Tag: Protest Songs

Matthew Ryan Finds Beauty Within Our National Affliction: “On Our Death Day”

Matthew Ryan On Our Death Day

Matthew Ryan has released a new single, “On Our Death Day.” The song, in the form of a “maxi-single,” arrives now without an album because Ryan felt an urgency to release it. It’s a song about our national moment, timely yet timeless, trying to find some sanity and hope in spite of what is coming out of Washington.

In October 2016, Ryan put music to the pre-election mood with his instrumental album, Current Events. Part of the purpose of that album was to create a soundtrack for information overload and the troubles of the times. With these new singles, he wrestles with the the post-election situation through his lyrics.

On Our Death Day

Although “On Our Death Day” comes out of our current political moment, the song is not political in the sense of a call to arms or of being in the voice of an activist. Instead, the singer asks timeless questions. The voice comes from someone troubled by our world. And the person could be someone who voted for our current president, or not.

The singer asks these questions of someone named Mary. The context leads one to imagine the conversation taking place between a man and his beloved. Perhaps they are an older couple in Ryan’s home state of Pennsylvania. Maybe they are farmers in the Midwest, or they could be anywhere in the country. (Or one could find the singer’s appeal going to a more spiritual place in light of the woman’s name.)

There are no accusations here, and Ryan has called “On Our Death Day” a love song. The opening verse ponders how we got to this moment in our lives. The singer understands the unhappiness that brought the current occupant to the White House. When those in the city and in the country are hurting, they look for answers: “You’ll start looking where you hurt.”

There is understanding, not blame, for those who opened the door. But it is clear who is the target of the second verse.

There’s a vulture with his head down,

The captain’s butchering Gunga Din;

He calls for darkness and darkness comes;

Our fellow slaves invite it in.

Yet this darkness, this person, this situation, is not really as new to the world as one might think. This same darkness is “in every book ever written.”

It would be easy to find despair in this darkness. But the singer reassures us that when all hope is gone, “all that’s left is hope.” In the chorus, he asks Mary if it is too late or if they will still have each other. Maybe it is love that gets us through. “Will you be standing / Under a black and silver sky / By my side, / By the graves,/ On our death day?

The song’s title referring to “our death day” may lead one to expect a dark song. But Ryan explained to Chimesfreedom that “a death can also be the end of an idea.” In fact, he explained, the song is looking for “context and redemption, and above all, a way out.”

It is not surprising that Ryan feels a special connection to this song. Many artists have avoided the challenge of the current political situation, perhaps hoping for additional clarity with more time. Some, like Son Volt, have released an album trying to sort through current events. Others have found mostly rage. With the new single, Ryan felt compelled to dig deeper, seeking his way around to find hope and love as ways to lead all of us out of this mess.

And It’s Such a Drag

For the B-side to “On Our Death Day” Ryan reworked his song “And It’s Such a Drag.” The song originally appeared in a quieter form on his album In the Dusk of Everything (2012). On the new amped-up version, Ryan is joined by Doug Lancio (guitar), Aaron “The A-Train” Smith (drums), and Kelley Looney (bass). This group provides great energy to the song. We hope there might be an album with this lineup in the future.

Ryan explained that he included “And It’s Such a Drag” with “On Our Death Day” because the B-side is about “an intimate confrontation with a narcissist.” One should be troubled by how a song originally written about a broken relationship can work so well as a commentary on our president.

But it is the perfect B-side for “On Our Death Day.” While the A-side is about quiet redemption, the B-side’s rock sound lets out a little anger. Sometimes you need to vent before you can get around to peace and understanding.

In this context, I imagine “And It’s Such a Drag” being in the voice of a disillusioned Trump supporter, or really any American voter: “Who loves you/ More than me/ Who gave you/ All that he had.” Then, the realization that this president (lover) does not care: “And you talk about me/ Like I was just another one of your deals.” The more I listen to this song, the more I think it is about this moment right now, even though Ryan wrote it years ago. Crank it up loud.

A Leonard Cohen Cover Bonus Track

Finally, the digital version of Ryan’s “maxi-single” release includes a bonus song. Ryan covers Leonard Cohen’s song “Steer Your Way.” The tune originally appeared on Cohen’s haunting final album recorded while he was in declining health, You Want it Darker (2016). Ryan had recorded the song for a Cohen-tribute vinyl album after the 2016 election, Like a Drunk In A Midnight Choir. It is a nice addition here as a bonus track.


Cohen’s song, in the voice of one nearing the end of life, coaxes us to review our own choices and our lives. The singer advises, “Steer your heart past the Truth you believed in yesterday.” Again, I find in this song Ryan’s compassion for people who are open to growth and to changing their minds.

Ryan has disclosed that Cohen’s song helped steer him back toward hope. He adds that the lyrics to “Steer Your Way” say “so clearly what needs to be said right now.”

In releasing these three recordings together now, Ryan explained, “Each of us should do what we can to offer intelligence and beauty and conscience in contrast to this stormy weather.” With beauty, grace, contemplation, compassion, and poetry, Ryan has lived up to his end of the bargain.

