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iambicstateofmind · 7 years ago

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28 Chill Songs to Ease Your Stress

1. “All Things Must Pass” -George Harrison

“Sunset doesn't last all evening. A mind can blow those clouds away. After all this, my love is up and must be leaving. It's not always going to be this gray...“

“So, I must be on my way and face another day. Now the darkness only stays at nighttime. In the morning it will fade away. Daylight is good at arriving at the right time. It's not always going to be this gray...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2S8-rnsifA

2. “Be Still” -The Fray

“When darkness comes upon you and covers you with fear and shame, be still and know that I'm with you and I will say your name...”

“If terror falls upon your bed, and sleep no longer comes. Remember all the words I said. Be still, be still, and know...” “And when you go through the valley and a shadow comes down from the hill. If morning never comes to be, be still, be still, be still...” “If you forget the way to go, and lose where you came from. If no one is standing beside you, be still and know I am...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtp-p7qFI2I

3. “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” -John Lennon

“Close your eyes. Have no fear The monster's gone, he's on the run and your daddy's here. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy...”

“Out on the ocean sailing away. I can hardly wait to see you to come of age, but I guess we'll both just have to be patient. Yes it's a long way to go, but in the meantime...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt3IOdDE5iA

4. “Blackbird” -The Beatles

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise...”

“Black bird singing in the dead of night. Take these sunken eyes and learn to see. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free. Blackbird fly, blackbird fly into the light of the dark black night...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Man4Xw8Xypo

5. “Box of Rain” -Grateful Dead

“Look out of any window, any morning, any evening, any day. Maybe the sun is shining, birds are winging or rain is falling from a heavy sky. What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through? This is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago...”

"Walk into splintered sunlight, inch your way through dead dreams to another land. Maybe you're tired and broken. Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear. What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through? A box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through...”

“It's just a box of rain. I don't know who put it there. Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare. But it's just a box of rain, or a ribbon for your hair. Such a long long time to be gone. And a short time to be there...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIHySCL-puM

6. “Breathe (In The Air)” -Pink Floyd

“Breathe, breathe in the air. Don't be afraid to care. Leave but don't leave me. Look around and choose your own ground. For long you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all you touch and all you see Is all your life will ever be...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vddl9TK5RqU

7. “Drift Away” -Dobie Gray

“Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul. I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away...”

“And when my mind is free, you know a melody can move me. And when I'm feelin' blue, the guitar's comin' through to soothe me...” “Thanks for the joy that you've given me. I want you to know I believe in your song and rhythm and rhyme and harmony. You've helped me along, makin' me strong...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_eVcCAUXo

8. “Fly Me to the Moon” -Frank Sinatra

“Fly me to the moon. Let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like on a, Jupiter and Mars. In other words, hold my hand. In other words, baby, kiss me...” “Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDXXpxwzu5Q

9. “Forever Young” -Bob Dylan

“May God bless and keep you always. May your wishes all come true. May you always do for others and let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. May you stay forever young...”

“May you grow up to be righteous. May you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous. Stand upright and be strong. May you stay forever young...”

“May your hands always be busy. May your feet always be swift. May you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift. May your heart always be joyful. May your song always be sung. May you stay forever young...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frj2CLGldC4

Joan Baez cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4UoJ47SzjA

10. “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” -George Harrison

“Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth. Give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth. Give me hope, help me cope, with this heavy load. Trying to, touch and reach you with heart and soul...”

“Please take hold of my hand that I might understand you...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-KAvPbO8JY

11. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” -Green Day

“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test, and don't ask why. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time...”

“It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bTdLi0YUVM

12. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” Creedence Clearwater Revival

“I want to know, have you ever seen the rain? I want to know, have you ever seen the rain comin' down on a sunny day...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu2pVPWGYMQ

13. “Here Comes the Sun” -The Beatles

“Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say it's all right...”

“Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces. Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...”

”Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces. Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say it's all right...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfMXXMH9thc

14. “Hey Jude” -The Beatles

“Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better...”

“And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder...”

“So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin. You're waiting for someone to perform with. And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do. The movement you need is on your shoulder...”

Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_MjCqQoLLA (starts at 0.56)

15. “Ho Hey” -The Lumineers

“So show me family. All the blood that I will bleed. I don't know where I belong. I don't know where I went wrong. But I can write a song...” “I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart. I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart...”

“Love we need it now. Let's hope for some. Cause oh, we're bleedin' out...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4DD7r4E9L8

16. “Home” -Phillip Phillips

“Hold on, to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave (wave) is stringing us along. Just know you're not alone. Cause I'm gonna make this place your home...”

“Settle down, it'll all be clear. Don't pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you're not alone. Cause I'm gonna make this place your home...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYof-1Ssgo

17. “I Can See Clearly Now” -Johnny Nash

“I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's going to be a bright, bright sun shiny day. It's going to be a bright, bright sun shiny day...”

“I can make it now the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is that rainbow I've been praying for. It's going to to be a bright, bright sun shiny day..”

“Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies. Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rB4v75jqU

18. “In My Life” -The Beatles

“There are places I'll remember all my life though some have changed. Some forever not for better. Some have gone and some remain. All these places had their moments. With lovers and friends I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living. In my life I've loved them all...”

“But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one compares with you and these memories lose their meaning when I think of love as something new. Though I know I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life I love you more...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBcdt6DsLQA

19. “Landslide” -Fleetwood Mac

“I took my love and I took it down. I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills till the landslide brought me down. Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?...”

“Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I've built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older and I'm getting older too...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXonGAEPQp8

20. “My Sweet Lord” -George Harrison

“I really wanna see you. I really wanna be with you. I really wanna see you, Lord But it takes so long, my Lord. My sweet Lord...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kXCBNQCNnM

21. “Night Moves” -Bob Seger

“Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy. Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy. Workin' on mysteries without any clues. Workin' on our night moves. Trying' to make some front page drive-in news. Workin' on our night moves in the summertime. In the sweet summertime...”

“And oh the wonder. Felt the lightning. And we waited on the thunder. Waited on the thunder...” “I woke last night to the sound of thunder. How far off I sat and wondered. Started humming a song from 1962. Ain't it funny how the night moves when you just don't seem to have as much to lose. Strange how the night moves with autumn closing in...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27k0iaN2uOs

22. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” -Eagles

“I got a peaceful easy feelin' and I know you won't let me down, cause I'm already standin' on the ground...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjofshOBV5s

23. “Ripple” -Grateful Dead

“If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine and my tunes were played on the harp unstrung. Would you hear my voice come through the music? Would you hold it near as it were your own?...”

“It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken. Perhaps they're better left unsung. I don't know, don't really care. Let there be songs to fill the air...”

“Reach out your hand, if your cup be empty. If your cup is full, may it be again. Let it be known there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men...”

“Ripple in still water when there is no pebble tossed nor wind to blow...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFsbAuX9P4w

24. “The River of Dreams” -Billy Joel

“In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep from the mountains of faith to a river so deep. I must be looking for something. Something sacred I lost. But the river is wide and it's too hard to cross...” “And even though I know the river is wide I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore And try to cross to the opposite side So I can finally find out what I've been looking for...”

“I'm not sure about a life after this, God knows I've never been a spiritual man. Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river that runs to the promised land...”

“In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep. Through the desert of truth to the river so deep. We all end in the ocean. We all start in the streams. We're all carried along by the river of dreams in the middle of the night...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo_vn_Ilsu8

25. “Shelter From The Storm” -Bob Dylan

“Not a word was spoke between us. There was little risk involved. Everything up to that point had been left unresolved. Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm. ‘Come in,’ she said ‘I'll give ya shelter from the storm’...”

