# Song lyrics that pertain to freedom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183 "2005-02-27T21:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/21 "2005-03-01T23:47:41Z")
**Tenar** , you’re not. Check the first reply to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shirt\_Ninja\_13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shirt\_Ninja\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirt_Ninja_13)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/22 "2005-03-02T00:06:35Z")
""Freedom isn’t free No, there’s a hefty f\*\*\*\*in’ fee and if you don’t pitch in your buck-oh-five, who will? Yeah, Freedom costs a buck-oh-five" –Team America: World Police Ok, seriously, tho’: what first came to mind is “Free” by VAST. "It’s time to laugh, it’s time to cry It’s time to be what you need to be It won’t be long 'till they are gone And we can be what we want to be I’m gonna run from everything Everything that holds me down Nothing to win, nothing to lose You can’t tell me what to do anymore You can’t tell me what to do anymore Now I’m free, now I’m free, now I’m free" The rest of the lyrics are [here](http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Vast/Free.html). Hope that helps 🙂 _bamf_ ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/23 "2005-03-02T01:02:11Z")
Couple of songs by The Eagles: Desperado and [The Last Resort](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/thelastresort.html) . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/24 "2005-03-02T04:43:26Z")
Your best source for freedom songs is anarchist filksinger Leslie Fish – a card-carrying member of the anarcho-syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies). You can find some of her lyrics here: [Leslie Fish's Filksongs](http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/leslie.html) And some of her songs on MP3 here: [http://leslie-fish.clan-majere.org/mp3list.html](http://leslie-fish.clan-majere.org/mp3list.html). And you can order her CDs from here: [http://www.random-factors.com/fish.htm](http://www.random-factors.com/fish.htm) (All the following lyrics are partial and incomplete) “Bring It Down”: We don’t like this world we’ve made Bring it down, bring it down! We’d take World War III in trade Bring it down, bring it down! Risk the horror in the midnight sky The rain of Hell as the ashes fly Just so long as the generals die! Bring it down, bring it down! Bring it down, bring it down! We don’t like society Bring it down, bring it down! No one here is really free Bring it down, bring it down! Freedom’s dream has fallen far A million rules have dimmed its star We don’t like the way we are Bring it down, bring it down! Bring it down, bring it down! “Freedom Road”: Did you think some messiah Coming down the pike Could give us all one answer As if we were all alike? A messiah cannot save you You should’ve known all along That Jesus, Marx, and your guru Could be wrong! Freedom Road Is a long haul Freedom Road Is a long haul But it’s worth the ride Even if You never get there at all! “Jefferson and Liberty”: The night of fire is yet to come The tyrant’s shadow down the years Demands we kneel, or take the gun And go shed blood instead of our tears So rejoice, Columbia’s sons, rejoice To tyrants never bend the knee But pledge your heart and hand and voice To Jefferson and liberty! \ The starry banner that did fly O’er freedom’s bloody barricade Now flaps and fades in foreign skies O’er palaces that empire made So arise, Columbia’s sons, arise Arise, and you might yet be free Cast off the forces that made lies Of Jefferson and liberty! “The Wheel”: There’s turning on muddy ground Gains an inch every time it goes round Come on, let’s make another revolution Turn, turn, turn Turn, turn, turn There are wheels that run Through all of our lives And we sometimes see them clear When the night comes down When the first snow falls You can mark the day or the year The circle’s end we can tell too easy The beginning is hard to see And the wheel whose season No one knows Is the turn of the tide That can make us free Try **those** on your 9th-graders, **wmulax93!** 😉 And here’s one just for you: “Teacher, Teacher” – [http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/filk/teacher.html](http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/filk/teacher.html) Here come the bureaucrat with fifty more rules To tie your hands and take more bread from the schools, Here comes the preacher trying hard to get in, He wants all children taught his pet brand of sin. Here comes the government with plenty to say; It wants your children taught to serve and obey; Here comes the school board, and that’s worst of all They want the teachers taught to cave in and fall! Teacher, teacher, you know what you’ll find, They want their thumbprints stamped on everyone’s mind; The kids suspect it and resent it like hell, And all too often they suspect you as well. Teacher, teacher, tell me how can you teach When all the grownups only want you to preach? How can you teach the kids to think for themselves With all the censors stealing books off the shelves? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/25 "2005-03-02T13:38:17Z")
