Name a song that was written or used as a peace or protest song, Mine is "For What It's Worth" -Buffalo Springfield"

[debm55]

Music video welcome

[Ocelot II]

1. Ohio.

[debm55]

2. Thank you very much, Ocelot II

Last edited Thu Jan 29, 2026, 12:31 PM - Edit history (1)

[debm55]

112. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Mpo4261 And welcome to DU.

[justaprogressive]

3. Wooden Ships

For What It's Worth

[debm55]

4. Thank you very much, justaprogressive.

[Endlessmike56]

5. Chicago by Graham Nash

[debm55]

15. Thank you very much, Endlessmike56.

[gab13by13]

6. A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall

Dylan.

[debm55]

17. Thank you, very much for sharing with us, gab13by13.

[stopdiggin]

7. Born in the USA ( that the 'flag wavers' never really bothered to LISTEN to )

[debm55]

20. I know. Didn't Bush I , use as a campaign song? The song is not what they thought it was about--it was about returning

Vets Thank you very much,stopdiggin.

[Dulcinea]

168. I think it was Reagan.

Bruce Springsteen had to tell him that he missed the whole point of the song & that he couldn't use it as a campaign song.

[debm55]

172. thank you Dulcinea for sharing that information,

[justaprogressive]

8. A couple more obscure These are racial protest songs

Dylan's Hurricane

UB40s Guilty

[debm55]

21. Thank you very much, justaprogressive. for your selections

[stopdiggin]

9. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman (still speaking to stunted lives, dreams, and lost souls, 40 years later)

[Not Heidi]

49. Forty years?

I'll be 63 next month.
But Fast Car is forty years old?
THAT makes me feel old. Wow.

[stopdiggin]

92. a small exaggeration (1988 ?)

but it damned well FELT like forty years! ( Forty looong years - to those that were looking at, "We gotta make a decision ... Leave tonight or live and die this way ... " )

See, my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle, that's the way it is
He say his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

[debm55]

53. Thank you very much, I loved the song and still love it. stopdiggin.

[Americanme]

10. Fortunate Son, CCR

[debm55]

54. Definitely. Thank you Americanme.

[Lifeafter70]

11. Talkin' About a Revolution Tracy Chapman

?si=r6OqFIXuxzmKOJtk

[debm55]

57. Excellent voice, song and singer. Thank you Lifeafter70.

[Coventina]

12. God Save the Queen - The Sex Pistols

?si=M-kF2XrG5pZlTH5A

[debm55]

71. Thank you very much, Coventina for sharing with us.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

13. Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

As Warren Zevon sang:
In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley
Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland's Thompson gun and bought it



John Mellencamp:
Scarecrow on a wooden cross blackbird in the barn
Four hundred empty acres that used to be my farm

[debm55]

73. Thank you so much discntnt_irny_srcsm Thank you so much my friend.for your selections

[JMCKUSICK]

14. Blowing in the wind Bob Dylan

[debm55]

81. Love that song, Thank you John.

[MadLinguist]

16. Government Boots

One of my all time favorite resistance songs. Calypso is the perfect medium for protest

[debm55]

83. Excellent. Thank you very much, MadLinguist

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

18. Merry Clayton's cover of Neil Young's Southern Man

Luka - Suzanne Veya
Hell is for Children - Pat Benatar

[debm55]

97. Thank you very much discntnt_irny_srcsm. for sharing with us.

[stopdiggin]

19. Southern Man - Neil Young ( in your face call out - to persistant southern 'values' )

had enough burn that Lynyrd Skynard responded ..
by advertising their unrepentant belligerent ignorance in the push back 'Sweet Home Alabama' - which in turn went on to become 'anthem' for the unreconstructed hillbillies and rednecks.

