Anti-war songs

Born in the USA.


If ever a song is misused it's this one.
The most misused song in the USA is Woodie Guthrie's This Land is Your Land. Its like an unofficial national anthem.

The first verses are sung at school assemblies in front of the stars and stripes across the country.

They convieniently omit Guthrie's last 3 verses:

As I went walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
 
The Misunderstood - I Unseen.........................a song about Hiroshima. John Peel was a massive fan of this band.


I come and stand at every door
But no one hears my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, yes I am dead.


I'm only seven although I died
In Hiroshima long ago
I'm seven now as I was then
For I am dead, yes I am dead.


My hair was scorched by swirling flame
My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
And that was scattered by the wind.


All that I ask is that for peace
You fight today, you fight today
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play.
Fantastic band under the wing of a 60s John Peel, when he was a DJ in America.
 

Lyrics
Every bomb you make, (Ronald Reagan)
And every job you take, (Margaret Thatcher)
Every heart you break, (Arthur Scargill and Ian MacGregor)
Every Irish wake, (Ian Paisley)
I’ll be watching you…
Every wall you build, (Erich Honecker)
And everyone you've killed, (Robert Mugabe)
Every grave you've filled, (Fidel Castro)
All the blood you've spilled, (Colonel Gadaffi)
I’ll be watching you…
Oh, can't you see? (Erich Honecker)
You belong to me. (Idi Amin)
There’ll be a bill to pay, (Leonid Brezhnev)
On that judgement day... (Adolf Hitler)
For every empty plate, (Indira Gandhi)
And every word of hate, (Ruhollah Khomaini)
Those who subjugate, (P.W. Botha)
Those who violate, (Konstantin Chernenko)
I’ll be watching you… (Death)
This was sung by sting who actually changed his words for spitting image.

It was played at the closing credits and it’s haunting now as it was then.

It’s absolute genius isn’t it.
 
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A poster on a thread the other day mentioned the “troubles” in Northern Ireland and this haunting song is dedicated to them.

 
This was sung by sting who actually changed his words for spitting image.

It was played at the closing credits and it’s haunting now as it was then.

It’s absolute genius isn’t it.

I remember the night of the '87 General Election, the Spitting Image Special ended with a young boy with bowler hat and umbrella singing in a Tomorrow Belongs To Me parody that was jaw droppingly brilliant. Sadly neither fully on Youtube now.
 
The Eric Bogle song, I found very powerful as it was story of innocence completely betrayed and how the scars of war can last a lifetime. Galipolli was a complete b**** up by the Allies. I lost a 21 year old great uncle from South Bank there (Suvla Bay) when I read how he died it made me very angry with the complete ineptitude of those in charge.
 
I remember the night of the '87 General Election, the Spitting Image Special ended with a young boy with bowler hat and umbrella singing in a Tomorrow Belongs To Me parody that was jaw droppingly brilliant. Sadly neither fully on Youtube now.
Yes it’s gone

completely gone

As I used to watch it every now and again but I checked last year and it’s gone. Just looked again dnd sadly still not there.

As you say it’s brilliant
 
As a side line "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" was written for the film Cabaret, by a New York songwriter of Jewish origin in the 1960s. I used to believe it really was a German Nazi song.

Two Little Boys - to me is an anti war song - how one brother would save the other even though he was the enemy and he had been told to kill the enemy. Strangely song by Hartlepool fans in the 1980s.

 
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