“I will fight for my right to live in freeeeedom!” \_Paul McCartney. “Freedom of choice is what you’ve got Freedom from choice is what you want.” - DEVO ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/26 "2005-03-02T13:58:43Z")
How about [Looking for Freedom](http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/snd/lookingforfreedom.html) from the great David Hasselhoff? 😃 What? ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/27 "2005-03-02T14:05:37Z")
Why is it I’m the first to mention [_Freedom_](http://www.richiehavens.com/lyrics-freedom.html) by Richie Havens? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/28 "2005-03-02T14:05:44Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John/Bernie Taupin Actually, that’s a song about a short-lived female pro Tennis league that was started here in the US during the mid-70’s. The Philadelphia Freedom was one of the teams which had Billy Jean King’s involvement in it somehow. Or something like that… > [@](#): > > Elton dedicated this to tennis player Billie Jean King, who coached a World Team Tennis team in 1974 called the “Philadelphia Freedoms.” King was one of the first women ever to coach men. (thanks, Samantha - Seattle, WA) [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=2475](http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=2475) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/29 "2005-03-02T14:27:53Z")
Two of the most powerful songs that come to mind are both by **Peter Gabriel** **Biko** - about the death of Stephen Biko who faught apartheid in South Africa. Sample lyric: You can blow out a candle but you can’t blow out a fire When the flame begins to catch, the wind will blow it higher Wonderful metaphor for the power of the people. The other song is **Wallflower** off of his 4th album - the first 4 were all called “Peter Gabriel” - this one also had Shock the Monkey on it. This is a song about political prisoners. I don’t have the lyrics immediately in my head but they wish the prisoners strength and tell them that they don’t stand alone. Both are wonderful, powerful songs. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/30 "2005-03-02T15:02:32Z")
Well, it’s pretty far from hip-hop, but I immediately thought of Bob Dylan’s _Chimes of Freedom_[link](http://bobdylan.com/songs/chimes.html) ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/31 "2005-03-02T17:09:02Z")
**KBC Band** (Kantner-Balin-Cassidy Jefferson Airplane alums) - _America_ 1986 > [@(Snipped Lyrics)](#): > > …SING A SONG OF AMERICA > ONCE SHE WAS A YOUNG GIRL WITH HER HEART ON FIRE > BORN IN THE DUST OF THE MAGIC OF HISTORY > IT ALL GOES ON YEAH THE DREAM GOES ON… > > STREETS OF GOLD, STREETS OF WONDER > STREETS OF PEOPLE GROWING STRONGER > REVOLUTION AND VOICES OF THUNDER… > > …SOMETHING`S HAPPENING IN AMERICA CAN YOU FEEL IT? CAN YOU FEEL IT COMIN`? > IT`S LIKE THE GREEN PARTY IN GERMANY YOUNG PEOPLE WITH VISIONS AND DREAMS NICARAGUA, CHILE, POLAND AND SOUTH AFRICA FREEDOM BREWING, IT`S AN UPHILL DREAM > > DON`T BE AFRAID OF ANYTHING DON`T BE AFRAID OF ANYONE > > YOUNG MEN ARE DREAMING AND YOUNG GIRLS BELIEVING > AND ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE > > WHERE ARE THE FRONTIERS? > HOW DO I GET THERE? > THERE ARE NO MAPS, THERE ARE NO ROADS > JUST YOU AND ME ON THESE STREETS OF GOLD… ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/32 "2005-03-02T17:58:55Z")
Try “Freedom” by Richie Havens. In fact, that song and 66 others you’re looking for can be found [here](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE4781CDF49A97620C8852D1599E620D210DF4BF58150234558C0B73844810473FD0FBADBD2B3FA75B135AEF52EA0500ED6DA8E2B&sql=10:rh98s37wa3zg). ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/33 "2005-03-02T18:43:57Z")
I don’t have any specific song titles to share, but thought you might find this site interesting and/or useful: [http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/historical/freedom.html](http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/historical/freedom.html). It talks about the history of “protest” and “freedom” songs in America, and gives some examples you might be able to use. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183/34 "2005-03-02T20:12:02Z")
Well, I’m useless as a resource for hip-hop, but the (brief) lyrics to “Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills and Nash might be very fitting right now: _Find the cost of freedom Buried in the ground. Mother Earth will swallow you. Lay your body down._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-pertain-to-freedom/292183.md?page=1)