Favorite 60s protest song?

[Deja Q]

I rather like "Signs" right now... but there are oodles of others. "Randy Scouse Git" is another, as I recall...

Please share! Thanks!

[metisnation]

1. Stop Children whats that sound!

Everybody look whats going down. There is a man over there telling me I got to be ware.

[dolo amber]

10. Yep

Me too. :)

[Faygo Kid]

16. For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield

Good choice.

[shanti]

29. first song that came to mind too

wow

[Wickerman]

2. Barry McGuirre's Eve of Destruction

has been going thru my head lately, though i honestly don't think I have heard it in years and it certainly isn't my all time favorite protest song.

[1monster]

9. Here you go... Sing it through the whole way and it should stop runnning

through your head...

Eve Of Destruction
Barry McGuire

The eastern world it is explodin',
Violence flarin', bullets loadin',
You're old enough to kill but not for votin',
You don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin',
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin',
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin',
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
Handful of Senators don't pass legislation,
And marches alone can't bring integration,
When human respect is disintegratin',
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin',
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China!
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama!
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space,
But when your return, it's the same old place,
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
Hate your next-door-neighbour, but don't forget to say grace,
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

[Wickerman]

11. thanks

:thumbsup:

[xray s]

3. Fortunate Son

CCR rocks

[He loved Big Brother]

51. Same here

[SiobhanClancy]

4. Country Joe and the Fish

The I-feel-like-I'm-fixin-to-die rag

[boilerbabe]

18. Is that the one that goes,,,Gimme an F??

What are we fighting for, don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Veitnam?? If so..that's the one for me!
Did I spell Vie..oh, guess not...oops!!
XXXOOO
The Boilerbabe

[Nile]

49. One, two ,three

One, two, three what are we fighting for.
Oh lord I don't give a damn
Next stop is Vietnam.
Six, seven, eight open up the pearly gate
Aint no time to wonder why
Whoopie! we're all gonna die.

[northofdenali]

24. Siobhan , they have another one on the same (original) album

called "Untitled Protest" that is my all-time favorite. Never ceases to make me think - or cry. It's done in a very spare sound, using chimes, little instrumentation and mostly voice:

Untitled Protest – Country Joe and the Fish, “Together”, August 1968

Red and swollen tears tumble from her eyes
While cold silver birds who came to cruise the skies
Send death down to bend and twist her tiny hands
And then proceed to target B in keeping with their plans

Khaki priests of Christendom, interpreters of love
Ride a stone Leviathan across a sea of blood.
And pound their feet into the sands of shores they’ve never seen,
Delegates from the Western lands to join the death machine.

And we send cards and letters.

The oxen lie beside the road, their bodies baked in mud.
And fat flies chew out their eyes, and bathe themselves in blood.
And super heroes fill the skies, tally sheets in hand,
Yes, keeping score in times of war takes a super man.

The junk crawls past hidden death, it’s cargo shakes inside.
And soldier children hold their breath, and kill them as they hide.
And those who took so long to learn the subtle ways of death
Lie and bleed in paddy mud with questions on their breath.

And we send prayers and praises.

[coloradodem2005]

5. Mine.

CCR-Fortunate Son

[NoPasaran]

6. I Ain't Marching Anymore

[Blue-Jay]

7. The times, they are a-changin'

I only hope that they're "a-changin'" again.

[boilerbabe]

20. That's a good one, but your squirrel pic is even funnier!!n/t

[monobrau]

8. Fortunate son (Creedence)

This is one of those songs that hasn't lost a bit of relevance, especially considering the chickenhawks we have occupying the people's house right now.

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no senator's son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman come to the door,
Lord, the house look a like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no millionaire's son.
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Yeh, some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we give,
oh, they only answer, more, more, more, yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no military son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,

- John C, Fogerty

[VOX]

47. Great, angry song, and still 100% relevant.

Thanks -- :toast:

[mitchtv]

12. Mercy, the ecology

Marvin Gaye, War, Edwin Starr

[TacticalPeek]

13. "Oh, Freedom"

Because I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!

http://www.turnerlearning.com/tntlearning/freedomsong/before1.html

[JeffersonStarship]

14. WAR

WAR, HOO , YEAH, what is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! UH-HUHHH!!

[NightTrain]

34. I agree 100%!

:yourock:

[bubblesby2002]

44. I looooove that song

and it still sounds good today

[Jade Fox]

15. "The Universal Soldier" by Buffy Sainte-Marie

[fairfaxvadem]

17. "Revolution", of course...

Every time I hear it I want to make a big sign and stick it in front of the White House:

"But if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell you is brother you'll have to wait"

Also, "Chicago" by Graham Nash

And "Wooden Ships", which was about nuclear war.

Gosh, there are so many....

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. Who sings "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign?"

I had that song in my head the other day...

[boilerbabe]

23. Oh, no, I forgot, and even forgot who the remake guys were!!

I used to have it downloaded on my old computer, too....Long Haired Freaky People Need Not Apply haha...
We are not downloading songs these days, got the smackdown from somebody's legal dept, who complained to the cable co...they cut off our internet until we deleted Kazaa! Phooey.
XXXOOO

[Toby109]

27. Five Man Electrical Band

I think Guns N Roses did a remake.

[Martin Eden]

21. Epitaph by King Crimson

Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a stretch to classify it as a protest song (more like art-rock), but it was released in 1969, is definitely anti-war, and I think the lyrics are as pertinent as ever:

The wall on which the prophets wrote
Is cracking at the seams.
Upon the instruments of death
The sunlight brightly gleams.
When every man is torn apart
With nightmares and with dreams,
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
As silence drowns the screams.