[debm55]

98. Thank you stopdiggin. Sad isn't it.?

[catbyte]

22. Ship of Fools and The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

&list=RDwBzYhHZJBKA

&list=RDvwSRqaZGsPw

[debm55]

99. Thank you, catbyte, for sharing those two great selections with us.

[Boyrask]

23. One Tin Soldier

?si=F6c_iZlN2NNQ_3KO

[debm55]

100. Thank you very much Boyrask for sharing your selection. Welcome to DU !

[debm55]

24. Where Have All the Flowers Gone---Pete Seeger.

[Polly Hennessey]

43. This was my first thought also. Loved that song.🎶

[debm55]

102. Thank you Polly Hennessey. Peter, Paul and Mary also sang it.

[ballardgirl]

25. Country Joe and the Fish

Vietnam Song - aka I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag

[WestMichRad]

48. Gimme an F!!

[debm55]

116. Thank you very much for sharing with us ballardgirl. I remember that song.

[Jilly_in_VA]

159. My favorite!

[ballardgirl]

205. We saw them perform it

live at a Piano Drop in rural Washington state, April 1968

[cloudbase]

26. This Land is Your Land

Woody Guthrie (a national treasure)

[debm55]

117. Excellent choice. Thank you for sharing with us.cloudbase.

[thomski64]

153. "Old man Trump "

Also Woody Guthrie, about Krasnov's unloving father, racist slum lord Fred.

[debm55]

158. Thank you very , thomski64, Great song by Woody.

[cloudbase]

167. When the Roses Bloom Again

Yet another by Guthrie.

[bpj62]

27. Marvin Gaye

What's Going On was a big anti Vietnam war song.

[debm55]

145. I remember that. Marvin died too young, Miss him.

[OmegaX]

28. Rage Against The Machine

"Killing In The Name"

[debm55]

148. Thank you very much for sharing with us, OmegaX

[Harker]

29. "Old Man Trump", and "All You Fascists Bound to Lose."

Woody Guthrie.

[debm55]

149. Great choices, Harker, Thank you.

[Harker]

151. Looks we've collectively assembled a powerful playlist!

Nice work, Deb!

[debm55]

155. Thank you very much and thank you my fellow DUers.

[EYESORE 9001]

30. Tom Morello - Save the Hammer for the Man

[debm55]

46. Wow, Thank you very much. EYESORE 9001

[DBoon]

31. Clash - Guns of Brixton

?list=RDJcW8VNwYvL0

[debm55]

44. Thank you very much. DBoon

[DBoon]

32. Steve Miller Band - Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around

?list=RDRjLRvFG8kcU

[debm55]

42. Thank you very much, DBoon for sharing with us.

[pandr32]

33. Eve of Destruction

By Barry McGuire

[debm55]

39. Thank you very much, pandr32 for sharing. I remember that song.

[Enter stage left]

34. The times they are a'changing...

Bob Dylan, and covered beautifully by Peter, Paul and Mary.

[debm55]

37. Thank you very much, Enter stage left.

[Niagara]

35. Bullet the Blue Sky by U2

[debm55]

36. Thank you very much, Niagara.

[Niagara]

41. My pleasure, Debbie

[NotASurfer]

38. Know Your Rights. The Clash was prescient

[debm55]

150. Great. Thank you, NotASurfer. for sharing with us.

[Niagara]

40. This was played at the 2016 AMA's by Green Day

Green Day is chanting

'No TRUMP, NO KKK, NO Fascist USA'

[debm55]

152. Excellent. Niagara. Great and meaningful song.

[Niagara]

45. This was released in October of 2017 by Eminem on the BET channel

It's not really a song per say, but it was a freestyle that Eminem did in protest of TSF.

[debm55]

47. Excellent, Niagara. Thank you.

[WestMichRad]

50. Hiroshima by Utopia

[debm55]

51. Thank you my friend.

[LogDog75]

52. Do You Hear the people Sing

Last edited Thu Jan 29, 2026, 01:55 PM - Edit history (1)

From Les Miserables

I even heard this being played at the No Kings March in San Diego last October.

