Best/Favorite Songs of great social and political import.........

Recent reality check:

Oliver Anthony -  Rich men north of Richmond.

I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day
Overtime hours for bullsh– pay
So I can sit out here and waste my life away
Drag back home and drown my troubles away

It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to
For people like me and people like you
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true
But it is, oh, it is

Livin’ in the new world
With an old soul
These rich men north of Richmond
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do
‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh– and it’s taxed to no end
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond

I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat
And the obese milkin’ welfare

God, if you’re 5 foot 3 and you’re 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds
Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground
‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down

Lord, it’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to
For people like me and people like you
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true
But it is, oh, it is

Livin’ in the new world
With an old soul
These rich men north of Richmond
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do
‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh– and it’s taxed to no end
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond

I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day
Overtime hours for bullsh– pay

Lead guitarist of the burnt davidians.

Stairway to Cleveland

Jefferson Starship

EXPLICIT

Whatcha gonna do about Cleveland? 
Whatcha gonna do about rock & roll? 
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy? 
Whatcha gonna do about it? 
Hey we gotta a new band - a new face - a new time! 
Sing a song of rock & roll & drive us all crazy 
People tell me everything I need to know about 
Rock & roll 
Politics n' all about our new band 
But some people never happy "don't like it" - "didn't see it" oh oh 
They had to make a comment! 
Your new drummer's crazy, your manager's an asshole! get a new shirt? 
I can't stand your guitar player! 
Rolling stone, village voice, picky picky picky! 
Said we can't sing, can't play, can't write anyway! 
New name - old name - carry on, with such insane fuckers everywhere, 
Whatcha gonna do about it? 
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy? 
Whatcha gonna do about romance? 
Whatcha gonna do about tense moments?

So I gotta new girl blonde girl big mouth big heart y'know i like her, 
But they say she's too noisy, atomic girl! ... atomic girl! 
New York - L.A. times rock & roll magazines, said we couldn't make it 
But here we go again on rock and roll radio, rock and roll radio, 
People tell me everything I need to hear about what we need, what we 
Got, what we're never gonna get 
Old singers gone away - whatcha gonna do about it? gold records rock & 
Roll n' why dontcha sound like you used to in '65? '69? '75? 
Everybody stand up, they got to make a comment, critics said they'll 
Never make it, never make it, never never never never never never never 
Never never! 
Fuck you! we do what we want! 
Chaos comin', keep strummin', louder & louder & louder & louder, 
Whatcha gonna do about it? whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy? whatcha 
Gonna do about it? whatcha gonna do about dark ages? whatcha gonna do 
About nite time? whatcha gonna do about Walter Cronkite? whatcha gonna 
Do about romance? whatcha gonna do about the economic price index? 
Whatcha gonna do about llluuuuuv? whatcha gonna do about tense moments? 
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy crazy crazy? 
Whatcha gonna do about it? (7 times) 
War & toxic chemicals and mister Rogers n' true love n' the end of 
Civilization n' muzak n' the ptl club n' Ronald Reagan n' guns n' the 
Draft, b52's n' nuclear fission dc-10's n' cancer science fiction brain 
Control drugs n' sex n' buddha n' 714s 45s eight billion people jesus 
Krishna n' everybody n' rock and roll surrealism - everything 
Everything everything everything! 
Fuck you! we do what we want!

Funny thing, I was opposed to many of their political positions; but, I loved the underlying message. 

I don't necessarily agree with everything Rage Against the Machine states, but I absolutely love them. And I'm 100% aligned with their hatred for corruption and malfeasance among the elected and abuse of the weak by the powerful. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYSRtG2dFNM

Yes, I know my enemies
They're the teachers who taught me to fight me
Compromise, conformity
Assimilation, submission
Ignorance, hypocrisy
Brutality, the elite
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams
All of which are American dreams

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 upstandin' young man
I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat and said, "Imagine that
Huh, me workin' for you"
Whoa

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'
Will be shot on sight"
So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house
"Hey! What gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out
But to keep Mother Nature in?
If God was here, he'd tell you to your face
'Man, you're some kind of 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 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've got to have a membership card
To get inside"
Uh

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"
Woo!

