# Songs about politics, history, or literature? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841 "2005-10-19T01:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/21 "2005-10-19T03:23:47Z")
> [@Elenfair](#): > > Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie have a great song called “The War of 1812” which is certainly worth listening to. (“Aaaand the white house burned, burned burrrrned… and we’re the ones that did it…”) > > 😉 And you can watch it [here](http://www.deadtroll.com/index2.html) ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/22 "2005-10-19T03:25:52Z")
Leonard Cohen has written several songs that have biblical references: The Story Of Isaac Last Year’s Man Hallelujah Suzanne and several songs have references to Joan of Arc. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/23 "2005-10-19T04:03:21Z")
A great deal of Bob Marley’s catalogue is about politics. And, to hit the literature category, a fair share make Biblical references. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/24 "2005-10-19T04:15:04Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > “Dust Bowl Blues” and “Talkin’ Dust Bowl” by Woodie Guthrie make a nice pair of examples. Honestly, anything off of the recording that these tunes appeared on, _Dust Bowl Ballads_, is pretty good. History AND politics, and not anti-war politics, neither. And “Tom Joad” references literature, of course. It’s some of Woody Guthrie’s best work, so it’s worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/25 "2005-10-19T04:17:58Z")
Oh, I forgot - “Done with Bonaparte” by Mark Knopfler counts, as it is about one soldier’s experience in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. And there’s an earlier song by Dire Straits called “Iron Hand,” although I’m not actually entirely certain which particular event in British history or politics it refers to :D. ---
**Author:** ![SleepyDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SleepyDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleepyDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/26 "2005-10-19T04:26:33Z")
To continue the political tangent, a lot of **Sysytem of a Down** ’s songs make some sociological/political points (assuming you have the lyric sheet:)). “Prison Song” and “B.Y.O.B.” spring immediately to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/27 "2005-10-19T04:44:15Z")
“Sullivan” by Caroline’s Spine, about the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. They insisted on being stationed on the same battleship together, and when it sank, they all died. It’s a common misconception that, following this, the military doesn’t allow close family members to be stationed together. That’s not quite right; no Sullivan act was ever put into effect. For more info on the issue, see [here](http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq72-5.htm). “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos” by Woody Guthrie. [Like the title says](http://www.bobdylanroots.com/deportees.html). Also his “Pretty Boy Floyd,” about you know, that one guy. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” by REM, about the [guy who attacked](http://ask.yahoo.com/20010619.html) Dan Rather. Also by REM, “Man on the Moon” about Andy Kaufman. I suppose that means “The Great Beyond” is about him, too. “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple about the burning of the Montreux Casino. By The Indigo Girls: Galileo, Jonas and Ezekiel (memorializing [Bob Sheldon](http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2001-02-21/triangles.html), anti-war activist who was shot in his bookstore in 1991), Virginia Woolf, and Romeo and Juliet. That’s just from the titles on the Rites of Passage album. (Yes, I’m basically just going through the music on my computer. Rites of Passage is the only album by them I own.) I’ve always thought that the lyrics for “Cedar Tree” were heavily biblical, but the only thing I’ve really found is Abraham/Sarah and the palm/cedar trees, and the link is very tenuous. Anyway, The Indigo Girls use a lot of historical and literary references in their songs. And now I’m out of steam. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/28 "2005-10-19T04:59:53Z")
Laurie Anderson does quite a bit of material that references _Moby Dick_. And she has a sweet song about Hansel and Gretel. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/29 "2005-10-19T05:30:34Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Also, the original version of Elvis Costello’s “Less Then Zero” references British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. An alternate version references Lee Harvey Oswald. Costello’s “Green Shirt” invokes Orwell’s _1984_ and mentions a “Quisling clinic”–the Norwegian fascist leader who collaborated with the Nazis (thus resulting in his name becoming another word for “traitor”). Elvis Costello’s **Spike** album has a number of songs that reference historical or political themes. “Any King’s Shilling” is about the Troubles, “Tramp the Dirt Down” is a song about Maggie Thatcher, “Let Him Dangle” is about the murder case that ultimately led to the end of capital punishment in England (Derek Bentley, a mentally handicapped man, was hanged for a murder in which his friend, a minor, actually pulled the trigger). While you have your Pogues cds out, give a listen to “Thousands Are Sailing” (Irish emigration) and “Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six” (the treatment of the Irish by the English under the Prevention of Terrorism Act) from **If I Should Fall From Grace With God**. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/30 "2005-10-19T07:36:24Z")
Another Kate Bush- “The Sensual World”- refs Joyce’s ULYSSES ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/31 "2005-10-19T08:23:19Z")
Two songs by Kate Bush have already been mentioned, but most of her songs are small works of fiction: stories told from the first person. She’s an endless source of fascinating and unique material. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/32 "2005-10-19T08:43:01Z")
Tom Waits’ _California, Here I Come_. (Inspired by Kerouac and _On the Road_.) Gordon Lightfoot’s _Don Quixote_, if you’re into that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/33 "2005-10-19T11:02:11Z")
I know tons and tons of examples of political music, being a folky sort of Pookah. But for some reason they are all at the moment blocked by No More Heroes by the Stranglers and the Trotski icepick thing. Oh, but Dick Gaughan is good for political song. As long as you don’t mind it being folky and very left wing. And seriously good. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/34 "2005-10-19T11:05:41Z")
Morrisey’s _Irish Blood, English Heart_. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/35 "2005-10-19T11:52:59Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > There are more than a few songs about war, but most tend to be overly-simplistic protest songs. I’m not interested in those. Music bemoaning the tragedy of war usually sounds trite to my ears, but can be very powerful when done right (e.g. “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda”). I wouldn’t mind finding some other songs in that vein. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: “Red Army Blues” by the Waterboys, about the fate of Russian soldiers after WWII. Great horns, too. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/36 "2005-10-19T12:59:31Z")
Another RUSH-Ayn Rand work- all of 2112 is basically a sad-ending revision of her ANTHEM ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/37 "2005-10-19T13:28:36Z")
[_Reuben James_](http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/3448/reuben.html) by Woody Guthrie. [_The Ballad of Ira Hayes_](http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/ira.html) by Johnny Cash. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/38 "2005-10-19T13:55:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Kinks: “Victoria” is ultimately about British Imperialism. Actually, I’d recommend the whole album this song is from: _Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire_. Plenty of references to British history of the past century or two. A couple of songs from Utopia (Todd Rundgren’s 70s-80s prog-rock/power-pop band) that reference literature: “Lysistrata” and “Fahrenheit 451.” ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/39 "2005-10-19T14:43:01Z")
[The Ballad of Chevy Chase](http://www.contemplator.com/child/chevych.html) ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841/40 "2005-10-19T16:46:58Z")
The Decemberist’s material is all about storytelling, often historical. The modern songs are generally political. Goldfinger’s albums have been moving steadily towards political commentary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-politics-history-or-literature/326841.md?page=3)