[debm55]

157. OMG that is wonderful. Thank you so much for posting LogDog75

[TBF]

55. Zombie - the Cranberries

I saw Dolores and her band live in 1995 - she was on fire during this song

?si=ggdZ1fqnCDB953ye

[debm55]

160. Thank you, my friend, TBF, for sharing with us

[TBF]

56. Holiday - Green Day

another good one

?si=2FAPiro1w7ai9mfl

[debm55]

161. Wonderful, Thank you TBF, for sharing with us.

[TBF]

58. Which Side Are You On - Billy Bragg

there are many versions of this song but this is one I like a lot

?si=KfCAPPkk6oRgSjLj

[Easterncedar]

129. Mine, too

[debm55]

162. Thank you very much, my friend, TBF

[Oppaloopa]

59. What is America to me song by Frank Sinatra

[debm55]

60. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Oppaloopa

[Endlessmike56]

61. One more came to mind

Monster by Steppenwolf

[debm55]

164. Wonderful, Thank you very much for sharing.

[Bob in the Land]

62. Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane.

A close second is The Revolution Starts Now by Steve Earle.

[debm55]

166. Thank you very much for your selections, Bob in the Land.

[DBoon]

63. Get Up Stand Up - Bob Marley

?list=RDIhQEBAl3Gpk

"Don't give up the fight"

[debm55]

64. Yes, Thank you very much, DBoon, for sharing this song.

[boonecreek]

65. Tom Paxton, Mr. Blue.

[debm55]

169. Thank you very much, boonecreek.

[PJMcK]

66. It Better End Soon by Chicago

&list=RDVQKNMRh1xN0&start_radio=1

Lyrics:

Can't stand it no more
People dying
Crying for help for so many years
But nobody hears
Better end soon, my friend
It better end soon my friend, yeah
Can't take it no more
The people hating
Hurting their brothers
They don't understand
Or they can't understand
Better end soon, my friend
It better end soon, my friend
Yeah, yeah
I just think about it

[debm55]

78. Thank you very much . PJMcK, Love this song.

[DBoon]

67. Linton Kwesi Johnson Forces of Victory

?list=RDUiAnIZwo4ZE

[debm55]

76. Thank you for sharing with us, DBoon.

[Wiz Imp]

68. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit

[debm55]

75. Thank you very much for sharing this song for us, Wiz Imp.

[Wiz Imp]

69. Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome

[debm55]

74. Thank you very much, Wiz Imp. Loved his voice and songs. I put down another of his songs-Where Have All The Flowers Gone

Miss him

[Wiz Imp]

70. Plastic Ono Band - Give Peace a Chance

&list=RDC3_0GqPvr4U&start_radio=1

[debm55]

72. Thank you very much. Wiz Imp for sharing the song.

[waterwatcher123]

77. Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen

[debm55]

170. Great choice, waterwatcher. Thank you for sharing.

[Zambero]

79. Masters of War

Bob Dylan

[debm55]

171. Thank you very much, Zambero.for sharing.

[livetohike]

80. The Patriots Dream - Gordon Lightfoot

The songs of the wars are as old as the hills
They cling like the rust on the cold steel that kills
They tell of the boys who went down to the tracks
In a patriotic manner with the cold steel on their backs
The patriot's dream is as old as the sky
It lives in the lust of a cold callous lie
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills

The train pulled away on that glorious night
The drummer got drunk and the bugler got tight
While the boys in the back sang a song of good cheer
While riding off to glory in the spring of their years

The patriot's dream still lives on today
It makes mothers weep and it makes lovers pray
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills

Well, there was a sad, sad lady, weeping all night long
She received a sad, sad message from a voice on the telephone
Her children were all sleeping as she waited out the dawn
How could she tell those children that their father was shot down