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

^Bob Dylan had a bunch of 'em.

I feel like this one is applicable to non-moto  but also a bunch others from FFAA

Fit for an Autopsy - Warfare

When the fuck did everyone decide to become a politician?
Cannibals with causes armed with opinions
All you do is talk like you forgot how to fucking listen

I try to sleep but the dogs keep barking
Must be the tension in the room
It builds a rage in the back of the teeth
A distaste for civility
Compromise is cheap, conflict is sweet

The space between us fills with dead air
Party lines drawn in the sand
We could never cross it
Bastards of social warfare
We had the chance to survive but we fucking lost it

Traitors turning fiction to fact (Turning fiction to fact)
The ones who play the saint put the knife in your back (Put the knife in your back)
Daggers rain down on the disciples
Daggers rain down on the disciples

All we know
Warfare

When the fuck did everyone decide to become a politician?
All you do is talk like you forgot how to fucking listen

Herd splitter, left and right
Bring an army of fools to a winless fight
Herd splitter, rich and poor
Turn a nation of fools into a nation at war

We go for the throat
We do what we're told
Another day in the minefield
Another lie is sold

And we buy in
Playing the penny slots while they high roll
Another day in the minefield
Another lie is sold

The space between us fills with dead air
Party lines drawn in the sand
We could never cross it
Bastards of social warfare
We had the chance to survive but we fucking lost it

Traitors turning fiction to fact (Turning fiction to fact)
The ones who play the saint put the knife in your back (Put the knife in your back)
Daggers rain down on the disciples
Daggers rain down on the disciples
Warfare

Throwing Stones 

Picture a bright blue ball
Just spinning, spinning free
Dizzy with eternity

Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me

A peaceful place or so it looks from space
[A] closer look reveals the human race

Full of hope, full of grace is the human face
But afraid we may lay our home to waste

There's a fear down here we can't forget
Hasn't got a name just yet
Always awake, always around
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down
(Ashes, ashes all fall down)

Now watch as the ball revolves and the nighttime falls
And again the hunt begins, and again the bloodwind calls

By and by again, the morning sun will rise
[But] the darkness never goes from some mens eyes (oh no)
It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets
It's taking turf, dividing up meat

Nightmare spook, piece of heat
It's you and me,
You and me

Flashblade in ghetto night
Rudies looking for a fight
Rat cat alley roll them bones
Need that cash to feed that jones

And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down
(Ashes, ashes all fall down)

Commissars and pin-striped bosses roll the dice
Any way they fall, guess who gets to pay the price

Money green, the proletarian gray
Selling guns instead of food today

So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
While the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down
(Ashes, ashes all fall down)

Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit's sleeping, then the flesh is ink
History's page will be neatly carved in stone
The future's here – we are it – we are on our own
(On our own, on our own! On our own!)

Check out the real situation
Nation war against nation
Where did it all begin?
When will it end?

Well, it seems like, total destruction the only solution
And there ain't no use, no one can stop them now
Ain't no use, nobody can stop them now

Give them an inch, they take a yard
Give them a yard, they take a mile (ooh)
Once a man and twice a child
And everything is just for a while

It seems like, total destruction the only solution
And there ain't no use, no one can stop them now
There ain't no use, no one can stop them now
Ain't no use, no one can stop them now
There ain't no use, no one can stop them now

Check in the real situation (check it out, check it out)
Nation fight against nation
Where did it all begin? Whoa-oh!
Where will it end?

