UPDATE: you can add your own suggestions as YouTube videos in the comments: just leave the URL on its own line and walla! Instant video comment!
A wise man once said, or maybe it was me, that the only credible death threats at Occupy Vancouver are against the DJ, and anyone who’s heard the stuff he plays can understand why. It’s both hilarious and tragic that the Occupy movement has unhesitatingly ceded control of its soundscape to the person who owns the sound equipment on that basis alone. Ah, the 1% exist in any bellcurve, and it’s consistently appalling to me the way the 99% voluntarily subjugate themselves to it. Yes, the guy who owns the means of sound production is by default the DJ and it seems nobody has the power to eject him from this role, audible lack of talent notwithstanding. Minor keys and electronic drones; really, isn’t this the stuff they used to make Noriega surrender? I defy anyone NOT on psychoactive substances to actually assert that they enjoy this stuff. In fact, I don’t think there’s enough E in the world to make it fun, empowering, or uplifting. And not enough foam earplugs in the world to make it endurable; when you start praying for the drum circle to start, you KNOW something’s gone badly wrong.
So herewith are a few uplifting, enraging, inspiring, and even danceable tunes for Occupy Vancouver to assist in getting the dander (and other things) up, getting the blood (of the corporations) flowing, and drowning out that godforsaken DJ.
You’re welcome.
UPDATE: how could I forget the startlingly precocious Ta’kaiya Blaney from right here at Occupy Vancouver, singing her own composition, Earth Revolution? Corrected. This kid is performing this weekend at TEDxSFU, so I hear.
UPDATE: Here’s a playlist from MessicanicRebel on 8Track:
Vodpod videos no longer available.
The gorgeous and shockingly talented Mylene Farmer, from Quebec and France, singing Fuck Them All (lyrics in the linked post):
That’s the song that generally starts my day. If that goth-femme empowerment anthem doesn’t quite do it for you, try something a little stronger, namely:
Rage Against the Machine doing Wake Up, with one of the best slideshow fan-made videos in all of YouTube. Yes,
Anger is a gift.
I find it hilariously ironic that this video is, at 5 million plus views, so popular that it now has ads prefacing it.
Come on!
Uggh!
Come on, although ya try to discredit
Ya still never edit
The needle, I’ll thread it
Radically poetic
Standin’ with the fury that they had in ’66
And like E-Double I’m mad
Still knee-deep in the system’s shit
Hoover, he was a body remover
I’ll give ya a dose
But it’ll never come close
To the rage built up inside of me
Fist in the air, in the land of hypocrisy
Movements come and movements go
Leaders speak, movements cease
When their heads are flown
‘Cause all these punks
Got bullets in their heads
Departments of police, the judges, the feds
Networks at work, keepin’ people calm
You know they went after King
When he spoke out on Vietnam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot
Yeah!
Yeah, back in this…
Wit’ poetry, my mind I flex
Flip like Wilson, vocals never lackin’ dat finesse
Whadda I got to, whadda I got to do to wake ya up
To shake ya up, to break the structure up
‘Cause blood still flows in the gutter
I’m like takin’ photos
Mad boy kicks open the shutter
Set the groove
Then stick and move like I was Cassius
Rep the stutter step
Then bomb a left upon the fascists
Yea, the several federal men
Who pulled schemes on the dream
And put it to an end
Ya better beware
Of retribution with mind war
20/20 visions and murals with metaphors
Networks at work, keepin’ people calm
Ya know they murdered X
And tried to blame it on Islam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot
Uggh!
What was the price on his head?
What was the price on his head!
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard, I think I heard a shot
‘He may be a real contender for this position should he
abandon his supposed obediance to white liberal doctrine
of non-violence…and embrace black nationalism’
‘Through counter-intelligence it should be possible to
pinpoint potential trouble-makers…And neutralize them,
neutralize them, neutralize them’
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
How long? Not long, cause what you reap is what you sow
All woken up now? Great! Do you feel like working off some of that energy in a holistic, non-violent way? Good for you. Now is the time at #OccupyVancouver when we dance…with Tina Arena!