So she took them to her side that day and she told them one by one
Your father was a good man ten thousand miles from home
He tried to do his duty and it took him straight to hell
He might be in some prison, I hope he's treated well

Well, there was a young girl watching in the early afternoon
When she heard the name of someone who said he'd be home soon
And she wondered how they got him, but the papers did not tell

There would be no sweet reunion, there would be no wedding bells
So she took herself into her room and she turned the bed sheets down
And she cried into the silken folds of her new wedding gown

He tried to do his duty and it took him straight to hell
He might be in some prison, I hope he's treated well

Well, there was an old man sitting in his mansion on the hill
And he thought of his good fortune and the time he'd yet to kill
Well, he called to his wife one day, "Come sit with me awhile"
Then turning toward the sunset, he smiled a wicked smile
"Well, I'd like to say I'm sorry for the sinful deeds I've done"
"But let me first remind you, I'm a patriotic son"

They tried to do their duty and it took 'em straight to hell
They might be in some prison, I hope they're treated well

The songs of the wars are as old as the hills
They cling like the rust on the cold steel that kills
They tell of the boys who went down to the tracks
In a patriotic manner with the cold steel on their backs
The train pulled away on that glorious night
The drummer got drunk and the bugler got tight
While the boys in the back sang a song of good cheer
While riding off to glory in the spring of their years

The patriot's dream still lives on today
It makes mothers weep and it makes lovers pray
Let's drink to the men who got caught by the chill
Of the patriotic fever and the cold steel that kills

[debm55]

174. Thank you very much livetohike. I miss Gordon.

[GreenWave]

82. The wearing of the Green

?list=RDaoUcjQbYs1c

[debm55]

175. Oh, GreenWave, thank you so much for sharing.

[FM123]

84. American Tune by Paul Simon ( I still cry when I hear this song)

[debm55]

176. Great song, my friend. Thank you for sharing with us. FM123.

[duckworth969]

85. Biko- Peter Gabriel

?si=gUGMuGMQL-egRPhM

[debm55]

177. Thank you, my friend, Great song, duckworth969

[Doc_Technical]

86. Quicksilver Messenger Service - Pride Of Man

[debm55]

192. Thank you very much, Doc_Technical for sharing with us.

[Alansworld]

87. Gil Scott Heron

Whitey's on the Moon
The Revolution will not be Televised

[debm55]

193. Alansworld. thank you so much for sharing with us.

[Laffy Kat]

88. Thunderclap Newman

"Something in the Air"

&list=RDqJae3Q2l-BY&start_radio=1

[debm55]

194. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Laffy Kat. I remember this song.

[Keepthesoulalive]

89. A different direction

A change is gonna come -Sam Cooke
Take a look in the mirror -Aretha Franklin
We shall overcome- Traditional Black Spiritual
People get ready- Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions
You haven’t done nothing- Stevie Wonder

[debm55]

195. Thank you very much, Keepthesoulalive.

[Coloradan4Truth]

90. Black Day in July

Gordon Lightfoot.

The backing guitar and drums are amazing.

?si=LqtFLcPkxvYTIIu9

[Coloradan4Truth]

91. About the Detroit Riots

Read about them.
1967 Detroit riot - Wikipedia https://share.google/BWESGSxAxRitqzN7a

[debm55]

144. Thank you for the link, I will read it.

[debm55]

143. Thank you very much, Coloradan4Truth. I miss Gordon

[OutNow]

93. Buffy Sainte-Marie Universal Soldier

Also covered by Donovan.

[Verse 1]
He's five feet two, and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

[Verse 2]
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist, and a Baptist, and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill, and he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friend, and me for you

[Verse 3]
And he's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France
He's fighting for the USA
And he's fighting for the Russians, and he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

[Verse 4]
And he's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall

[Verse 5]
But without him, how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau?
Without him, Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
And without him all this killing can't go on

[debm55]

142. Outstanding. Thank you very much OutNow.

[OutNow]

94. Buffy Sainte-Marie Moratorium

"Fuck the war Bring my Brothers Home"

I'll remember this forever.

