Protest Song Lyrics

The Internationale
French Workers during the Paris Commune


Arise ye workers from your slumbers
Arise ye prisoners of want
For reason in revolt now thunders
And at last ends the age of cant.
Away with all your superstitions
Servile masses arise, arise
We'll change henceforth the old tradition
And spurn the dust to win the prize.

So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale
unites the human race!

No more deluded by reaction
On tyrants only we'll make war
The soldiers too will take strike action
They'll break ranks and fight no more
And if those cannibals keep trying
To sacrifice us to their pride
They soon shall hear the bullets flying
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.

So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale
unites the human race!

No saviour from on high delivers
No faith have we in prince or peer
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear
E'er the thieves will out with their booty
And give to all a happier lot.
Each at the forge must do their duty
And we'll strike while the iron is hot!

So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale
unites the human race!

 

Black Sabbath-Wicked World

The world today has such a wicked face
Fighting going on between the human race
People go to work just to earn their bread
While people just across the sea are countin' the dead

A politician's job they say is very high
For he has to choose who's got to go and die
They can put a man on the moon quite easy
While people here on earth are dying of all diseases

A woman goes to work every day after day
She just goes to work just to earn her pay
Child's sitting, cry "my life is harder"
He doesn't even know who is his father

 

Here's my entry ....even though the location is different...it is still the same ole shit that our government has thrown us into...

"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag"

Well come on all of you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Viet Nam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
we're gonna have a whole lot of fun.

(Chorus)
And it's one,two,three,what are we fighting for
Don't ask me,I don't give a damn
next stop is Viet Nam.
And it's five,six,seven open up the pearly gates.
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee
We're all gonna die!!!

Come on Wall Street,don't be slow.
Why,man,this is a war-a-Go-Go
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of their trade,
but just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb.
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

(Chorus)

Come on mothers through out the land,
pack your boys off to Viet Nam.
Come on fathers,don't hesitate,
send your sons off before it's too late.
And you can be the first ones on your block,
to have your boy,come home in a box.

(Chorus)

Come on Generals,let's move fast;
your big chance has come at last.
Now you can go out and get those Reds......
cause the only good commie is one that's dead.
And you know that peace,can only be won,
when we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.


And it's one,two,three,what are we fighting for,
don't ask me,I don't give a damn,
next stop is Viet Nam.
And it's five,six,seven,open up the pearly gates,
well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee,
We're all gonna die!!!!!!!

Country Joe McDonald and the Fish(1968)

 

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"

By Peter, Paul, and Mary (at least they sang it, but I know other people did too)

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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?
Gone for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?


~Nova

 

One of the most beautiful songs ever written by an American... a few favorite lines are highlighted with my own emphasis.

Crucifixion (Phil Ochs)

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
till the universe expodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the briliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he dies.

In the green fields a turnin', a baby is born
His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn
An assault upon the order, the changing of the guard
Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard
And the only single sound is the sighing of the stars
But to the silence and distance they are sworn

(Chorus):
So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
cause we love you

Images of innocence charge him go on
But the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawn
To a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gate
And a blinding revelation is laid upon his plate
That beneath the greatest love is a hurricane of hate
And God help the critic of the dawn.

So he stands on the sea and shouts to the shore,
But the louder that he screams the longer hes ignored
For the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregs
And the merchants of the masses almost have to be begged
till the giant is aware, someones pulling at his leg,
And someone is tapping at the door.
(chorus)

Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads accross the land
The rewarding of his pain is the following of the man
But ignorance is everywhere and people have their way
Success is an enemy to the losers of the day
In the shadows of the churches, who knows what they pray
For blood is the language of the band.

The spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled,
The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style
Excitement is estatic, passion places bets
Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets
But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles
(chorus)

Then this overflow of life is crushed into a liar
The gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire.
First a smile of rejection at the nearness of the night
Truth becomes a tragedy limping from the light
All the heavens are horrified, they stagger from the sight
As the cross is trembling with desire.

