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FURTHER LEFT - (submitted by furtherleft)
Music has always been important to successful political protest. Though that is true around the world, one perspective can be gained by considering what preceded, occurred during, and followed the US movements of the 1960's and 70's.
Singing accompanied struggles of the US south, both in the mid 1800's abolition movement and quest for civil rights a century later. It was mirrored in similar battles of Africa. Native American warpath songs readied resistance to such extent languages were banned. Song aided union formation and popular political progress world wide.
Many 1960's US freedom songs derived from southern black churches preserving a secret communication mode of slaves (ie: Follow the Drinking Gourd masquerades as religious hymn but is a map for an escape route north). Some came from US union organizing. Black churches in the US traditionally host traveling vocal groups that spread the music. Black radio stations played movement songs and attendant chatter to broadcast protest details undetected by whites.
There was nothing comparable in the white US media, from which singers such as Dylan, Seeger, Guthrie, Ochs were banned. Albums of protest music were hard to find but popularity of white non protest folk music helped maintain the genre.
The US black movement turned in the late 60's to acquiring power rather than just votes and facility integration. White civil rights workers were rightly told by blacks to move on and organize their own.
The black movement was already actively opposing war. Whites involved with them followed, and groups such as SDS saw birth. The 1969 US Woodstock concert broke the white protest music dam and capitalism showed it's colors. If somebody will buy it, someone else will sell it, and Joan Biaz, Country Joe, Jimmy Hendrix, and others became known. Ghetto rap and hip hop and even that of imitating whites added. Media blacklisting of protest music continues today however despite the money factor.
In contrast to rhetorical positioning, which attracts only stragglers, music flows from the heart and causes mind to exhilarate and body to lead. Singing with either mind or tongue is participatory rather than passively contemplated. It is verbal attestation of a promise that binds one to cause and comrades. In short, it moves people.
Style, tunes, and words change, but the spell of freedom songs will always be. Musical machine guns that slay oppressively entrenched societies are immune from progress delaying debate. One can only remember them cutting to the soul. We need to heed them, absorb them, and sing out!
The song given here sums a personal view of reason for involvment with the Further Left entities. Its lyric and audio with download possibility are offered sans personal pretense of poetic, musical, or technical quality but as suitable for sharing of its spirit, if nothing else.
It normally plays randomly in our CHAT ROOM along with hundreds of other songs from many nations that were submitted by chat room users. Along with the others, it can be automatically requested for playing as participants desire. The manner of doing that is explained on the room's MUSIC PAGE. It is hoped you may enjoy and take it to heart from either here or there.
furtherleft
Now comes the person commonly recognized and identified by the name furtherleft throughout the internet Further Left entities Further Left Library, Further Left Forum, and Further Left Chat Room and hereinafter termed author to willingly and freely make this declaration. To whit: Action taken by any person, hereinafter termed user, in order to access text and audio material offered and accessible on and through this page and herein after termed material, includes a specific and implicit promissory agreement on the party of said user to perform the following: 1) make diligent effort to determine if access to and use of said material is restricted under provisions of any legal copyright licensing restrictions which are applicable to and binding upon said user and; 2) in the event there exist said provisions, to contact said holder of said provisions and arrive at satisfactory accord for use of said material; or 3) refrain from making use of said material and furthermore immediately destroy any copies of said material obtained in any manner contrary to this agreement. Notwithstanding the finding of 1) above, said user may ignore this capitalist inspired legalistic nonsense and take cognizance of and act in reliance that this internet page was written and programmed by and said audio musical material offered hereon for listening or downloading was written, sung, recorded, stated as being copylefted  , by said author while holding no rights reserved, and are thus presented to any and all users by said author to take and use in such manner as said user may choose.
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LYRICS
Gonna sing out today, And let this song play,
One step further left, What it has to say,
Listen to the song, And then come along,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
Injustice abounds, Many are held down,
Struggling to sustain, Entire lives in pain,
Conscience can see, And find empathy,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
You may see us crying, For many who are dying,
You may see us smiling, For many who are trying,
To overthrow oppression, End unjust aggression,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
No one can run and hide, All must choose a side,
Struggle is here and now, We will find out how,
It's time to decide, To take another stride,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
It’s not about a stance, But how we can advance,
Moving from what was, To further the cause,
Stepping left's the key, To what it can be
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
Ists and isms can guide, Or may be cast aside,
However we move along, Path will not be wrong,
Doing together what's right, Keeping the end in sight,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
Thing we did was wrong, Waited a day too long,
Thing we did was right, Day we joined the fight,
Help us sing this song, Bring some more along,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
People joined together, Singing out today,
Halting the fascist machine, Gonna let it play,
Sowing seeds of freedom, Stepping left today,
Don't delay, Step this way, Left today.
LEAD LINE
Key of C loose 4/4 || 2 bar intro (C) - - (F) - - | (C) - - (G7) - - ||: (C6) g a c a | c - - - | (G6) e e e d | (C) c - - - | (F6) a c c d | c - - - | a c c a | (G7) g - - - | (C6) g a c a | c - - - | (G6) e e e d | (C) c - c d | (C) e - e e | (G6) d - e d || turn around (C7) c - (F) fill - - | (C) - - (G7) - - :|| last (C) - - - - ||
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