Of course, those are just my impressions of the songs. You may find something different in them. To purchase “On Our Death Day” on vinyl with “And It’s Such a Drag” or as a digital maxi-single with the bonus Leonard Cohen song, head over to Matthew Ryan’s website or his Bandcamp page.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Why “GUY”? (Steve Earle album review)

Steve Earle has released a wonderful tribute to one of his mentors, Guy Clark, with his album GUY. Yet, the album is a bit of a surprise. Earle has long been outspoken on important issues, incorporating political messages into many of his songs. So, one may wonder why, during a crazy period of American political history, Earle’s new music is largely silent on the issues of the day. The question about why Earle is doing this album at this time is further complicated by the fact that there is already an outstanding multi-artist tribute to Clark. So, why GUY?

During the George W. Bush administration, Earle released the album Just an American Boy (2003), along with a documentary by the same name. The album featured songs criticizing the war, and Earle provoked controversy with his song humanizing “enemy combatant” John Walker Lindh (“John Walker’s Blues”). When Bill Clinton was in the White House, Earle called for Woody Guthrie and other activists to “come back” in “Christmas in Washington.” When Barack Obama was president, Earle sang about a “City of Immigrants.” Going back to the beginning of his career, Earle was never afraid to take on important issues, recording several songs about capital punishment.

But now, as the current occupant sits in the White House, Steve Earle gives us a tribute album for his friend? Really?

What “GUY” Is

Let’s start with the fact that GUY is one of Earle’s best albums in recent years, perhaps since 2004’s The Revolution Starts Now. As a starting point, Guy Clark was one of the great American songwriters, so Earle had a great group of songs from which to choose.

And Earle and the Dukes sound great. Earle and the Dukes, for the most part, do not change a lot in their interpretations of the songs. There are a few exceptions, like a more rocking version of “Out in the Parking Lot.” While Earle does not radically rework “Dublin Blues,” Earle and the band highlight the boasts in the song (“I’ll stand up and be counted”). While Clark’s voice emphasized the sadness in the lyrics.

Throughout the album, the Dukes give new energy to the songs, and the band’s work is a large reason to get this album. The Dukes include Kelley Looney (bass), Ricky Ray Jackson (pedal steel guitar), Eleanor Whitmore (fiddle and mandolin), Chris Masterson (guitar), and Brad Pemberton (drums).

And the world can always use another version of “L.A. Freeway.” It is one of the best songs ever written about leaving somewhere.

GUY is a personal album for Earle. Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt were two important mentors to Earle. Earle has jokingly explained that the reason he made GUY was that he had already created a tribute album of Van Zandt’s songs, Townes(2009). So, he feared meeting Clark in the afterlife and having to explain why he made an album for Van Zandt but not for Clark.

It is a funny story, but perhaps there is a sense of obligation that helps explain why Earle made GUY. And it gives Earle a reason to gather together friends like Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Emmylou Harris to sing Clark’s song, “Old Friends.”

So Come Back Steve Earle, Come Back To Us Now

So, why GUY? Well, Earle crafted a beautiful album of wonderful songs played with energy by the Dukes. And even in troubled times, we need to affirm personal values and our own lives and bonds. Like Earle, who recently saw the ending of his marriage to singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, all of us must trudge on with our own real lives.

So, singing songs about friends, fathers (“Randall Knife”), broken hearts (“Dublin Blues”), old men (“Desperados Waiting for a Train”), and other personal connections is needed in troubled times, perhaps even more than other times. We need to remember our departed friends, as Earle is remembering Guy Clark. We all need sanctuary from the evening news and our lives.

So if you do not have this album, which is one of Earle’s best, get it. He will get around to the political message songs. Earle says he has already been working on such a political album. He plans to release it in time for the 2020 election.

What is your favorite Steve Earle song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Pete Seeger: “Bring Them Home”

    Pete Seeger was born on May 3, 1919 in New York City. He grew up to be a great social justice activist and folk singer. His many contributions to the battle against the Vietnam War included his song, “Bring Them Home,” which decades later he also later used to protest U.S. wars in the Middle East.

    One of the clever aspects of “Bring Them Home” is that Seeger asserts that he wishes to bring the soldiers home because of his love for his country. Many who favored the war accused anti-war activists of being anti-American. But Seeger reminded them that the truth was far different. The people protesting the war did so because they cared about their country and what their country was doing.

    While some of Seeger’s activism made TV executives nervous, such as the time he was censored in 1967 on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, many artists respected him. So, he did find his way onto our televisions, including in this March 1970 appearance on The Johnny Cash Show.

    It is pretty amazing to watch Seeger perform “Bring Them Home” on a national television show in 1970. That year, Richard Nixon was in the White House and the war still going on. But Seeger (and Johnny Cash) always sang the truth. Check it out.

    One of the signs of a great song is how it can be timeless even if written about a certain moment in time. “Bring Them Home” holds up. During the Iraq War, Bruce Springsteen performed a slightly modified version of the song, called “Bring ‘Em Home,” which was released as a digital download to support his album in tribute to Seeger, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006).

    As long as there are wars, “Bring Them Home” will be sung.