They say they cant believe it, its a sacreligious shame
Now, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game?
But you know I predicted it; I knew he had to fall
How did it happen? I hope his suffering was small.
Tell me every detail, I've got to know it all,
And do you have a picture of the pain?
(chorus)

Time takes her toll and the memory fades
But his glory is broken, in the magic that he made.
Reality is ruined; its the freeing from the fear
The drama is distorted, to what they want to hear
Swimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tear
As they wait for a new thrill parade.

The eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blind
To the safety of sterility, the threat has been refined
The child was created to the slaughterhouse he's led
So good to be alive when the eulogy is read
The climax of emotion, the worship of the dead
And the cycle of sacrifice unwinds.
(chorus)

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in lonliness they lie
till the universe expodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the briliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he died.
(chorus)

 

Power, Guns & Profit
by Ryan Harvey

(Download this song free along with hundreds of others at www.riotfolk.org.)

"A plane was flying through the sky
And I knew the people would soon die
Because the missiles were attached
Now they’re dropping bombs on a foreign land
They’re dropping bombs on Afghanistan
Never looking back
And the bombs are falling like they did before
From Vietnam to El Slavador
Killing children as they fall
And if you oppose this brutual fight
They’ll take away your Bill of Rights
You’ll feel safer with your back against the wall

Is this any way to pay respect to the dead?
We could be waging peace instead
You can tell by the words of the president
“You’re either with us, or you’re with them”
He won’t rest until everybody’s dead

Sitting in your trench in your camoflauge
Home is just a sick mirage
A victim of the power and the greed
Firing your gun like it’s just a game
Civilians and soldier are just the same
Fighting for a fake democracy
Now they’ve got you standing in a sea of red
“Pay no attention to the dead
So turn your head or close your eyes”
Risking your life for a man who cares
More for money and billionaires
Than saving people’s lives

The coffins are stacked up 2 by 2
The picture is nothing new
We’ve been watching people die for so long
We’re starting to get used to it
Power, guns, and profit
It’s the American way it can’t be wrong
It was us who trained the Taliban
Us who funded Bin Laden
When the CIA needed extra funds
“We don’t really care who we sold them to
As long they paid us through and through”
Spending our taxes guns

I saw people going by today
Nobody knew what to say
You hear them speak but you never hear them talk
Trapped in the claws of the media
All the lies they feed to ya
Justifying every war we’ve fought
Yes the government can be wrong
They are and they have been all along
Every war they wage is for themselves
Terror won’t be stopped through war
We’ve already tried and failed before
With every bomb the violence excels "

 

my favorit protest song is by mr Bob Dylan,
who is my favorit artist.
and its called "masters of war"

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

 

I love this song! Not sure if it's so much a protest song, as a consciousness-raising song, because it's not "against" anything; rather it is embracing, supportive and celebratory, which in many ways is more important than protest.

(BTW, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" I believe is a Pete Seeger song.)

The Chimes of Freedom
Bob Dylan, 1964

Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An' the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Through the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

 

All You Fascists

***

I’m gonna tell you fascists
You may be surprised
The people in this world
Are getting organized
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose

Race hatred cannot stop us
This one thing we know
Your poll tax and Jim Crow
And greed has got to go
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose.

All of you fascists bound to lose:
I said, all of you fascists bound to lose:
Yes sir, all of you fascists bound to lose:
You’re bound to lose! You fascists:
Bound to lose!

People of every color
Marching side to side
Marching ‘cross these fields
Where a million fascists dies
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose!

I’m going into this battle
And take my union gun
We’ll end this world of slavery
Before this battle’s won
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose!