Between the iron gates of fate,
The seeds of time were sown.
And watered by the deeds of those
Who know and who are known;
Knowledge is a deadly friend
When no one sets the rules.
The fate of all mankind I see
Is in the hands of fools.

Confusion will be my epitaph.
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh.
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.

OK, I admit it's not a very cheery or hopeful song, but the album is a classic IMHO.

[DenverDem]

22. "Masters of War" by the man, Bob Dylan

Pretty much says it all, as fresh today as it was freaking forty years ago.

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


Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

[tigereye]

30. wow that's right

nobody says it like Dylan!

[tekriter]

25. Chicago, by CSNY

Listened to it three times today alone.

[salinen]

28. "Chicago" was by Graham Nash

"Ohio" was by CSNY.

[Zinfandel]

26. "What About Me"---Quicksilver Messenger Service

"It's Alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding--Dylan

Mercy, Mercy The Ecology--Marvin Gaye

[Sandpiper]

31. Man in Black

by Johnny Cash

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black

[PittPoliSci]

32. I'm-Feelin'-Like-I'm-Fixing-To-Die-Rag

by Country Joe McDonald and the Fish.

[bif]

33. "Alice's Restaurant" & "My Generation"

Okay, so "My Generation" isn't really a protest song, but it blew me away the first time I heard it--1964?

[starroute]

35. I can't believe nobody has mentioned Phil Ochs

I bet I could come up with a list as long as my arm . . . back in a moment.

On edit: Found a great lyrics site -- http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics.html

There are a lot of terrific songs there -- but probably my favorites among the specificially protest songs would be:
I Ain't Marching Anymore
Cops of the World
Draft Dodger Rag
Ringing of Revolution

On second edit: I see somebody up there did mention "I Ain't Marching Anymore" -- but without Phil Ochs' name, so I didn't spot it. Still, Ochs deserves more credit than he generally gets. In many ways, he embodied the soul of the Left in the Sixties, and it killed him.

[Blue_State_Elitist]

36. Nature's Way

by Spirit

[guitar man]

37. Don't Bogart That Joint

Hey,it's a protest song. I always protest when someone's not passing it along!


Don't Bogart That Joint
Lyrics: Elliot Ingber
Music: Elliot Ingber

Played by Little Feat's Paul Barrere and Bill Payne with Phil & Friends. The original verson (on the soundtrack of "Easy Rider") was by Fraternity Of Man. It was subsequently covered by Little Feat.


Chorus
Don't bogart that joint my friend
Pass it over to me
Don't bogart that joint my friend
Pass it over to me

Roll another one
Just like the other one
You've been holding on to it
And I sure will like a hit

(chorus)

Roll another one
Just like the other one
That one's burned to the end
Come on and be a real friend

(chorus)

[kath]

38. Tom Paxton wrote some great anti-war songs.

I particularly like "The Willing Conscript", "Lyndon Johnson told the Nation" and "What Did You Learn In School Today" (that one is notjust anti-war, but anti- a lot of the bullshit in US society)

[ClintonTyree]

39. Master's of War..............

Bob Dylan, Ohio/CSNY, Feel like I'm fixin to die rag/CJ&F, For what it's worth/BS, Man,,,,,,,there all great and I know each and every one by heart, and I DO mean heart.
Now I'll be dreaming of my salad days for the rest of the evening, the smell of teargas, the brutish brown shirts pushing and beating us. Man, those were some wonderful times.

[Zorra]

40. Kill For Peace by The Fugs, Sky Pilot by The Animals, Zappa's

Trouble Comin' Every Day, Fortunate Son or Who'll Stop The Rain by Creedence, War Pigs by Black Sabbath, How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission by Simon and Garfunkel, The Unknown Soldier by the Doors or the Feel like I'm a Fixin to die rag.

[Kenneth ken]

41. Steppenwolf

Monster/Suicide/America - it's kind of all one (long) song, so didn't get much airplay I suppose. Brilliant, nonetheless.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

42. Bob Dylan "Blowin' In The Wind" 1962

It recalls the whole Civil Rights movement and the March on Washington:

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.

[Rhiannon12866]

48. That's definitely mine

What a classic.:shrug:

[DeaconBlues]

43. Phil Ochs - Here's to the State of Mississippi

The song makes me pissed off and I've never been to Mississippi! And I wasn't born till September of '69!

[Duncan Grant]

45. "The Times They Are A-Changin' " - Bob Dylan

Dylan came to mind first. "Fortunate Son" is timeless, too.

[mykpart]

46. "Saigon Bride" by Joan Baez

Farewell my wistful Saigon bride
I'm going off to stem the tide.
Some say it's yellow, some say red,
It will not matter when we're dead.

Also like "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"

[ET Awful]

50. One Tin Soldier - Coven

As performed on the Billy Jack soundtrack :)

Listen children to a story that was written long ago
bout a kingdom on a mountain and the valley folk below.
On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath a stone,
and the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day
on the bloody morning after one tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley sent a message up the hill
asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill.
Came an answer from the kingdom: "With our brothers we will share
all the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there."

Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day
on the bloody morning after one tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger; mount your horses, draw your swords,
and they killed the mountain people, so they won their just reward.
Now they stood beside the treasure on the mountain, dark and red,
turned the stone and looked beneath it. "Peace on earth" was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day
on the bloody morning after one tin soldier rides away.


others on my short list . . .


Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane

This list could get really long really fast :)

[tsakshaug]

52. Big Muddy

Pete Seeger