[Ontario_Born]

I’m using the term “Political song” but what I mean is any song that deals with a bigger issue. For instance, my favorite is Strange Fruit by Lewis Allan, which was mostly sung by Billie Holiday.

In a time when the nation chose to remain ignorant to the black lynching down south, Billie Holiday performed this song in front of thousands of people, white and black. For many, it was the first time they heard what a lynching involved. Realizing how important that was, Lady Day closed every one of hee shows with the song. Just as the song was about to begin, waiters would stop serving, the lights in club would be turned off, and a single pin spotlight would illuminate Holiday on stage. During the musical introduction, she would stand with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer. After she died, Nina Simone picked up the torch, and began closing all of her shows with it, in the same fashion as Billie Holiday.

[align=center]Strange Fruit by Lewis Allan

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.[/align]

[xerxes]

That's a good question Ontario. Hard to answer too, since there are many worthy choices. I don't have a favourite per se so I'll narrow it down to:

Neil Young: Needle and the Damage Done and Ohio
Rage Against the Machine: People of the Sun
System of a Down: The Prison Song
Emeinem: Mosh
Bob Dylan: Maggie's Farm
Bruce Springsteen: Ghost of Tom Joad

[SprCForr]

Warren Zevon - Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

Actually, it's my favorite "everything song".

[Scape]

History was made by stupid people: Arrogent worms

Keep on rockin in the free world: Neil Young

And WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hormel26c]

Mustang Sally.

If George W. Bush can be President of the world's largest economy and commander in chief of the most powerful armed forces, Mustang Sally can be a political song.

[FuBaR]

Canada's Really Big: Arrogant Worms
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate: Arrogant Worms
Hey Jude: The Beatles
And any song that RH sings in the shower.

[Canadaka]

that signs song from the 60's what who was it by?

definatly "Canada's Really Big: Arrogant Worms"
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
U2 - Bullet in the blue sky
Guess Who - American Woman

[Streaker]

"Signs" was by The Five Man Electrical Band. I think they were from Ottawa.

xerxes mentioned "The Needle and The Damage Done". Great song. Of course, there are lots of great Neil Young songs!

A political song that I like a lot is "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield, from the soundtrack to SuperFly. SuperFly was one of those cheesy blaxploitation movies from the 70s but Mayfield's soundtrack is excellent; very gritty and cutting lyrics about life in America's inner cities.

[Ontario_Born]

Freaker Freaker:

"Signs" was by The Five Man Electrical Band. I think they were from Ottawa.

xerxes mentioned "The Needle and The Damage Done". Great song. Of course, there are lots of great Neil Young songs!

A political song that I like a lot is "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield, from the soundtrack to SuperFly. SuperFly was one of those cheesy blaxploitation movies from the 70s but Mayfield's soundtrack is excellent; very gritty and cutting lyrics about life in America's inner cities.

Best Blaxploitation film of all time...Blackula.

[Vandalish]

Franco Un-American (or something to that effect) - NoFx
Deer Dance - Sytem of a Down
Boom - System of a Down


Deer Dance

$1:

Round, Round,

Circumventing circuses,
Lamenting in protest,
To visible police,
Presence sponsored fear,

Battalions of riot police,
With rubber bullet kisses,
Baton courtesy,
Service with a smile

Beyond the Staples Center you can see America,
With its tired, poor, avenging disgrace,
Peaceful, loving youth against the brutality,
Of plastic existence.

Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around,
Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around.

Round, Round,

A rush of words,
Pleading to disperse,
Upon your naked walls, alive,
A political call,
The fall guy accord,
We can't afford to be neutral on a moving train,

Beyond the Staples Center you can see America,
With its tired, poor, avenging disgrace,
Peaceful, loving youth against the brutality,
Of plastic existence.

Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around,
Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around.

Push them around,
A deer dance, invitation to peace,
War staring you in the face, dressed in black.
With a helmet, fierce,
Trained and appropriate for the malcontents,
For the disproportioned malcontents,
The little boy smiled, it'll all be well,
The little boy smiled it'll all be well,

Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around,
Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around.
Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak around,
Push the weak around,
Push the weak around,
Push the weak around,
They like to push the weak around

[Goaler27]

Anything from SAOD


Artist: SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Album: Toxicity
Title: Science

$1:

Making two possibilities
A reality
Predicting the future
Of things we all know
Fighting off the
Diseased programming
Of centuries, centuries
Centuries, centuries

Science fails to
Recognize the single most
Potent element
Of human existence
Letting the reigns
Go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith

Science has failed
Our world
Science has failed
Our Mother Earth

Science fails to
Recognize the single most
Potent element
Of human existence
Letting the reigns
Go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith

Science has failed
Our world
Science has failed
Our Mother Earth
Spirit moves through all things
Spirit moves through all things
Spirit moves through all things
Spirit moves through all things

[Robair]

Redemption Day by Sheryl Crow. The lyrics go something like:

...Fire rages in the streets
And swallows everything it meets
It's just an image often seen
On television
Come leaders, come you men of great
Let us hear you pontificate
Your many virtues laid to waste
And we aren't listening

What do you have for us today
Throw us a bone but save the plate
On why we waited til so late
Was there no oil to excavate
No riches in trade for the fate
Of every person who died in hate
Throw us a bone, you men of great...

...It's buried in the countryside
It's exploding in the shells at night
It's everywhere a baby cries
Freedom

Check the song out for the rest of the lyrics, those are just the juiciest parts.

Also:

Billy Austin by Steve Earle. First heard it during the movie Dead Man Walking. They play it while they march him to the execution chamber.

[dgthe3]

Pride (in the name of love), U2

White America, Eminem

and most anything by the Arogant Worms for funny-political

[alsocanadian]

U2's "Where did it all go wrong", "Out of control", and "Drowning man".

The songs of Martin's Liberals!