“I was burned out from exhaustion. Buried in the hail. Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail. Hunted like a crocodile. Ravaged in the corn. ‘Come in,’ she said ‘I'll give ya shelter from the storm’...”

“Well, I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line. Beauty walks a razor's edge. Someday I'll make it mine. If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born ‘Come in,’ she said ‘I'll give ya shelter from the storm’...”

26. “Three Little Birds” -Bob Marley & The Wailers

“Rise up this morning. Smiled with the rising sun. Three little birds pitch by my doorstep. Singing sweet songs of melodies pure and true, saying, ‘This is my message to you’...”

“Singing: ‘Don't worry about a thing. Cause every little thing is gonna be alright’ Singing: ‘Don't worry about a thing cause every little thing is gonna be alright!’...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8

27. “Two of Us” -The Beatles

“Two of us riding nowhere, spending someone's hard earned pay. You and me Sunday driving, not arriving on our way back home...”

“Two of us sending postcards, writing letters on my wall. You and me burning matches, lifting latches on our way back home...”

“You and I have memories Longer than the road that stretches out ahead...”

“Two of us wearing raincoats, standing solo in the sun. You and me chasing paper, getting nowhere on our way back home...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQox8e9688

28. “Vienna” -Billy Joel

“Slow down, you crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile. But then if you're so smart, tell me why are you still so afraid? Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? You'd better cool it off before you burn it out. You've got so much to do and only so many hours in a day...”

“Slow down, you're doing fine. You can't be everything you want to be before your time. Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight. Tonight...Too bad but it's the life you lead. You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need. Though you can see when you're wrong, you know, you can't always see when you're right. You're right...” “You've got your passion, you've got your pride But don't you know that only fools are satisfied? Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wccRif2DaGs

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iambicstateofmind · 7 years ago

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18 Poetic Songs With Political Undertones

1. “Amazing Grace” -John Newton

Originally written in 1779 by Anglican clergyman John Newton, this song has become an anthem for civil rights movements around the world. I’ve included links to two of my favorite versions, The Soweto Gospel Choir and Joan Baez, as well as to the heartwarming moment when President Barack Obama sang the song while speaking at the funeral for South Carolina State Senator Clementa Pinckney.

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“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see...”

2. “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2″ -Pink Floyd

Among the most memorable songs from Pink Floyd’s iconic concept album The Wall, this song speaks about conformity in society, with students being stripped of their autonomy at a young age.

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“We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control...”

“All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall...”

3. “Blowin’ In The Wind” -Bob Dylan

Written by Bob Dylan in 1963, this song quickly became an anthem of the civil rights movement and ant-Vietnam War movement through the 1960s and into the ‘70s.

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Joan Baez Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLUDJlx5jEc

Peter, Paul and Mary Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6fAO4idaI

Stevie Wonder Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8q1I9f1l4U

“How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly before they're forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind...“

4. “Born in the USA” -Bruce Springsteen

Frequently misinterpreted as a zealously patriotic song due to its title, chorus and driving beat, this song is really a scathing critique of the Vietnam War and the country’s failure to alleviate the suffering of working-class Americans.

“Born down in a dead man's town. The first kick I took was when I hit the ground. You end up like a dog that's been beat too much, 'til you spend half your life just coverin' up...”

“Come back home to the refinery. Hiring man says ‘Son if it was up to me.’ Went down to see my V.A. man, he said ‘Son, don't you understand’...”

“Down in the shadow of the penitentiary. Out by the gas fires of the refinery. I'm ten years burning down the road. Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go...”

“Born in the USA” Live 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqUk0SMzkeI

5. “The Boxer” -Simon & Garfunkel

A folk song about working-class America.

“I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told. I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises. All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest, hmmmm”

“When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy in the company of strangers, in the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared, laying low seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go, looking for the places only they would know...”

“In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him 'til he cried out in his anger and his shame: I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains...”

