What are your favorite "message" songs?

[Reba]

What are your favorite social message or protest songs of the 1960's and early 70's?

Please don't include love or romance songs (those are for another thread).

Please include the lyrices and midi links if possible.

I'll start with:

Indian Reservation
(Paul Revere and the Raiders)

They took the whole Cherokee Nation
And put us on this reservation
Took away our ways of life
The tomahawk and the bow and knife

They took away our native tongue
And taught their English to our young
And all the beads we made by hand
Are nowadays made in Japan

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

They took the whole Indian Nation
And locked us on this reservation
And though I wear a shirt and tie
I’m still a red man deep inside

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

But maybe someday when they learn
Cherokee Nation will return
Will return
Will return
Will return
Will return

(midi at http://users.cis.net/sammy/indian.htm)

Peace!

 

[Reba]

Abraham, Martin, and John
(Dion)

Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
You know I just looked around and he's gone

Anybody here seen my old friend John?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

Didn't you love the things that they stood for?
Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?
And we'll be free
Some day soon, it's gonna be one day

Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up over the hill
With Abraham, Martin, and John

http://users.cis.net/sammy/abraham.htm

(For those to young to remember, this song was about the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy.)

your dj

 

[Reba]

At Seventeen
(Janis Ian)

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired

The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth

And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say come dance with me
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems
At seventeen

A brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said, pity please the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve

The rich relationed hometown queen
Married into what she needs
A guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly

Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
Indebentures of quality
And dubious integrity
Their small town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received
At seventeen

To those of us who know the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball

It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me

We all play the game and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say, come dance with me
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen

http://users.cis.net/sammy/at17.htm

 

[Reba]

Billy Don't Be A Hero
(Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods)

The marchin' band came down along Main Street
The soldier blues fell in behind
I looked across and there I saw Billy
Waiting to go and join the line
And with her head upon his shoulder
His young and lovely fiancee
From where I stood I saw she was cryin'
And through her tears I heard her say

Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life
Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife
And as he started to go she said, Billy, keep your head low
Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me

The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside
The battle raging all around
The sergeant cried, We've got to hang on, boys!
We've got to hold this piece of ground
I need a volunteer to ride up
And bring us back some extra men
And Billy's hand was up in a moment
Forgettin' all the words she said

She said
Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life
Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife
And as he started to go she said, Billy, keep your head low
Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me

I heard his fiancee got a letter
That told how Billy died that day
The letter said that he was a hero
She should be proud he died that way
I heard she threw that letter away ...

http://users.cis.net/sammy/bllyhero.htm

 

[Reba]

Cats In The Cradle
(Harry Chapin)

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, Dad"
"You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon
"When you comin' home, Dad?"
"I don't know when, but we'll get together then"
"You know we'll have a good time then"

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play"
"Can you teach me to throw?"
I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do"
He said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah"
"You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon
"When you comin' home, Dad?"
"I don't know when, but we'll get together then"
"You know we'll have a good time then"

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and then said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys"
"See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon
"When you comin' home, Son?"
"I don't know when, but we'll get together then"
"You know we'll have a good time then"

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time"
"You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu"
"But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad"
"It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
Yeah, my boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon
"When you comin' home, Son?"
"I don't know when, but we'll get together then"
"You know we'll have a good time then"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon
"When you comin' home, Son?"
"I don't know when, but we'll get together then"
"You know we'll have a good time then"

http://users.cis.net/sammy/cradle.htm

 

[Reba]

Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast
(Wayne Newton)

The love between the two of us was dying
And it got so bad I knew I had to leave
But halfway down that highway when I turned around I saw
My little daughter running after me
Crying

Daddy, don't you walk so fast
Daddy, don't you walk so fast
Daddy, slow down some 'cause you're makin' me run
Daddy, don't you walk so fast

Now, it broke my heart to tell my little daughter
That her daddy had to run to catch a train
She had no way of knowin' I was leavin' home for good
I turned around and there she was again
As she said to me

Daddy, don't you walk so fast
Daddy, don't you walk so fast
Daddy, slow down some 'cause you're makin' me run
Daddy, don't you walk so fast

If only for the sake of my sweet daughter
I just had to turn back home right there and then
And try to start a new life with the mother of my child
I couldn't bear to hear those words again
She cried and said

Daddy, don't you walk so fast
(My daughter cried)
Daddy, don't you walk so fast
Daddy, slow down some 'cause you're makin' me run
Daddy, don't you walk so fast

Daddy, slow down some 'cause you're makin' me run
Oh, daddy, don't you walk so fast



http://users.cis.net/sammy/daddywlk.htm

 

[Reba]

Something more light-hearted:

Pinball Wizard
(The Who)

Ever since I was a young boy
I've played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played them all
But I ain't seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

He stands like a statue
Becomes part of the machine
Feeling all the bumpers
Always playing clean
He plays by intuition
The digit counters fall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

He's a pinball wizard
There's got to be a twist
A pinball wizard
He's got such a supple wrist

How do you think he does it?
(I don't know)
What makes him so good?