Yes, it’s cute and poppy, but peppy Aussie Tina Arena‘s hit Now I Can Dance is also an empowering anthem that all marginalized people can identify with (especially if they like to dance with trombone hats on their heads). It’s for anyone who’s transcended the box that the world has tried to put them in.
We are all the anti-Maru!
So I hope this finds you well
Sun is shining down eastern valley ways
There’s some news I need to tell you
Give my Mother a kiss
Tell her I’m ok
I recall her words
“If it’s too easy
It never lasts
I have compromised
But I’m finally free of the past
Now I can dance
Clouds have all disappeared
Freedom
I hold so dear
Cause nobody knows me here
Though I can only imagine the sadness
In your eyes
Please understand
Now I can dance
All alone the other night
I came to realise we’d be friends for life
It was always meant to be
For some people the heavens can get it so right
Like an angel you see
You have graciously offered a hand
You’d be so proud of me
Now I’m finally taking a stand
Now I can dance
Clouds have all disappeared
Freedom
I hope so dear
Cause nobody knows me here
Though I can only imagine the sadness
In your eyes
Please understand
Now I can dance
Now I can dance
Now I can dance
Clouds have all disappeared
Freedom
I hope so dear
Cause nobody knows me here
Though I can only imagine the sadness
you eyes
Please understand
Now I can dance
Though I can only imagine the sadness
In your eyes
Please understand
Now I can dance
So I hope this finds you well
Sun is shining down eastern valley ways
So good
Be free
Can dance and laugh and just be me
So good
Be free
The clouds above have disappeared
God knows, I’m allergic to hipsters and hipster music (this is what hobbits would sound like if they could wrap their legs around a cello without splitting in two), but a true movement must be truly Of Its Time, and this version of the Clash’s Guns of Brixton by Canadian hipster band Arcade Fire is a uniquely 21st Century fusion of classic revolutionary ideas, a violent revolutionary anthem, and contemporary understated resistance, an iron hand in the velvet fingerless glove.
On the hurdy-gurdy and the trigger.
As I’ve said elsewhere:
this particular iteration of this particular song is the great protest anthem of our time. We’re not as raw as The Clash, but our riots aren’t just Quiet: they’re silent, but for the clicking of keys on an iMac. Vaguely apologetic but inexorable, conscious of the past and very much aware of this moment in history, twee, precious, metrosexual but somehow effective nonetheless; yup, this is us, right here, right now.
When they kick out your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun
When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting in death row
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you’ll have to answer to
Oh, Guns of Brixton
The money feels good
And your life you like it well
But surely your time will come
As in heaven, as in hell
You see, he feels like Ivan
Born under the Brixton sun
His game is called survivin’
At the end of the harder they come
You know it means no mercy
They caught him with a gun
No need for the Black Maria
Goodbye to the Brixton sun
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you’ll have to answer to
Oh-the guns of Brixton
When they kick out your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun
You can crush us
You can bruise us
And even shoot us
But oh- the guns of Brixton
Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game was survivin’
As in heaven as in hell
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you’ll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, the guns of Brixton
And now that we’re in a mellower mood, here’s a pretty little thing for the anti-vivisectionists who I know have a strong presence at Occupy Vancouver: Mylene Farmer again (can you ever get enough of the Madonna of Europe?) doing Si j’avais au moins.
