Just listen to the marches by Sousa, or some of the patriotic anthems from the 1960s in this country. Music is an incredibly powerful medium. Men march off to war with "Onward, Christian Soldiers," or "The Marine Hymn" ringing in their ears.
My father fought in North Africa in WWII in a mixed US/UK force, and he told me that going into battle to the sound of bagpipes was just incredible. He said the hair on the back of his neck rose -- and they were on the same side!!
My dad was in the Highland Light Infantry in that very campaign, and probably heard the skirl of the same bagpipes as your father. They may have even shared cigarettes. Small world !
Thanks for this. It brought a smile to my face. My father told me about his interactions with UK troops. He respected them greatly. I owe a great deal of my own cultural awareness to him sharing his interactions with Commonwealth troops. Truly a small world :-).
Songs can also teach us a lot about our history -- I've learned plenty about slavery times, the Civil Rights Movement, and the labor movement from songs. And strange but true (or maybe not so strange), many of the songs I learned as a young person active in student politics and the antiwar movement sound pretty current today.
Many of us older boomers miss the unifying, quieting, hope-filling nature of 60s protest music. I think so often how I would love for the Xs, milennials, and Zs we love and learn from now to experience the rising of “we Shall Overcome” from the crowds we are in today. Or to hear Dylan, Baez, or Ochs singing exactly what we were all feeling. Or-god!- to have heard Jimi feedback the National anthem today! “This Land is your land, this Land is my land” is the war song we need again. Again. And always - against the tyrants who are stealing America from our next generations.
True! Music was a powerful force against Apartheid in South Africa. There's a great documentary on that subject, "Amandla!" Here's the trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENEiACqtHq4
Like your song; would like to hear it too. I'd like to see singing be more a part of the marches, with drums and percussion keeping time and adding energy. One song I really want to hear is Bob Marley's "Get Up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight."
I grew up in Claremont in 50’s to 70’s and loved living there! Have been afraid the college town had lost its way…..”The Claremont Institute”, john eastman and all that. SO , am glad to hear that Claremont still has its soul! ( our old home was at 207 W. 6th St. I do miss it.) On my way to NO KINGS DAY rally in Honolulu!!
We were there in Honolulu as well. My initial reaction is that the crowd seemed to be about twice as large as the 19 April "Hands Off" protest, and a lot more diverse. There was a larger police presence as well, but the crowd was well-behaved, staying off the roadway and leaving room for pedestrian traffic. That actually made moving from one part of the demonstration to another much easier for the participants, as well as people who were just trying to catch The Bus.
You know what was the best thing about the protest in Claremont, CA, today? There were no cops, no National Guard, no ICE, and no maggots! All in all, a great day!
I was at the protest in Claremont, CA. Great crowd! Lots of energy. They were playing music. It was like a giant block party!
Music is the light that defends democracy! Let’s keep fighting fascism with joy. We sang a song at our rally: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/no-kings-song-june-14
Never thought of music quite that way, as a uniting light! but sure, it changes how we feel and does bring us together. Thank you!
Just listen to the marches by Sousa, or some of the patriotic anthems from the 1960s in this country. Music is an incredibly powerful medium. Men march off to war with "Onward, Christian Soldiers," or "The Marine Hymn" ringing in their ears.
My father fought in North Africa in WWII in a mixed US/UK force, and he told me that going into battle to the sound of bagpipes was just incredible. He said the hair on the back of his neck rose -- and they were on the same side!!
My dad was in the Highland Light Infantry in that very campaign, and probably heard the skirl of the same bagpipes as your father. They may have even shared cigarettes. Small world !
Thanks for this. It brought a smile to my face. My father told me about his interactions with UK troops. He respected them greatly. I owe a great deal of my own cultural awareness to him sharing his interactions with Commonwealth troops. Truly a small world :-).
Songs can also teach us a lot about our history -- I've learned plenty about slavery times, the Civil Rights Movement, and the labor movement from songs. And strange but true (or maybe not so strange), many of the songs I learned as a young person active in student politics and the antiwar movement sound pretty current today.
Many of us older boomers miss the unifying, quieting, hope-filling nature of 60s protest music. I think so often how I would love for the Xs, milennials, and Zs we love and learn from now to experience the rising of “we Shall Overcome” from the crowds we are in today. Or to hear Dylan, Baez, or Ochs singing exactly what we were all feeling. Or-god!- to have heard Jimi feedback the National anthem today! “This Land is your land, this Land is my land” is the war song we need again. Again. And always - against the tyrants who are stealing America from our next generations.
True! Music was a powerful force against Apartheid in South Africa. There's a great documentary on that subject, "Amandla!" Here's the trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENEiACqtHq4
Like your song; would like to hear it too. I'd like to see singing be more a part of the marches, with drums and percussion keeping time and adding energy. One song I really want to hear is Bob Marley's "Get Up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight."
I grew up in Claremont in 50’s to 70’s and loved living there! Have been afraid the college town had lost its way…..”The Claremont Institute”, john eastman and all that. SO , am glad to hear that Claremont still has its soul! ( our old home was at 207 W. 6th St. I do miss it.) On my way to NO KINGS DAY rally in Honolulu!!
We were there in Honolulu as well. My initial reaction is that the crowd seemed to be about twice as large as the 19 April "Hands Off" protest, and a lot more diverse. There was a larger police presence as well, but the crowd was well-behaved, staying off the roadway and leaving room for pedestrian traffic. That actually made moving from one part of the demonstration to another much easier for the participants, as well as people who were just trying to catch The Bus.
Massachusetts big protests. Great energy here all over the state 🩷🩷
I was there too! It was amazing to see so many people show up.
Same up at the state house in Maine!
You know what was the best thing about the protest in Claremont, CA, today? There were no cops, no National Guard, no ICE, and no maggots! All in all, a great day!
Same for RB.