“Killing an Arab” by The Cure references Albert Camus’ The Stranger
From Australia there’s the group Midnight Oil, especially the album Diesel and Dust. Many of their songs have poltical agendas such as aboriginal rights and environmentalism.
Also from Austalia, the group Yothu Yindi, composed of both aboriginals and whites, does songs about aboriginal rights. They never hit big in the US, but they are pretty much straight rock with almost all there songs having political axes to grind.
From South Africa, there’s Johnny Clegg and Savuka (a mixed white and Zulu grouip), singing in both English and Zulu, fighting apartheid and giving lessons on South Africa’s history. They also did the song commemorating South Africa’s soccer team qualifying for the 1998 World Cup in France.
“Rejoyce” by Jefferson Airplane also references (& directly quotes IIRC) Joyce’s “Ulysses.”
Also, the Airplane’s “Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil” and “House at Pooneil Corners” references “Winnie the Pooh” and folk singer Fred Neil. Not to mention “White Rabbit” which is of course about “Alice in Wonderland.” And “When the Earth Moves Again” refers to “Hannibal elephants marching off to Rome.”
I’ve heard that “Crown of Creation” also references a french poem (the “Life is change…” part), although I can’t verify that.
For a bunch of stoner hippies, they were a remarkably literate band.
Springsteen
American Skin (NYC Shooting)
Devils and Dust (Iraq)
Atlantic City (arrival of gaming)
You mentioned The Ghost of Tom Joad; that whole album is social commentary about the lives of the disenfranchised in the Southwest (immigrants, etc).
And 2 must-listens:
The entire The Rising album was about 9/11 and it’s various aftermaths.
and “Youngstown” is a great, great song dealing with the rise and fall of the iron industry in that city.
**Tesla ** did *Edison’s Medicine * about…yup, Nikoli Telsa.
And **Iron Maiden ** turned *Ryme of the Ancient Mariner * into metal.
Wow. Thanks for all the replies. Of the mentioned songs in this thread that I’ve heard before, I don’t think that there is a single one that I don’t like. That would seem to bode well for the others that I haven’t heard yet.
By an odd coincidence, I heard the Iron Maiden song mentioned by kidchameleon for the very first time just three nights ago. I have a friend who’s really, really into Maiden and Judas Priest. He’s almost as obsessed with them as he is with Morrissey. (Gee, which one of those three doesn’t fit. 
)
Speaking of Joyce, Amber had a dance hit a few years back with “Yes”, which takes lyrics from Molly Bloom’s soliloquy.
Another ditto for System of a Down. They’re a tad incomprehensible at times (most famously in “F*** the System”), but their black humor and snarky socio-political comedy makes it a band I like listening to.
Iced Earth’s last album, The Glorious Burden, is a collection of history-inspired songs. The Gettysburg suite that ends the album is absolutely incredible.
Oliver Cromwell by Monty Python.
Unfortunatly, you’ll never be able to listen to Chopin again without thinking of that.
Another ‘political’ band from Oz: - Redgum.
Ralph McTell wrote a couple of songs about English history for Fairport Convention:
Wat Tyler - (peasant’s revolt)
Red and Gold - (English Civil War, specifically the battle of Copredy Bridge)
Oh, and speaking of the Civil War, Steeleye Span’s ‘Montrose’ (written by Rick Kemp and Martin Carthy) is a magnificent song about the life and death of James Graham, one King Charles’ greatest generals.
The Clash has several political songs , although they tend to get a little carried away at times,
Spanish Bombs
Hate and War
White Riot
Washington Bullets
Somebody Got Murdered
Guns on the Roof
Police & Theives
Clampdown
Career Opportunites
Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad
There is also a lot more reggae than Bob Marley that deals with political issues,
Toots & the Maytals- Pressure Drop, 54-46 Was My Number
Plus check out songs by Burning Spear, Mikey Dread, and Peter Tosh if you feel so inclined
Warren Zevon’s “Veracruz” is one of my favorite songs.
Motorhead’s “1916” is about World War I, and it’s a very sad song.
Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” seems to me to be about the Crimean War. “Mother Russia” and “Alexander the Great” also come to mind by Maiden.
“When a Soldier Makes It Home” by Arlo Guthrie was written (according to him) after a conversation with a Russian, whose experiences with the Afghan war reminded Arlo of America’s experience in Vietnam.
Woody Guthrie’s “1913 Massacre” is good. He also did a whole album about the
Sacco and Vanzetti trial, called “Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti”.
Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” is about a real person, about whom a movie was made a few years ago.
Would anyone even know who Eva Peron was without Evita?
Ted Nugent’s “Bound and Gagged” references the hostage crises in Iran and Lebanon.
The OP mentioned the powerful song “The Band Played Waltzing Mathilda.” In that same vein is a song by Christine Lavin called The Wild Blue , which is about a Japanese airman during WW2.