Si J’avais Au Moins English/French lyrics
Qui n’a connu
Douleur immense
N’aura qu’un aperçu
Du temps
L’aiguille lente
Qu’il neige ou vente
L’omniprésente
Souligne ton absence
Partout
Who has not experienced
Immense pain
Will only have a glimpse
Of time
The slow needle
Whether it snows or is windy
The omnipresent
Emphasizes your abscence
Everywhere
Qui n’a connu
L’instable règne
Qui n’a perdu
Ne sait la peine
Plus de réserve, du tout
Ni dieu, ni haine, s’en fout
Plus de superbe, j’ai tout
D’une peine…
Un enténèbrement
Who hasn’t known
The unstable reign
Who hasn’t lost
Doesn’t know sorrow
No more reserves, at all
Neither God nor hatred gives a damn
More superb
I have everything from sorrow
A darkening
Si j’avais au moins
Revu ton visage
Entrevu au loin
Le moindre nuage
Mais c’est à ceux
Qui se lèvent
Qu’on somme « d’espoir »
Dont on dit qu’ils saignent
Sans un au revoir, de croire
Et moi pourquoi j’existe
Quand l’autre dit je meurs
Pourquoi plus rien n’agite
Ton cœur …
If I had at least
Seen your face again
Glimpsed in the distance
The lesser cloud
But it belongs to those who are raised
As we summon some “hope”
Of which we say that they’re bleeding
Without a “goodbye” to believe
And why do I exist
When the other says I’m dying
Why does nothing more trouble
Your heart…
Tous mes démons
Les plus hostiles
Brisent les voix
Les plus fragiles
De tous mes anges
Les plus dévoués
Et moi l’étrange paumée
Fiancée à l’enténèbrement…
All my Demons, the most hostile
Breaking voices, the most fragile
Of all my Angels
The most devout,
And I, the lost stranger
Betrothed to gloom
And let’s not forget our roots; the people who invented Occupy: no, not Adbusters! They weren’t on this until July! I’m talking about those masked men and women, the wearers of the black suit and tie… not that guy.
This guy.
United as one divided by zero
Note that even Miss Manners now recognizes “Guys” as unisex, so this is not only inclusive but technically correct. It matters. FACT.
And what enjoyable, uplifting musical interlude suitable to popping, locking, and/or protesting can possibly be brought to you by the world’s most famous, best-dressed Hive Mind? I’ll give you a choice of two!
This dubstep remix of “Hackers on Steroids“:
Or this hard-driving metal classic:
raincoaster 
‘God, what a mess on the ladder of success,
Take one step and miss the whole first rung…’
Huh, don’t know my own strength: Third Eye Blind JUST released a new single in support of the Occupy movement: If There Ever Was a Time.
Lyrics:
if there ever was a time, it would be now
is all I’m saying
if there ever was a time to get on your feet
and take it to the street
cause you’re the one who’s getting played right now
by the game they’re playing
come on meet me down at Zuccotti park
oh where are the youth, we need you now
come speak the truth, come break it down
where are the youth, we need you now
if there ever was a time, it would be now
to make the masters hear this
if there ever was a time to get downtown
and get non violent and fearless
things only get brighter when you light a spark
everywhere you go right now is Zuccotti park
and news corps says you don’t have a plan
well sit down man, i’ll tell you again
the plan’s to stand together up to greed
and a tear gas can in a veteran’s face
won’t change the case
(chorus)
if there ever was a time, it would be now
for the rest of us
if there ever was a time it would be now
cause money and power are incestuous
a moment makes a movement
or it fades out in the dark
come on meet me down at Zuccotti park
and i saw a sign in the oakland spring
it said “occupy everything!”
or by and for and off won’t mean a thing
Excellent choices, Stephen. I think I may have a new favorite song.
Alas, Billy Bragg is like Shakespeare; I have to listen to him for five or ten minutes before I can make out a word he’s saying.
Occupying Army by Vancouver’s Vanessa Richards
Thanks, that’s a great one. I haven’t heard her before.
Guns of Brixton on the other hand is a call to violent self-defence and does not fit with the tactics condoned by the occupy wall street / occupy together movement
PS nice picbtw. thats my friend from SF’s peace signs we brought and my egypt flag *)
Cool, I saw the Egypt flag first thing on site and have a billion pix of it on Flickr.
And the writeup of Guns of Brixton makes clear that this is a very different kind of revolution. Read my post Occupy Yourself to see how I moved from advocating violence to advocating peace. Violence is not the way to succeed here, but that song is effective to get them off the couch, at which point they go, “well, why use the good scotch in a molotov cocktail? Let’s just change the way we vote” etc. There are all kinds of ways to Occupy Yourself.
And a couple for the haters:
and
“I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe”
~Santigold, LES Artistes
just showed my gal the vid of Ta’kaiya singing on my PA for the 3rd time in her career. that kid is a Mother Earth loving heavy hitter who just keeps knocking it outta the park. i know her parents are stunned too
Thanks, great additions.