He ain't got no distractions
Can't hear those buzzers and bells
Don't see lights a flashin'
Plays by sense of smell
Always gets a replay
Never tilts at all
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

I thought I was
The Bally table king
But I just handed
My pinball crown to him

Even on my usual table
He can beat my best
His disciples lead him in
And he just does the rest
He's got crazy flipper fingers
Never seen him fall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

http://users.cis.net/sammy/pinball.htm

This song is from the musical "Tommy"

 

[Reba]

Signs
(The 5 Man Electrical Band)

And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said, "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that! Me workin' for you!"

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you the right?"
"To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep Mother Nature in"
"If God was here he'd tell you to your face, Man, you're some kinda sinner!"

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Now, hey you, mister, can't you read?
You've got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be here

The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside ...

And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray"
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all
I didn't have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me, I'm alive and doin' fine"
Wooo!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

http://users.cis.net/sammy/signs.htm

 

[Reba]

Subterranean Homesick Blues
Bob Dylan

Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doing it again
You better duck down the alleyway
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coonskin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
But you only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz "
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows*

Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

*This was the line that supposedly inspired the Weather Underground ("Weathermen") for their name.

http://www.geocities.com/southernscene/edu3.html

 

[Reba]

One Tin Soldier
(from the film The Legend of Billy Jack)
(by Lambert-Potter, sung by Coven)

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 the 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 blowing
Come the judgement 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 blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
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 blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

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 blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/tin.htm

from one of my favorite films--Reba

 

[Beowulf]

Pete Seeger, 1961

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

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 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 allk 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
So long ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

 

[Tousi]

Reba, how about Greenfields? I can't remember all of the lyrics and dunno who the artist was....

 

[Reba]

There was a "Greenfields" by the Brothers Four. Do you mean this one?

http://www.letssingit.com/?/brothers-four-greenfields-xm17sz4.html

 

[Nuty]

Fortunate Son
by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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
Ooh, they point the
Cannon at you, Lord

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, 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, y'all

But when the taxman
Comes to the door
Lord, the house looks
Like a rummage sale, yes

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

Yeah, some folks inherit
Star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you
Down to war, Lord

And when you ask them
How much should we give
Ooh, they only answer
More, more, more, y'all

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

 

[Nuty]

War
by Edwin Starr

War, huh
Yeah, yeah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Say it again, war
Woah, woah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Come on

War is something
That I despise
For it means the destruction
Of innocent lives

War means tears in
Thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go out
To fight to give their lives

War
Woah, woah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again

War
Woah, woah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing, hey

War, it ain`t nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only
To the undertaker

War is the
Enemy of all mankind
The thought of war
Blows my mind

Handed down from
Generation to generation
Induction, destruction
Who wants to die

War
Woah, woah, no
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Say it again, war
Yeah, yeah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Come on now

War, it ain`t nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only
To the undertaker

War has shattered
Many young men`s dreams
Made them disabled
Bitter and mean

Life is too precious to
Be fighting wars each day
War can`t give life
It can only take it away

War
Woah, woah, no
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Say it again, war
Good God, y`all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Come on now

Peace, love
And understanding
There must be some place
For these things today

They say we must fight
To keep our freedom
But Lord, there`s
Got to be a better way
That`s better than war

Woah, woah, yeah
War, what is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Say it again
War, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Come on now, war
Yeah, yeah, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

Say it again, war
What is it good for
Nothing
I`m talking bout war

 

[Beowulf]

Blowin' in the Wind
by Bob Dylan


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 sees 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.

 

[Marual]

Imagine - John Lennon

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

 

[Heath]

The United States Army Green Berets
(America's Best)

Ballad Of The Green Beret
(by; Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler and Robin Moore ~ 1966)

1966: Army Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler helped write "The Ballad of the Green Beret" while recuperating from a leg wound suffered during his service as a medic in the Vietnam War.

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
These brave men of the Green Beret

CHORUS: Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off nature’s land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

~ CHORUS ~

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request

“Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
have him win the Green Beret"
http://www.basecamp.cnchost.com/grenbret.htm

 

[ella]

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a blowtorch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning

So tired that I couldn’t even sleep
So many secrets I couldn’t keep
I promised myself I wouldn’t weep
One more promise I couldn’t keep

It seems no one can help me now,
I’m in too deep; there’s no way out
This time I have really led myself astray

Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here nor there

Can you help me remember how to smile?
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded?
Life’s mystery seems so faded

I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just a-drownin’ in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train

And everything seems cut and dried,
Day and night, earth and sky,
Somehow I just don’t believe it

Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here nor there

Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughing at the rain
A little out of touch, a little insane
It’s just easier than dealing with the pain

Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here nor there

Runaway train, never coming back
Runaway train, tearing up the track
Runaway train, burning in my veins
I run away but it always seems the same

- runaway trian- soul asylum

" there are over one million youth lost on the streets of america"

The song is about missing children

i don't know much songs from 60s or 70s... but i thought this 90s song would do

 

[Reba]

War
by Edwin Starr

We were at a nice restaurant on the waterfront tonight, and they were playing this song!