    In honor of Seeger’s 100th birthday, Smithsonian Folkways is releasing  Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection. What is your favorite Pete Seeger song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Matthew Ryan Finds Beauty Within Our National Affliction: “On Our Death Day”
  • Trini Lopez: Hammerin’ Out Danger
  • Why “GUY”? (Steve Earle album review)
  • “Last Train to Clarksville” as a Protest Song?
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    “Last Train to Clarksville” as a Protest Song?

    The Monkees

    One of the biggest hits recorded by The Monkees is “Last Train to Clarksville,” which was released in 1966.  Many of us grew up singing along to the song without realizing it was written as a protest against the Vietnam War.

    Take the last train to Clarksville
    And I’ll meet you at the station,
    You can be here by four-thirty,
    ‘Cause I’ve made your reservation, don’t be slow,
    Oh, no, no, no,
    Oh, no, no, no.

    If you listen closely to the lyrics sung by Micky Dolenz, you can hear that The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” is actually in the voice of someone frightened about going off to war.

    Now I must hang up the phone,
    I can’t hear you in this noisy railroad station,
    All alone, I’m feeling low.
    Oh, no, no, no,
    Oh, no, no, no,
    And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home.

    The song does not specifically mention the war, but songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart explained that they kind of “snuck in” the Viet Nam references.  They noted, “We couldn’t be too direct with the Monkees.”

    And that is the story behind the song.

    What is your favorite song about the Vietnam War or about trains? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Ambiguous Anti-War Underpinnings of “Galveston”
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  • Matthew Ryan Finds Beauty Within Our National Affliction: “On Our Death Day”
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    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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    The Ambiguous Anti-War Underpinnings of “Galveston”

    Anti-war song Galveston

    One of the late Glen Campbell’s greatest recordings is of the Jimmy Webb penned classic, “Galveston.” Although it has been called one of the best anti-war pop songs (even bordering on sedition), the anti-war elements are so understated that I had heard the song many times without ever recognizing its references to war.

    Rolling Stone     has noted how Webb originally wrote the song as a protest song during the Viet Nam era.  Don Ho first recorded the song and introduced it to Campbell.  Then, Campbell made some small changes to the lyrics to make it a bit more ambiguous.

    The ambiguity is increased by the soaring music and the fact that Campbell wore a uniform in the official video.

    The Lyrics to “Galveston”

    Yet, it is the ambiguity that makes the song so great. The singer thinks back to the town of Galveston and the love he left there: “I still see her dark eyes glowing./She was twenty one, when I left Galveston.”

    The listener hears the first verse and has no idea why the singer left Galveston. But then in the second verse, there is a reference to cannons and the wonderful line, “I clean my gun, and dream of Galveston.”

    Yet, to find any anti-war message, a listener must look to the next verse and the song’s final lines.

    “Galveston, I am so afraid of dying,
    Before I dry the tears she’s crying,
    Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun, at Galveston, at Galveston.”

    One may still view the song as a soldier looking back on the love he left behind. In that sense, the song is similar to Bing Crosby’s recording of “White Christmas.” Or one may take the line about the fear of dying as a reminder of the horrors of war, which takes the lives of so many young people.

    Original Lyrics

    Webb was a great writer, but it is hard to argue that the ambiguous verse Campbell added to replace Webb’s more anti-war verse was not an improvement. In fact, when Webb recorded his song in 1972, he sang it with Campbell’s tweak to the lyrics.  What did Campbell change?

    According to Wikipedia, the original second verse as sung by Don Ho was:

    “Wonder if she could forget me;
    I’d go home if they would let me;
    Put down this gun,
    And go to Galveston.”

    The video below of someone’s trip to the beach in Galveston features these original lyrics in the Don Ho version.

    Campbell replaced that verse with the verse about cannon’s flashing and cleaning his gun. Gone was the reference to the fact that the soldier would leave the war if he could. Instead, we just know he thinks of Galveston and his love while he cleans his gun.

    Still, there is not much difference in meaning.  And Campbell also left in the line about the fear of dying.

    Webb and Campbell

    In the video below, Webb and Campbell discuss the song before playing a slower, soulful version with Webb on the piano.

    Webb himself has been a bit ambiguous about the meaning behind the song. In a Sound Observations interview, he claimed: “If there was a statement, and obviously I was saying something, I prefer to say it wasn’t anti-war – that it was more about an individual getting involved in a war and realizing that he’d rather be somewhere else.” He then went on to explain that it was not to be a “hit-you-over-the-head” protest song.

    Yet, Webb’s comments did reveal there was a message that became hidden in Campbell’s version: “But a lot of people didn’t get it anyway. Because, Glen pretty much cut it up-tempo. It was kind of like a march. It was kind of happy. It sounded almost patriotic.”

    Either way, it is a beautiful song, likely made more beautiful by the clash of the anti-war writer and the more conservative singer who supported the Viet Nam War. One can hear that tension in the beautiful song about a soldier longing for his Texas home, made more beautiful by the wonderful voice of Glen Campbell.

    What is your favorite anti-war song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Mickey Mouse Enlists in Viet Nam War
  • Matthew Ryan Finds Beauty Within Our National Affliction: “On Our Death Day”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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