Also, lest we forget my pal Spencer Cox’s advice “Whatever you do at Occupy, be sure to have a little fun” here is my YouTube favorite fangirl video:
and the second-favorite
OCCUPY HAWTNESS!
Ta’kaiya is fiercely talented. I hope she has the future she deserves; that’s one of the things we’re protesting for.
Walls Come Tumbling Down! lyrics
You don’t have
To take this crap
You don’t have
To sit back and relax
You can actually try changin’ it
I know we’ve always been taught to rely
Upon those in authority
But you never know until you try
How things just might be
If we came together so strongly
Are you gonna try to make this work?
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see, things can change
Yes, walls can come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Yes they do, yes they do, yes they do
The competition is
A color TV
We’re on still pause
With a video machine
That keep you slave to the H P
Until the unity is threatened by
Those who have and who have not
Those who are with and those who are without
And dangle jobs, like a donkey’s carrot
Until you don’t know where you are
Are you gonna get some realize
The class was real and not mythologized
And like Jericho
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/s/style-council-lyrics/walls-come-tumbling-down!-lyrics.html ]
Yes, walls can come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
We’re tuning to fight it, well united, well united
Are you gonna be threatened by?
The public enemies, No 10
Those who play the power game
They take the profits, you take the blame
When they tell you there’s no rise in pay
Are you gonna try an’ make this work?
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see, things can change
Walls can come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
Yes they do
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Governments crack and systems fall
‘Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Love Me I’m a Liberal
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I’d lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don’t talk about revolution
That’s going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I’m glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don’t move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can’t understand how their minds work
What’s the matter don’t they watch Les Crain?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I read New republic and Nation
I’ve learned to take every view
You know, I’ve memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I’m almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There’s no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I vote for the democratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I’ll send all the money you ask for
But don’t ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I’ve grown older and wiser
And that’s why I’m turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
Marianne Faithful performs Phil Ochs ‘There but for Fortune’
Show me a prison, show me a jail
Show me a pris’ner whose face has grown pale
And I’ll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me an alley, show me a train
Show me a hobo who sleeps out in the rain
And I’ll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor
Show me a drunk as he stumbles out the door
And I’ll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me a country where the bombs had to fall
Show me the ruins of buildings so tall
And I’ll show you a young land
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
You or I
Comments above about Guns of Brixton miss the point – if ‘they’ come for you on some distorted or trumped up charge, when push comes to shove, what will you do?
This is not about violence vs non-violence but an end to fence sitting…
‘You start wearing the blue and brown
YOU’RE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN’
“What are we going to do now…
Taking off his turban, they said is this man a Jew?
‘COS THEY’RE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
They put up a poster saying we earn more than you
WHEN WE’RE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
We will teach our twisted speech,
to the young believers.
We will train our blue-eyed men,
to be young believers.
The Judge said Five-to-Ten – But I say double that again.
I’M NOT WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
No man born with a living soul.
CAN BE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
Kick over the wall, cause governments to fall
How can you refuse it?
Let fury have the hour, anger can be power
D’you know how you can use it?
The voices in your head are calling
Stop wasting your time, there’s nothing coming
Only a fool would think, someone could save you
The men at the factory are old and cunning
You don’t owe nothing, so boy get running
It’s the best years of your life they want to steal
You grow up and you calm down
YOU’RE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
You start wearing the blue and brown
YOU’RE WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
So you got someone to boss around
It makes you feel big now
You drift until you brutalise
You made your first kill now
In these days of evil Presidentes
WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
But lately one or two has fully paid their due
FOR WORKING FOR THE CLAMPDOWN
But HA! GITALONG! GITALONG!
and I’ve given away no secrets
Who’s barmy now?”
Ah, Phil Ochs. I wondered how long it would be before somebody posted it. Thanks, Stephen.
Marianne Faithfull did a protest song? Ya learn something new every day on the interwebs.
Imagine
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Good one! Did you see this Occupy Vancouver version?
