There are many, many incredible political song lyrics throughout American history that powerfully capture listeners. These are the top 12 American political lyrics of all time:
- “Get Together,” The Youngbloods
This song, released in 1967, is very reflective of the hippie era. It perfectly captures the essence of hippie philosophy — peace and love — in a potent and moving way.
- “This Land,” JibJab
While this song, taken from an iconic music video from JibJab.com, is a parody of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” the jabs at 2004 presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry are spot-on in identifying the contenders’ flaws. The digs at Bush for lacking the necessary intellect to serve as commander-in-chief are as funny as they are accurate.
- “War,” Edwin Starr
This famous anti-war song is most well-known for its chorus of “War! / What is it good for? / Absolutely nothing!” However, I couldn’t help but pick the above lines to highlight because of the intensely powerful argument they make. The notion that war cannot be used to achieve lasting peace contradicted the conventional wisdom when it was released in 1970 — amidst the ripping tensions of the Cold War.
- “Southern Man,” Neil Young
“Southern Man” was a sharp-tongued rebuke of the racism historically prevalent in the American South, particularly turning an eye towards slavery. I chose these lyrics to highlight because they accuse the 1970s South of maintaining wealth gained from their ancestors’ slavery without ever attempting to make amends to the descendents of slaves. Powerful stuff.
- “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” The Band
This song embodies the feelings of Southerners experiencing the crumbling of the Confederacy in the Civil War. The song highlights sentiments of nationalism, remorse for fallen comrades and family members and internal conflicts about the Confederate cause. These lines come at the song’s culmination of all these conflictions and is a powerful pushback against the notion that a victorious South is essential no matter how many must lay down their lives to gain that victory.
- “Alice’s Restaurant,” Arlo Guthrie
“Alice’s Restaurant” is a musical monologue released in 1967 against the Vietnam War. Guthrie tells a captivating fictional story of a man who is arrested for littering that sensationalizes the bloodlust of the times. The tale details the insanity of the militarism and law-and-order extremism during the Vietnam War and interweaves a sort of sickening humoristic element. When the monologue finally comes to an end, listeners are able to see the relevance of Alice’s Restaurant.
- “The Times, They Are A-Changin’,” Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s “The Times, They Are A-Changin’” is an iconic political song, and for good reason: It perfectly encapsulates the feelings of younger Americans during its 1965 release. These feelings extend across all spectrums of life, from parents to artists to, yes, politicians. The message is clear: Either embrace the progressive goals of the youth, or move aside.
- “Born in the U.S.A.,” Bruce Springsteen
This Springsteen quote also focuses on the national mentality during the Vietnam War, but it takes a slightly darker angle. These lines cast the soldiers sent to the Vietnamese hellhole as those almost banished by society, and it highlights the use of racist propaganda to help build national support for the war. The idea that young men were taken advantage of and unwillingly shipped off to fight for their lives in some distant war is a powerful reality facing listeners.
- “Let’s Impeach the President,” Neil Young
This little-known song is nothing more than an indictment of President George W. Bush. Released during the height of controversy during his administration in 2006, the song lambasts Bush for his wiretapping program, for hiring “all the criminals,” and for lying to the American people resulting in two wars, among other charges. The lyrics I chose — though incredibly controversial — are, in my humble opinion, the most accurate and powerful criticisms of Bush.
- “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Bob Dylan
The ultimate anti-war song, “Blowin’ in the Wind” is so powerful precisely because it doesn’t focus on just one conflict. While it was released in 1963 during the height of the Vietnam War, the song interrogates humanity throughout the ages. It powerfully poses a simple question: When will we achieve peace? In other words, when will we have enough war that we can finally live in peace?
- “Union Dixie,” Tennessee Ernie Ford
Nearly every American can instantly recognize the tune of “Dixie,” yet few know the lyrics or meaning of the original song. “Dixie” was performed in blackface and was supposed to portray a slave’s homesickness, yearning to be a part of the slave-riddled South once more. It was adopted as the de facto Confederate anthem and utilized ugly, racist vernacular to portray the slave’s speech. From the tune, a Confederate fighting song “To Arms in Dixie” was born, as was the song I selected, “Union Dixie.” “Union Dixie” — set to the same melody — harshly scolds the Confederacy, promising a Union victory and a reuniting of the Union. I particularly admire the song’s portrayal of the Confederate South as a petulant child needing some strong discipline from its “Uncle Sam” — the United States Federal Government.
- “Hurricane,” Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane,” released in 1975, tops this list simply because of the poetry Dylan employs in showing listeners the true injustice of the criminal justice system. Dylan recounts the mistreatment of boxing champion Rubin “Hurricane” Carter — an African American — and the racist criminal justice system that unfairly stole his future away from him. While the song as a whole makes the listener agonize in both empathy for Carter and anger towards police, witnesses and judge, it is the lines that I chose that really hit the listener with the stark reality of just how wrong and unjust his conviction was and breed a resounding, emotional furiosity.
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