From the Concert in Central Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JUbFj0BIc4

6. “Brain Damage” -Pink Floyd

From Pink Floyd’s legendary album Dark Side of the Moon, “Brain Damage” is a powerful song centered around issues of mental illness.

“And if the dam breaks open many years too soon. And if there is no room upon the hill. And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon...”

“The lunatic is in my head. The lunatic is in my head. You raise the blade, you make the change.You rearrange me 'til I'm sane. You lock the door and throw away the key. There's someone in my head but it's not me...”

“And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear. You shout and no one seems to hear. And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon...”

“Brain Damage”/”Eclipse” Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQ3-Xe_suY

7. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” -Simon & Garfunkel

Recently performed live by Paul Simon at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a moving song about unity and solidarity.

“I'm on your side when times get rough and friends just can't be found. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down...”

“Sail on Silver Girl. Sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine. If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind...”

Paul Simon at the 2016 DNC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v12fPV6QmeU

From the Concert in Central Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcwRt6J32o

Josh Groban/Brian McKnight Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0RNp0ShHsU

8. “Chimes of Freedom” -Bob Dylan

My personal favorite Bob Dylan tune, “Chimes of Freedom” is a simple acoustic melody with lyrics that only a Nobel Prize winning poet like Bob Dylan can write.

“As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds. Seemin' to be the chimes of freedom flashing. Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight. Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight. And for each and every underdog soldier in the night, and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...”

“Through the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched with faces hidden as the walls were tightening. As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin’ rain dissolved into the bells of the lightning. Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake. Tolling for the luckless, they abandoned and forsaked. Tolling for the outcast, burning constantly at stake. And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...”

“Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail. The sky cracked it's poems in naked wonder. That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze. Leavin' only bells of lightning and it's thunder. Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind. Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind. And the poet and the painter far behind his rightful time, and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...”

“Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts all down in taken-for-granted situations.Tolling for the deaf and blind, tolling for the mute. For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute. For the misdemeanor outlaw, chained and cheated by pursuit. And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...”

“Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones. Condemned to drift or else be kept from driftin'. Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail. For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale. And for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail. And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...”

“Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed. For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse. And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe. And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'...”

Bob Dylan Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVIWA9VTiN8

Bruce Springsteen Cover (1988): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3onnJuBS18

9. “Imagine” -John Lennon

John Lennon was a visionary. And this song was his vision.

“Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us, only sky. Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion, too. Imagine all the people living life in peace...”

“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will be as one...“

John Lennon - Imagine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOgFZfRVaww

Joan Baez Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw4_zOeOL7Y&pbjreload=10

10. “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” -Bob Dylan

In this haunting song from the album Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Dylan delivers a striking analysis of the world as he sees it.

“Pointed threats they bluff with scorn. Suicide remarks are torn from the fools gold mouthpiece the hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying...”

“While preachers preach of evil fates. Teachers teach that knowledge waits. Can lead to hundred-dollar plates. Goodness hides behind its gates. But even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked...”

“While one who sings with his tongue on fire gargles in the rat race choir Bent out of shape from society's pliers, cares not to come up any higher, but rather get you down in the hole that he's in...”

“And if my thought-dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine. But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only...”

Video: Bob Dylan performing this song live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYajHZ4QUVM

11. “Let It Be” -The Beatles

A song of hope that the world needs more than ever right now.

“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom: ‘Let it be.’ And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom: ‘Let it be’...”

“And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree. There will be an answer. Let it be. For though they may be parted. There is still a chance that they will see. There will be an answer. Let it be...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYfEBY9NM4

Alicia Keys & John Legend Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7K8Sap0zjE

12. “Masters of War” -Bob Dylan

Steeped in rage and dripping with bitterness and resentment, “Masters of War” is a fierce condemnation of the Vietnam War that continues to be painfully relevant to the problems of gun violence in present-day America.