Over on Google Plus, Jonny Blu gave me the link to Things Have Got To Change, his Unofficial Theme for Occupy Wall Street, and I like it very much.
And a HIGHLY controversial choice, but nonetheless a personal anthem of mine. Let’s remind the 1% that we are stronger. United as one, divided by zero.
I hope someday to recite this at a sound check to freak out the opposition:
Nine Inch Nails: My Violent Heart.
You and I, we may look the same
But we are very far apart
There’s bullet-holes where my compassion used to be
And there is violence in my heart
Into fire you can send us
From the fire we return
You can label us a consequence
Of how much you have to learn
You can try but you’ll never understand
This is something you will never understand
Can you hear it now?
Hear it coming now?
Can you hear it now?
On hands and knees
We crawl
You cannot stop us all
you wear our bones
our skin
We will not let you in
You have set something in motion
Much greater than you’ve ever known
Standing there in all your grand naivety
About to reap what you have sown
Time will feed upon your weaknesses
And soon you’ll lose the will to care
When you return to the place that you call home
We will be there, we will be there
On hands and knees
We crawl
You cannot stop us all
Our blood will stay
We will not go away
On hands and knees
We crawl
You can not stop us all
Our blood, our grace
Will never leave this place
We crawl
We crawl
We crawl
We crawl
And here’s a terrific soundtrack from Messianic Rebel on Twitter:
http://8tracks.com/messianicrebel/occupyeverything
I’ll find the code to embed it directly tomorrow. 40 minutes left before I get kicked off the internet.
New one:
http://twitter.com/#!/Socialwellness/statuses/139218217422962691
and a challenging pair from our pal Jordan Keats:
Try this tune on for size
http://soundcloud.com/dj-useo/a-drug-against-wall-street-dj
Different version of the same song. Thanks!
The Clash, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Radio 4, Lupe Fiasco, Digable Planets, KRS One, Bad Religion, Earth Crisis, Minor Threat, Do Make Say Think, and this: https://twitter.com/#!/mac_station
I also think, in light of the haters and trolls, it’s high time to add this.
Right right, turn off the lights,
We’re gonna lose our minds tonight,
What’s the deal, yo?
I love when it’s all too much,
5am turn the radio up
Where’s the rock and roll?
Party Crasher,
Penny Snatcher,
Call me up if you want gangsta
Don’t be fancy, just get dancey
Why so serious?
So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
And nitty gritty dirty little freaks
Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
Slam slam, oh hot damn
What part of party don’t you understand,
Wish you’d just freak out (freak out already)
Can’t stop, coming in hot,
I should be locked up right on the spot
It’s so on right now (so fuckin on right now)
Party Crasher,
Penny Snatcher,
Call me up if you want gangsta
Don’t be fancy, just get dancey
Why so serious?
So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
And nitty gritty dirty little freaks
Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
(oh shit my glass is empty, that sucks)
So if you’re too school for cool,
And you’re treated like a fool,
You can choose to let it go
We can always, we can always,
Party on our own
(so raise your) So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks
So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks
Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass,(for me)
Just come on and come on and raise your glass (for me)
Thanks, Sean. Post your particular favorites here so we can play them all at once. Or, you know, one at a time.
Another for the haters: This is more or less their entire perspective, and it’s stone-cold hippie. It’s the MONKEES!
Randy Scouse Git
She’s a wonderful lady and she’s mine, all mine/ and there doesn’t seem a way that she won’t come and lose my mind./It’s too easy hummin’ songs to a girl in yellow dress/it’s been a long time since the party and the room is in a mess/
The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor/there are birds out on the sidewalk and a valet at the door/he reminds me of a penguin, with few and plastered hair/there’s talcum powder on the letter, and the birthday boy is there/
Why don’t you cut your hair?!/Why don’t you live up there?!/Why don’t you do what I do, see what I feel when I care?!/
Now they’ve darkened all the windows and the seats in naughahyde/I’ve been waiting for an hour, I can’t find a place to hide/the being known as wonder girl is speaking I believe/it’s not easy trying to tell her that I shortly have to leave/
Why don’t you be like me?!/Why don’t you stop and see?!/Why don’t you hate who I hate, kill who I kill to be free?!/
Why don’t you cut your hair?!/Why don’t you live up there?!/Why don’t you do what I do, see what I feel when I care?!/
Why don’t you be like me?!/Why don’t you stop and see?!/Why don’t you hate who I hate, kill who I kill to be free?!/
Why don’t you cut your hair?!/Why don’t you live up there?!/Why don’t you do what I do, see what I feel when I care?!