[debm55]

141. Thank you very much for sharing with us, OutNow.

[JMCKUSICK]

95. WAR by Edwin Starr

[debm55]

96. Thank you very, John for sharing with us. I remember this song when I was a teen

[rampartd]

101. easy to play, simple words, sing along

&list=RDlGMOB2K78iM&start_radio=1

[debm55]

108. Love that song. Thank you very much for sharing with us.

[Mpo4261]

104. This man. Robert Cray

[debm55]

139. Thank you Mpo4261

[Nanuke]

105. Strange Fruit by Billy Holiday

[debm55]

138. Thank you very much, Nanuke for sharing.

[Borogove]

106. Find The Cost of Freedom, by Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

[debm55]

114. Thank you very much for sharing with us.Borogove. From my 70 year old brain.------

Find the cost of freedom
Buried in the ground
Mother Earth will lift you up
Lay your body down.

Sorry if I got some words mixed up

[flying rabbit]

109. Streets of Minneapolis

Springsteen.

[debm55]

111. Thank you very much flying rabbit. I just listened to it. Bruce is the Boss.

[Rustynaerduwell]

110. "Peace Will Come" by Melanie

Always loved this hopeful plea for peace, mixed with a tinge of sad despair.


"For sometime when we have reached the end
With a velvet hill in the small of the back
And our hands are clenched in the sand
Will our blood become a part of the river?
All of the rivers are givers
To the ocean according to plan
According to man"

[debm55]

113. We Shall Overcome. Traditional Black Gospel Song.

[Wiz Imp]

115. Abraham, Martin & John - Dion

[debm55]

118. Thank you very much for sharing. Loved this song, but it always brought tears to my eyes.

[Mpo4261]

119. Street Fightin' Man

Rolling Stones

[debm55]

147. Thank you Mpo4261. for sharing.

[debm55]

120. Smile on Your Brother. -----Jesse Colin Young.

[The Wizard]

121. Handsome Johnny

[debm55]

123. Thank you very much for sharing with us. The Wizard.

[The Wizard]

122. Get Up Jimmy Newman

[debm55]

124. Thank you very much, The Wizard.

[KitFox]

125. Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke) If I Had A Hammer (Pete Seeger)

[debm55]

137. Excellent songs. Thank you so much, KitFox

[Coldwater]

126. Melanie Lay Down

[debm55]

136. Beautiful song, Thank you Coldwater. RIP dear Melanie.

[RandySF]

127. Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil.

[debm55]

135. Thank you very much RandySF

[Tikki]

128. "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". The Chisel. UK. (2024)

Just about any Oi song is a protest song. I picked this one.

?si=1yqaHDWbVRHVgo4h

Tikki

[debm55]

134. Thank you very much, Tikki for sharing with us.

[retread]

130. A Change is Gonna Come -- Sam Cooke

[debm55]

133. Thank you very much for sharing , retread. I always liked that song.

[Eugene]

131. "Lives in the Balance" - Jackson Browne

[debm55]

132. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Eugene.

[lark]

140. I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag - Country Joe McDonald

Peace Frog - Doors

Ohio is my all time fave protest song but it was already mentioned. The above are #'s 2 and 3.

[debm55]

146. Great selections, lark. Thank you for sharing

[walkingman]

154. Blackbird - The Beatles

about racism and the Civil Rights Movement. Specifically, the "Little Rock Nine".

[debm55]

187. Thank you very much, walkingman. I didn't know that about the song. Thanks for the information.

[Moostache]

156. Protests? N.W.A.'s "F**K Tha Police", Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" & "Can't Truss It" not a lot of peace though...

&list=RDmmo3HFa2vjg&start_radio=1

&list=RDam9BqZ6eA5c&start_radio=1

[debm55]

196. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Moostache.

