Reponse to Taylor's "Music Matters"

Taylor, in response to your last post, I was definitely thinking about the same thing. All of this Vietnam music got me thinking about the protest songs of our generation. I think the Iraq war has had a profound impact on our society, but it hasnt reached the same height of contraversey seen during the Vietnam War. Regardless... I went through my itunes to try to find some songs written in response to the conflict in Iraq. So far I've found a couple songs...

"Light Up Ya Lighter" by Michael Franti & Spearhead
I first listened to this song because it was on a promotional Urban Outfitters CD I received with my purchase last summer... the lyrics are quite intense, but interesting.

"Fire, fire, fire, light up ya lighter, fire fire fire
Armageddon is a deadly day, Armageddon is a deadly way
They commin for you everyday, While Senators on holiday

The Army recruiters in the parking lot, Hustling kids there jugglin pot
Listen young man, Listen to my plan , Gonna make you money, gonna make you a man

Bom Bom

Here’s what you get, An M-16 and a Kevlar vest
You might come home with one less leg, But this thing will surely keep a bullet out of your chest

So Come on Come on, Sign up, Come on
This one’s nothing like Vietnam
Except for the bullets, Except for the bombs,
Except for the youth that’s gone

Chorus
So we keep it on, til ya coming home, Higher and Higher
Fire, fire, fire, light up ya lighter, fire fire fire, so we keep it on
Til ya commin home, higher and higher
Fire, fire, fire, light up ya lighter, fire fire fire

Tell me President tell if you will,
How many people does a smart bomb kill
How many of em do you think we got,
The General says we never miss a shot
And we never ever ever keep a body count,
we killin so efficiently we can’t keep count
In the Afghan hills the rebels still fightin,
Opium fields keep providin
The best heroin that money can buy
and nobody knows where Osama bin hidin
The press conferences keep on lyin like we don’t know

Some say engine engine number nine,
Machine guns on a New York transit line
The war for oil is a war for the beast,
the war on terror is a war on peace
Tellin you they’re gonna protect you,
Tellin you that they support the troops
Don’t let them fool you with their milk and honey,
No they only want your money
One step forward and two steps back,
Why do veterans get no respect
PTSD and a broken back,
Take a look at where your moneys gone seen
Take a look at what they spend it on
No excuses, No illusions

Light up ya lighter"


... I didn't even realize they mention Vietnam as well.

"Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer
This ones a more popular one and I'm sure everyone is somewhat familiar with it, so I won't waste space posting the entire song. But here are some specific lines that deal with Iraq.

"Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would've never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
When you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cuz when they own the information ooohhh,
They can bend it all they want"

one last song...
"Ain't No Reason" by Brett Dennen
He's a less known artist, but coincidentally opened for John Mayer during his tour this summer. Obviously on the same page when it comes to our current war...

" people walk a tight rope on a razor's edge
carrying their hurt and hatred and weapons
it could be a bomb or a bullet or a pin
or a thought or a word or a sentence.
there ain't no reasons things are this way
its how they've always been and they intend to stay
i don't know why i say the things i say,
but i say them anyway.
but love will come set me free
love will come set me free
i do believe
love will come set me free
i know it will
love will come set me free..."

"...keep on building bombs
gonna drop them all
working your fingers bare to the bone
breaking your back, make you sell your soul
like a lung is filled with coal, suffocating slow
the wind blows wild and i may move
but politicians lie and i'm not fooled
you don't need no reason or a 3 piece suit
to argue the truth"