To be or not to be... a protest song

[the100thballoon]

Can you think of any songs that protest but dont protest in every line of the song just the majority of them?

Also: Can you think of a song that takes a stab at a social, political, environmental, etc figure/issue/event but yet is not a protest song? The stab can be subtle or explicit, and the song can be American or from elsewhere. Im looking for a song that includes a stab at some issue, but is mostly about something else (like love lol).

 

[JohnRM]

You're asking for a song that is about something that its not about? What?

 

[the100thballoon]

No, a song that includes a jab at something or someone in a larger social/political/etc context, but is mostly about some other topic like the loss of some girl, etc. Im trying to think of an example, but, alas, that is why I created this thread to begin with. lol

Does that make things any clearer?

 

[Atlas14]

Perhaps Bob Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind:

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

 

[the100thballoon]

updated question. See first post.

 

[Stevenpfo]

Is this what you had in mind?

Bad Religion - A Walk

I'm going for a walk
not the after dinner kind
I'm gonna use my hands
and I'm gonna use my mind

and who the hell are you to tell me what to do?
you can't even tie your own haggard shoes
your closet is a mess, and your backyard's falling down
and I have no grand ideas or intentions of sticking around

I'm gonna build a world
independant and exempt
all alone I'll be an empire
with no mortgage and no rent

and I don't need to live in your stinking zoo
you can't even feed the animals donated to you
your storage sheds are ramshackled, flies decorate the walls
and you expect me to die here in this . .. .. .. .-filled tiny stall?

and I know you're watching! everything I do
call me threat to your children call me socially unglued
call me master of insanity, unable to relate
call me lazy, bane, and filthy
call me monstrous reprobate

I'm going for a walk and there's nothing you can do
'cuz I don't have to live like you
so I'm going for a walk

 

[the100thballoon]

Perhaps Bob Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind:

hmmm... That one seems to me to be protesting throughout the song. Thanks very much for your ideas though! Any other ideas?

 

[the100thballoon]

Is this what you had in mind?

Somethin like that. Its really hard to find one. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Fifty]

Buffalo Springfield's "For What Its Worth" actually contains subtle political messages, though most people think its just about the difficulties associated with hearing-loss.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Anti war song.

Spoiler :

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young girls gone?
Taken husbands every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?