Occupy Democracy, lyrics by Leonard Cohen
It’s coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It’s coming from the feel
that this ain’t exactly real,
or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It’s coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don’t pretend to understand at all.
It’s coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It’s coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin’
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.
It’s coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It’s here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it’s here they got the spiritual thirst.
It’s here the family’s broken
and it’s here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It’s coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we’ll be making love again.
We’ll be going down so deep
the river’s going to weep,
and the mountain’s going to shout Amen!
It’s coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on …
I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can’t stand the scene.
And I’m neither left or right
I’m just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I’m stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I’m junk but I’m still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
New suggestion from Twitter.
Possibly the greatest of these: a home-grown contribution from the Arrogant Worms: The Last Saskatchewan Pirate.
I used to be a farmer, and I made a living fine,
I had a little stretch of land along the CP line
But times were hard and though I tried, the money wasn’t there
And the bankers came and took my land and told me “fair is fair”
I looked for every kind of job, the answer always no
“Hire you now?” they’d always laugh, “we just let twenty go!”
The government, the promised me a measly little sum
But I’ve got too much pride to end up just another bum.
Then I thought, who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone?
I’m gonna be a PIRATE on the river Saskatchewan!
And it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Well, you’d think the local farmers would know that I’m at large
But just the other day I found an unprotected barge
I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser,
I rammed their ship and sank it and I stole their fertilizer!
A bridge outside of Moose Jaw spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a’quiver
Cause they know that Tractor Jack is hidin’ in the bay
I’ll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!
And it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Well, Mountie Bob he chased me, he was always at my throat
He followed on the shoreline cause he didn’t own a boat
But cutbacks were a’coming and the Mountie lost his job
So now he’s sailing with us, and we call him Salty Bob!
A swingin’ sword, a skull and bones and pleasant company
I never pay my income tax and screw the GST (SCREW IT!!)
Sailin down to Saskatoon, the terror of the seas
If you wanna reach the co-op, boy, you gotta get by me!
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina’s mighty shores
(*spoken* Arrrr! Ya salty dog!)
(*spoken* Arrrr! Ya salty gopher!)
(*spoken* Arr.. ya.. salty bale of hay!)
Well, Pirate life’s appealing but you just don’t find it here,
I hear in North Alberta there’s a band of buccaneers
They roam the Athabaska from Smith to Fort McKay
And you’re gonna lose your Stetson if you have to pass their way!
Well, winter is a’comin’ and a chill is in the breeze
My Pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze
I’ll be back in springtime but now I have to go
I hear there’s lots of plunderin’ down in New Mexico!
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina’s mighty shores…x2
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina’s mighty shores…x2
Suggestion from @CryingWolfe on Twitter:
Oh, Mother Earth,
With your fields of green
Once more laid down
by the hungry hand
How long can you
give and not receive
And feed this world
ruled by greed
And feed this world
ruled by greed.
Oh, ball of fire
In the summer sky
Your healing light,
your parade of days
Are they betrayed
by the men of power
Who hold this world
in their changing hands
They hold the world
in their changing hands.
Oh, freedom land
Can you let this go
Down to the streets
where the numbers grow
Respect Mother Earth
and her giving ways
Or trade away
our children’s days
Or trade away
our children’s days.
Respect Mother Earth
and her giving ways
Or trade away
our children’s days.
And this one should have always been here: SubCity by Tracy Chapman. This is, after all, about income inequality.