[Jilly_in_VA]

163. Woody Guthrie--All You Fascists Bound to Die

[debm55]

189. Thank you, Jilly_in_VA, I love Woody's songs

[Dulcinea]

165. The Clash--Know Your Rights

All three of them!

&list=RD1EKCAE1vDzY&start_radio=1

[debm55]

188. Thank you very much, Dulcinea

[Deuxcents]

173. People have the Power..Patti Smith and Simple Song of Freedom, Bobby Darin

[debm55]

186. Thank you very much, Deuxcents. for sharing.

[CanonRay]

178. "I Wish it Were True"

White Buffalo. Pretty obscure but it was used in Born on the Fourth of July.

[debm55]

185. Thank you very much, CanonRay. for sharing.

[Eugene]

179. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon, Yoko Ono...

Also from the Vietnam era, "Bring the Boys Home" - Freda Payne

[debm55]

184. Thank you very much, Eugene. I remember that one.

[IbogaProject]

180. Don't Step on the Grass, Sam by Steppenwolf

[debm55]

183. Great song. Thank you for sharing, IbogaProject.

[IbogaProject]

181. Party for Your Right to Fight; Public Enemy

For another more obscure one

Public Enemy,
Party for Your Right to Fight

It was written as a political rebuttal for the Beastie Boy's Fight for Your Right to Party, produced by the same guys who produced that Beastie track.

?si=bf9OlOwMDtefa81s

[debm55]

182. Thank you very much for sharing with us IbogaProject.

[fargone]

190. Do You Hear What I Hear

This song was written by the husband and wife team Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne in October 1962. They were famous for writing pop songs. Regney was born in France but when France was overrun in World War II he was drafted into the German Army. He hated the Nazis and joined the French resistance while still in the German Army. The horrors of war scarred him. After the war he came to the US. In October 1962 Regney and Shayne were commissioned to write a Christmas song for the B-side of a single. It was the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Regney was really down with the thoughts of another war. Walking home in New York he passed two moms and their babies. The babies were smiling at each other and it changed Regney's mood completely. He wrote the lyrics when he got home. It was never intended to be either a religious song , but a song for peace, a political statement. It had bits and pieces of imagery that paralleled the Nativity story and people grabbed on to that. The little babies he saw became the lamb which was an often used symbol for peace. There was a shepherd but shepherds and sheep are not unique to the Nativity. The star with a tail as big as a kite was intended as a nuclear missile but most people turned that into the Bethlehem star. The line "A child, a child, shivers in the cold," was a reference to the real babies that inspired the song as well as a plea to the king in his warm castle to help the poor children.
The last verse brings brings the key message that Regney intended, "Pray for peace, every one." The song has been recorded over 130 times. The Harry Simeone Choral was the first in 1962 and sold a quarter million copies in one week. A year later Bing Crosby recorded it and sold over a million copies and a new Christmas classic was established. The song starts out quietly and builds up. Regney's favorite recording was by Robert Goulet because he almost shouted the line "Pray for peace, every one."

[debm55]

191. I never knew that story behind the song. So the song was originally intended as a peace song as opposed to a Christmas

song. Thank you so much for sharing the story behind the song. I wish you peace.

[debm55]

197. "Let Peace Begin With Me" various artists.

[justaprogressive]

198. Oh Shit! forgot two BIG ones! Beatles and PP&M

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Peter Paul & Mary

Revolution The Beatles

[debm55]

199. Thank you very much for your two selections. Love them both.

[debm55]

200. "Freedom" --Aretha Franklin

[3825-87867]

201. Waste Deep in the Big Muddy - Pete Seeger

[debm55]

202. Thank you very much, 3825-87867,

[FuzzyRabbit]

203. Bobby Darin - "Simple Song of Freedom"

&list=RDsA3Cc5-Tqfw&start_radio=1

[debm55]

204. Great song, Thank you very much, FuzzyRabbit.