Well, it seems like, total destruction the only solution
Mmm, no use, can't stop them
W'ain't no use, ya can't stop them
Ain't no use, no one can't stop them now
Can't stop them now (no one can't stop them now)

There ain't no use, no one can't stop them now
Everybody strugglin', ain't no use, ain't no use
Ain't no use you even try
Ain't no use, got to say bye, bye!
Ain't no use! Ain't no, ain't no use, no one can stop them now
(No one can stop them now)
(No one can stop them now)

Generals gathered in their masses 
Just like witches at black masses 
Evil minds that plot destruction 
Sorcerer of death's construction

In the fields, the bodies burning 
As the war machine keeps turning 
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 role to the poor, yeah

Time will tell on their power minds 
Making war just for fun 
Treating people just like pawns in chess 
Wait till their judgement day comes, yeah!

Now in darkness, world stops turning 
Ashes where their bodies burning 
No more war pigs have the power 
Hand of God has struck the hour

Day of judgement, God is calling 
On their knees, the war pigs crawling 
Begging mercy for their sins 
Satan laughing, spreads his wings 
Oh lord, yeah!

Hilarious thread …. a bunch of old conservatives talking about protest songs . 🤣🤣🤣 

Huge Bob Dylan fan are ya ? Bullshit . Hypocrites you are . 

This post, right here, where you think you know “who’s who” or what someone is all about….?

Truly is just fucking HILARIOUS! 

You’re making it crystal clear that you’re a good little team member. 

From Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-'Changin'"

"Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'"

If someone wanted to boil what happened on Jan6 down to a few simple words, those Dylan lyrics would probably do nicely. My guess is you're still young, so you might not know that these guys posting their favorite song lyrics haven't changed their views - they're just the last of the rebels is all. All the others have either died or become tired, beaten down, unnecessary, and obedient.

You seeing them as hypocrites perfectly exemplifies you as someone much like they once were: a person who reflects the times they're living in and sees the elders around them as being dangerously traditionalist..... but there's a difference. And the difference is, the wisdom inherent in not trusting the government goes all the way back to the Founding Fathers. Liberalisms newfound desire to embrace Big Government is confounding to anyone still lucid who is over 50 - and for damn good reason. We've been lied to and betrayed as a matter of course, and we see this tendency as only becoming more consistent and perilous.

I write this post not to piss you off, but to send out a hopeful message. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take everything you've got, so learn to embrace self-determination and rugged individualism while you still can.

For the times they are a-changin.'

The who.  “Won’t get fooled again

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new Constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

A change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war

I'll tip my hat to the new Constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again, no, no

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half-alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
For I know that the hypnotized never lie

Do you?

Yeah

There's nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are effaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new Constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again, no, no

Yeah
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

If you see something that looks like a star And it's shooting up out of the ground
And your head is spinning from a loud guitar
And you just can't escape from the sound
Don't worry too much, it'll happen to you
We were children once, playing with toys
And that thing that you're hearing is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys
The percentage you're paying is too high priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
But today you just read that the man was shot dead
By a gun that didn't make any noise
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest, was
The low spark of high-heeled boys

If you had just a minute to breathe
And they granted you one final wish
Would you ask for something like another chance
Or something sim'lar as this
Don't worry too much It'll happen to you
As sure as your sorrows are joys
And the thing that disturbs you is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys

The percentage you're paying is too high priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
But today you just read that the man was shot dead
By a gun that didn't make any noise
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest, was
The low spark of high-heeled boys (high heeled boys)

If I gave you everything that I owned
And asked for nothing in return
Would you do the same for me as I would for you
Or take me for a ride
And strip me of everything, including my pride
But spirit is something that no one destroys
And the sound that I'm hearing is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys (heeled boys)

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Steve Winwood / Jim Capaldi

Gentlemen, 

Thar is NOT a song.

That is a fucking anthem. 

That is all. Out. 

They’re never there when you’re cleaning up the mess.

But, they’re the 1st to comment about how it should have been done. 

I love seeing them get theirs when it’s time for them to learn the hard lessons.