By: Woody Guthrie

 

Best of all times. Civil War by GNR


Look at your young men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying
The way they've always done before

Look at the hate we're breeding
Look at the fear we're feeding
Look at the lives we're leading
The way we've always done before

My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can't deny
And are washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars

D'you wear a black armband
When they shot the man
Who said "Peace could last forever"
And in my first memories
They shot Kennedy
I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for Vietnam
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
That you can't trust freedom
When it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin'
For their promised land
And

I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
I don't need your civil war
Ow, oh no, no, no, no, no

Look at the shoes you're filling
Look at the blood we're spilling
Look at the world we're killing
The way we've always done before
Look in the doubt we've wallowed
Look at the leaders we've followed
Look at the lies we've swallowed
And I don't want to hear no more

My hands are tied
For all I've seen has changed my mind
But still the wars go on as the years go by
With no love of God or human rights
'Cause all these dreams are swept aside
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
Who carry the cross of homicide
And history bears the scars of our civil wars

"WE PRACTICE SELECTIVE ANNIHILATION OF MAYORS AND
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FOR EXAMPLE TO CREATE A VACUUM
THEN WE FILL THAT VACUUM AS POPULAR WAR ADVANTAGE
PEACE IS CLOSER" **

I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
And I don't need your civil war
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I don't need your civil war
I don't need your civil war
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
I don't need your civil war
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
I don't need one more war

I don't need one more war
No, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
WHAZ SO CIVIL 'BOUT WAR ANYWAY?
(whistle)
DS

 

Kiss My Ass by country joe

I got out of school and I was feeling kinda down,
I thought I'd join the Army just to take a look around.
I went on down to the recruiter man
And that's when all my troubles began.



Well, I've been up, down and around
This country more than a couple of times,
But I never knew until I got into the Army
That thinking for yourself was a crime.

Get over here, stand over there,
Let's see your identification.
Shut your mouth, son, get back in line,
We're sending you to South East Asia.

Well, they gave me some shoes that hurt my feet
They gave me some food not fit to eat,
They told me that I wasn't fighting alone,
They sent me to Saigon and they stayed home.

Well, I've been up, down and around
This country more than a couple of times,
But I never knew until I got into the Army
That thinking for yourself was a crime.

Get over here, stand over there,
Let's see your identification.
Shut your mouth, son, get back in line,
We're sending you to South East Asia.
All right.

One, two, three, four,
We don't want your fuckin' war,
A, B, C, D,
Get someone else, hey don't get me,
Left, right, left, right,
You know the whole damn thing puts me uptight.

I done my duty and I fought my fight
And I thought I knew I was doing right,
But that's all over, I'm free at last,
An' if they want any more, they can kiss my ass.

'Cause I've been up and down and around
This country more than a couple of times,
But I never knew until I got into the Army
That thinking for yourself was a crime. Get over here, stand over there,
Let's see your identification.
Shut your mouth, son, get back in line,
We're sending you to South East Asia — like hell.

 

This is not really a protest song...but is a classic anti-war song none-the-less

War Pigs

Generals gathered in theitr masses,
just like witches at Black Masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerer of death's construction.
In the fields bodies burnin',
as the war machine keeps turnin'.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh Lord,yeah!!!!

Politicians hide themselves away,
they only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that all to the poor,yeah.
Time will tell them,they are power minds.
Making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess.
Wait until that judgement day comes.

Now in darkness world stops turning.
Ashes where the bodies burning.
No more war pigs have the power.
As God has stuck the hour.
Day of Judgement God is calling.
On their knees,the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercy for their sins.
Satan laughing spread his wings.
Oh Lord,yeah!!!!!!!

Black Sabbath (1970)

 

Morrissey

I’ve been dreaming of a time when
To be English Is not to be baneful
To be standing by the flag not feeling Shameful, racist or partial
Irish Blood, English heart This I’m made of
There is no one on earth I’m afraid of
And I will dieWith both my hands untied
I’ve been dreaming of a time when
The English are sick to death of labour and the Tories
and spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell
and denounce this royal line that still Salute him
and will salute him forever

 

i like this crosby stills nash and young song called ohio

Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming, we're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming, we're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio,
four dead in Ohio, four dead in Ohio, four dead in Ohio, how many more?
Four dead in Ohio, four dead in Ohio, four dead in Ohio, home many more?

 

mercedes benz
by: janis joplin

Oh lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz ?

Oh lord, wont you buy me a color tv ?
Dialing for dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh lord, wont you buy me a color tv ?

