey bartender over here, two more shots and two more beers
Sir turn up the TV sound, the war has started on the ground
Just love those laser-guided bombs, they're really great for righting wrongs
You hit the target and win the game from bars three thousand miles away
Three thousand miles away
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim with the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train with the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain with the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range

 

[Mojotronica]

Don't you know we got smart bombs, it's a good thing that our bombs are clever.
Don't you know that the smart bombs are so clever, they only kill bad people.

Don't you know though our kids are dumb, we got smart bombs, what a joyous
thing.
Here we go so let's drink a toast, to those clever bombs, and the men who
built them.

(Chorus)
There they go now, there go all my friends
There they go now, marching off to war again
With their bright flags waving in the wind
There they go now, marching off to war again
Smiling proudly, with their heads in the clouds.

Don't you know this is better than any video friend. It's an action movie.
Here we go watch the bad guys get their butts kicked. Really makes me feel
good. Here we go watching CNN, the adrenaline rushes through my veins.
Don't you know it's a feel good show, electronic bliss. It's a video, video...

(Chorus)

Aren't you glad we got smart bombs, it's a damn good thing our bombs are clever
It's a shame that our kids are dumb, but our bombs are smart, what a lucky
thing now
Don't you know it's a feel good show and it's suitable for the whole darn family
Come on out everybody shout, give a big salute to our ingenuity
Don't you know this is better than, any video friend, it's an action movie...
Here we go, watch the bad guys get their butts kicked, and it makes me feel good.
Don't you know it's Nintendo, really gets the blood flowing thru my veins now
Don't you know it's a feel-good show, electronic bliss, it's a video, video

 

[Mojotronica]

Don't you know
They's talkin' about a revolution
It sound like a whisper
Don't you know
They're talkin' about a revolution
It's sounds like a whisper
While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of thorse armies of salvation
Wasting time in the unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Poor people gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people gonna rise up
And take what's theirs

Don't you know
You better run, run, run...
Oh I said you better
Run, run, run...
Talkin' bout a revolution

And finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin'about revolution

 

[Mojotronica]

I Believe In You


I don't believe in superstars
Organic food or foreign cars
I don't believe the price of gold
The certainty of growing old
That right is right and left is wrong
That north and south can't get along
That east is east and west is west
And being first is always best

But I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in Mom and Dad
And I believe in you

I don't believe that heaven waits
For only those who congregate
I like to think of God as love
He's down below, he's up above
He's watching people everywhere
He knows who does and doesn't care
And I'm an ordinary man
Sometimes I wonder who I am

But I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in magic
And I believe in you

Well, I know with all my certainty
What's going on with you and me
Is a good thing, it's true
I believe in you

I don't believe virginity is
As common as it used to be
In working days and sleeping nights
That black is black and white is white
That Superman and Robin Hood
Are still alive in Hollywood
That gasoline's in short supply
The rising cost of getting by

But I believe in love
I believe in old folks
I believe in children
And I believe in you

 

[cgannon64]

Good songs everyone. I never expected that one from you Greadius! I've always found that song funny - I think the perfect video for it would involve a picture Curt posted once, it was a screaming eagle with a picture of an atomic blast in its eyes...

BTW, that's a freaky song, Kinniken. Interesting how he doesn't "beleive in hate" or "torture states" but he's willing to shoot rockets at people...

Another song off of Hail to the Thief (I haven't heard it, just heard of it) is told from the point of the view of someone in a bunker, telling of lonliness. Reminds me of a story I heard, that Cheney's children trick-or-treated in a bunker following Sept. 11th...

 

[napoleon526]

Originally posted by cgannon64
Reminds me of a story I heard, that Cheney's children trick-or-treated in a bunker following Sept. 11th...

Cheney's kids are all adults now. Maybe it was Cheney himself who went trick or treating!