# What are the modern protest songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 29, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484 "2025-09-29T15:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/21 "2025-09-29T21:57:58Z")
Isn’t a large chunk of rap railing against the institutionalized oppression of black people in America? I’d say that that qualifies as protest. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/22 "2025-09-30T06:03:29Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > **The Drive-By Truckers** (“[What it Means](https://youtu.be/mY0qOCUy27Q?si=AmNCqRzjwgCQLXTi)” _one of several_) They gettin’ _Feisty!_ Great bunch of people. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/23 "2025-09-30T08:36:02Z")
“It’s a trojan horse protest song. It sets up its premise of calling out rich politicians….spends the majority of the song complaining about poor people.” He and i are not on the same side. But it definitely is his protest - in a song. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/24 "2025-09-30T08:44:44Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Good lord that’s some [cringeworthy garbage](https://genius.com/Oliver-anthony-music-rich-men-north-of-richmond-lyrics). I thought the middle-school pun on Richmond was bad, but the lyrics are even worse If Dems don’t learn to listen to people like him, then we will continue to get the likes of DJT in office. He blames who he’s been taught to blame, and who in his world is countering the argument? The only tv channel he gets is Fox, and what have we done to give him an alternative? His local board of education has been taken over by evangelicals, and what have the rest of us done to make sure his kids know how to read? He’s gonna vote for whomever shows him an ounce of interest and respect. Not for who judges his lyrics against their Sophomore poetry class at UVA. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/25 "2025-09-30T08:48:40Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > But it definitely is his protest - in a song. Unfortunately, protest song does not necessarily mean left-wing protest song. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/26 "2025-09-30T12:27:56Z")
Another response: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gwUa9Q_1RZM/maxresdefault.jpg "Poor Man South of Portland") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwUa9Q_1RZM) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/27 "2025-09-30T13:30:38Z")
Carsie Blanton [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pD_eZg70Ms0/maxresdefault.jpg "RICH PEOPLE by CARSIE BLANTON - Official Live Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD_eZg70Ms0) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/28 "2025-09-30T13:32:54Z")
A new one from Fiona Apple, powerful and catchy [Pretrial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki1nvcNbYH8) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/29 "2025-09-30T13:37:53Z")
I came here to post that very link ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/30 "2025-10-02T13:54:49Z")
Perhaps I was too gentle. He can take his pathetic little rant about fat welfare queens and shove it up his redneck ass. Where were all the demands that those on the right needed to understand and reach out to democratic voters after Biden’s win in 2020? I mean sure, morons can make protest songs just like anyone else. It’s America, after all. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/31 "2025-10-03T08:13:47Z")
Kirby Lauryen has been my jam the past couple of days. Don’t stop at this [song](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YDQWydR34Oc&list=PLAmAmjOvu1hBBdV870or3FH_KgLvBzAC5&index=6&pp=iAQB8AUB), she’s got so much more! ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/32 "2025-10-03T17:51:59Z")
Sloan has a very clever protest song that obviously isn’t about anyone in particular (note the lack of an apostrophe in the title!) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DorF5qxbCxc/hqdefault.jpg "Sloan - Silence Trumps Lies (lyric video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DorF5qxbCxc) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/33 "2025-10-06T12:45:58Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Rich men north of Richmond. Vaguely related. This came up on my Facebook feed and I LOLed .. > **[Modern Day Country Singer Visits Folsom Prison to Advocate for Harsher...](https://thehardtimes.net/culture/modern-day-country-singer-visits-folsom-prison-to-advocate-for-harsher-sentencing/)** > > Country singer Carlson Swagger brought his cowboy bootlickin’ brand of lawful country music to Folsom Prison today where he performed only for law enforcement while advocating for harsher sentencing for the prisoners. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/34 "2025-10-06T16:32:28Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Vaguely related. This came up on my Facebook feed and I LOLed .. Compared to 1968, the world is topsy-turvy. And that was a time when when everybody thought _their_ world was topsy-turvy… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/35 "2025-10-07T21:12:00Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Vaguely related. This came up on my Facebook feed and I LOLed .. For those who (like me) didn’t figure it out immediately, that’s a parody news site. > The Hard Times is a _very_ real punk news site that you should not question. Just absorb the information as truth and move on. The historic satire site was founded in December 1976. It’s made by a group of punk and hardcore kids from all the different sub-genres of the DIY hardcore scene. Any resemblance to actual persons or band names is coincidental. It appears that Carlson Swagger does not, as of this posting, exist. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/36 "2025-10-08T00:25:11Z")
This one apparently got enough attention to raise the [ire of Trump](https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/zach-bryan-bad-news-anti-ice-song-trump-10841725): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cuwo284nixE/hqdefault.jpg "Bad News - Zach Bryan") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuwo284nixE) Which gives him brownie points aplenty in my book (or whatever the punk equalivent is 🙂 ). Needless to say I had never heard of him before that ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/37 "2025-10-08T00:31:42Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > For those who (like me) didn’t figure it out immediately, that’s a parody news site. Poes Law strikes again. Though in the current political environment over the top hyperbolic parodies of conservatism are usually recognizable as they seem more moderate and reasonable than IRL conservatism ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/38 "2025-10-08T03:46:31Z")
Hayley Williams - True believer [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-L-lCvJ-ops/maxresdefault.jpg "Hayley Williams - True Believer (Lyrics)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L-lCvJ-ops) > They put up chainlink fences underneath the biggest bridges > They pose in Christmas cards with guns as big as all their children > They say that Jesus is the way but then they gave him a white face > So they don’t have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them > > The South will not rise again > Til it’s paid for every sin > Strange fruit, hard bargain > Till the roots, Southern Gotham ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/39 "2025-11-09T01:31:04Z")
I don’t know if this one counts. It’s not just a political protest, but a religious one. [It’s about fighting for the real meaning of Christianity.](https://youtu.be/El_gcASlfVs) There are a lot of us in the USA fighting hard to reclaim the name from the “prosperity gospel” types. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/40 "2025-11-09T20:16:31Z")
The video shows a drive on a road in the Philippines while instrumental music plays. Does not match the description in the link. But has the same artist name and title. No comprendo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484.md?page=3)