Oh lord, wont you buy me a night on the town ?
Im counting on you, lord, please dont let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh lord, wont you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!
Oh lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz ?

Thats it!

 

Poe- Control

Now I have taken control
Now I have taken control

So this is how it feels
To breath in the summer air
To feel the sand between my toes
And love inside my ear
All those things that you taight me to fear
I've got them in my garden now
And you're not welcome here
Come here!

 

"Protest Song" -Anti-Flag




And so the time has finally come,
The Bourgoisie have signed the war decree with proletariot blood.
And that blood which flows from their pen,
Is the closest that they've ever been to the people...

You've been to our shows, You've sung our songs,
Now we are asking you to add to each chorus you've sung and...

Protest against: injustice, state terror,
On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered.
You've sung at our shows, cheered right over wrong,
Now it's time to hit the streets back up the words you've sung
Because our voices alone this time will not get it done...

Looking to stop a rogue regime?
Well the first one that we must confront is WASHINGTON DC!
The Bush "Terror War", unconstitutional, unconscienceable
WE REFUSE TO LET HIM KILL IN OUR NAME FOR OIL!

We know their game, know they're corrupt.
It's up to us to hit the streets and time to take our rights back!!
Yeah!

Protest against: injustice, state terror,
On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered.
You've sung at our shows, cheered right over wrong,
Now it's time to hit the streets back up the words you've sung.
Because our voices alone this time will not get it done...
Because the people united will get it done...

Protest against: injustice, state terror,
"On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered"
(ONE, TWO, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR)
"Protest against: injustice, state terror,
On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered."
"Protest (protest) against (against): injustice, state terror,
On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered."
"Protest (protest) against (against): injustice, state terror,
On the streets of the world for the dis-empowered"

 

"to the teeth", by ani difranco

the sun is setting on the century
and we are armed to the teeth
we're all working together now
to make our lives mercifully brief
and schoolkids keep trying to teach us
what guns are all about
confuse liberty with weaponry
and watch your kids act it out
and every year now like christmas
some boy gets the milkfed suburban blues
reaches for the available arsenal
and saunters off to make the news
and the women in the middle
are learning what poor women have always known
that the edge is closer than you think
when the men bring the guns home

look at where the profits are
that's how you'll find the source
of the big lie that you and i
both know so well
in the time it takes this cultural
death wish to run it's course
they're gonna make a pretty penny
and then they're all going to hell
he said the chickens all come home to roost
yeah, malcolm forecasted this flood
are we really gonna to sleep through another century
while the rich profit off our blood?
true, it may take some doing
to see this undoing through
but in my humble opinion
here's what i suggest we do:

open fire on hollywood
open fire on MTV
open fire on NBC
and CBS and ABC
open fire on the NRA
and all the lies they told us
along the way
open fire on each weapons manufacturer
while he's giving head
to some republican senator

and if i hear one more time
about a fool's right
to his tools of rage
i'm gonna take all my friends
and i'm gonna move to canada
and we're gonna die of old age

 

Edwin McCain


Well I made a small fortune sellin used cars
And it's buried out back in a cookie jar
I raise a toast to Senor Escobar
For givin me a pot to piss in

Well I ran a little scam until '92
Now I hang around here for somethin to do
And I just keep talkin till I'm blue
To any one who'll listen

Chorus:
Yes, we're lost in America
And this land we're so proud of
We got the cars, the girls, the money, the drugs
To get you out of your rut
Yes, we're lost in America

She got a brand new lease on an Escalade
And a bumper sticker bout a whale to save
And she's burnin up gas like they gave it away
At least her kid's on the honor roll

She got a handful of pills to improve her mood
Liposuction, big, fake boobs
She got a Mexican maid that brings the food
To the birdcage made of gold

(Chorus)

Bridge:
I'm droppin out
And I'm quittin this game
Yes, I'm washin my feet, turn off my phone
Changin my name, hittin the road
Don't really know where I'm gonna go
But I'm gettin the hell out of here