People say it doesn’t exist
‘Cause no one would like to admit
That there is a city underground
Where people live everyday
Off the waste and decay
Off the discards of their fellow man
Here in subcity life is hard
We can’t receive any government relief
I’d like to give Mr. President my honest regards
For disregarding me
They say there’s too much crime in these city streets
My sentiments exactly
Government and big business hold the purse strings
When I worked I worked in the factories
I’m at the mercy of the world
I guess I’m lucky to be alive
They say we’ve fallen through the cracks
They say the system works
But we won’t let it
Help
I guess they never stop to think
We might not just want handouts
But a way to make an honest living
Living this ain’t living
What did I do to deserve this
Had my trust in god
Worked everyday of my life
Thought I had some guarantees
That’s what I thought
At least that’s what I thought
Last night I had another restless sleep
Wondering what tomorrow might bring
Last night I dreamed
A cold blue light was shining down on me
I screamed myself awake
Thought I must be dying
Thought I must be dying
Joe Nolan just sent me this video of him performing live at Occupy Congress.
Hey y’all! Thanks for posting this video of my performance at Occupy Congress on #J17. The original recording of OccupySong is licensed through Creative Commons and is available as a free download in solidarity with all Occupy artists for use in their creative projects. Download the song here: http://bit.ly/wt5fPv If you use it please email me so we can promote one another’s messages: joenolan@joenolan.com
That’s terrific, thanks for letting us know!
99%
You can’t turn shit into gold,babe-you’ve got to admit
Democracy and truth – you sack of hippocrites!
Betrayal is a word but words will make us free
Now we know we’re just mortals but Gods you are NOT!
//:The power and strength are in you ://
We are the slaves and consumers – born to breed
We are the ones you feed on – we know we ARE the key!
Protest-proof we keep marching along
Cry justice for the world and justice will be done!
Run dry days and desperate men
I am one of many – the 99%
protest-proof we keep marching along
Cry justice for the world and justice will be done!
Oh you have become so brave with your coming of age
with tear-gas kiss and plastic bullet caress
//:The power and strength are in you!://
Run dry days and desperate men
I am one of many – the 99%
protest-proof we keep marching along
Cry justice for the world and justice will be done!
OH you have become so brave with your coming of age
with tear-gas kiss and plastic bullet caress
I am also scared like all the rest
but if I die – what a beautiful death!
btw,I will put a mastered version for free download up soon but you can already have the roughmix version (in better quality than on youtube) at
of course for free as well! :D
And as the guy above said,EVERYBODY can use it and if you do just lemme know here compulsoryskin@web.de so we can promote each others actions! :)
Mad love!
PiaPale
Thanks for adding it, Pia. Much appreciated! Seems to need an edit for some reason, to make the video display, so I’ll fix that.
I just had the same problem but strangely on fullscreen it works..!TY!Im glad and honoured to do my part for the revolution!
Humble greetings from Berlin!
Ah, you’re in Berlin! I was just talking with a very well-traveled friend and he said if he could live anywhere, it’d be Berlin, because of the culture.
oh..well..culture hijacked by tourists though..might move away next year..after 12 years of living and loving it here..but it has changed..unfortunately.. :(
Before you move, double check that the same hasn’t happened to wherever you move TO. For me, if I could live anywhere for the culture it’d be in the hills in Bali; I’ve always been fascinated by it. But London looks good too; if only you could live there for less than a million a year!
And a cover of Pat Benatar’s Invincible by Canadian band Soul Side In, that comes to us via a FB posting by Hummingbird604:
This bloody road remains a mystery
This sudden darkness fills the air
What are we waiting for?
Won’t anybody help us?
What are we waiting for?
We can’t afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
This shattered dream you cannot justify
We’re gonna scream until we’re satisfied
What are we running for?
We’ve got the right to be angry
What are we running for?
When there’s no where we can run to anymore
We can’t afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
And with the power of conviction
There is no sacrifice
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
Won’t anybody help us?
What are we running for?
When there’s no where, no where we can run to anymore
We can’t afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
And with the power of conviction
There is no sacrifice
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
[Repeat: x2]
We can’t afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible
Peace & Solidarity … check out my video for the anti-cuts movement http://youtu.be/jLgBMusgD1U Be great if you can share x
Let me try.
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