“Come, you masters of war. You that build the big guns. You that build the death planes.You that build all the bombs. You that hide behind walls. You that hide behind desks. I just want you to know I can see through your masks...”

“Like Judas of old, you lie and deceive. A world war can be won, you want me to believe. But I see through your eyes, and I see through your brain like I see through the water that runs down my drain...”

“Let me ask you one question. Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness? Do you think that it could? I think you will find when your death takes its toll, all the money you made will never buy back your soul...”

Ed Sheeran Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHMlAYeFeYw

13. “On the Turning Away” -Pink Floyd

An impassioned plea against complacency and silence in the face of human suffering.

“On the turning away from the pale and downtrodden and the words they say, which we won’t understand. Don’t accept that what’s happening is just a case of others’ suffering, or you’ll find that you’re joining in the turning away...”

“It’s a sin that somehow, light is changing to shadow and casting its shroud over all we have known...”

“On the wings of the night, as the daytime is stirring. Where the speechless unite in a silent accord. Using words you will find are strange, mesmerized as they light the flame. Feel the new wind of change on the wings of the night...”

“No more turning away from the weak and the weary. No more turning away from the coldness inside. Just a world that we all must share. It’s not enough just to stand and stare. Is it only a dream that there’ll be no more turning away?”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojf18wT_Xtk

14. “Redemption Song” -Bob Marley & the Wailers

The final track from the album Uprising, “Redemption Song” is a slow, contemplative track about personal and political empowerment and the ongoing fight for freedom and for justice.

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds! Have no fear for atomic energy, cause none of them can stop the time. How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? Some say it's just a part of it. We've got to fulfill the book...”

“Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom? Cause all I ever have, redemption songs...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUNh9lmmUA8

Rihanna Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCqquMFQ9IM

John Legend Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlQn8_I6pjY

15. “The Sound of Silence” -Simon & Garfunkel

A powerful song about standing up and speaking out told through beautiful harmonies and eerie melodies.

“Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence...”

“And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never share and no one dared disturb the sound of silence...”

“’Fools’, said I, ‘You do not know, silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you.’ But my words, like silent raindrops fell and echoed in the wells of silence...” “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said: ‘The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls and whispered in the sound of silence...’”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0

Video--Recorded Live in 1966: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSFzp6IDgw&t=77s

16. “Streets of Philadelphia” -Bruce Springsteen

Oscar-winning song from the soundtrack of Philadelphia, a moving film starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington that confronted the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.

“I was bruised and battered, I couldn't tell what I felt. I was unrecognizable to myself. I saw my reflection in a window, I didn't know my own face. Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin' away on the Streets of Philadelphia...”

“Ain't no angel gonna greet me. It's just you and I my friend. My clothes don't fit me no more. I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin...”

“The night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake. I can feel myself fading away. So receive me brother with your faithless kiss. Or will we leave each other alone like this on the Streets of Philadelphia...”

Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2DtNW79sQ

Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl4B9AU45P4

17. “Us and Them” -Pink Floyd

From near the end of The Dark Side of the Moon, “Us and Them” is a deeply soulful song chronicling the senselessness of war.

“Us and them. And after all we're only ordinary men. Me and you. God only knows it's not what we would choose to do. ‘Forward’ he cried from the rear and the front rank died. And the general sat and the lines on the map moved from side to side...”

“Down and out. It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about. With, without. And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about? Out of the way, it's a busy day. I've got things on my mind. For the want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died...”

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbeqj-1XOo

18. “We Are The World” -Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie

Initially recorded as a charity single by various American artists in 1985 for famine relief for several African countries and remade in 2009 to support the people of Haiti after a devastating earthquake, “We Are The World” remains a legendary song about unity and strength in the face of adversity.

“There comes a time when we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one. There are people dying and it's time to lend a hand to life, the greatest gift of all...”

“We are the world, we are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day so lets start giving. There's a choice we're making. We're saving our own lives. It's true we'll make a better day just you and me...”

USA for Africa “We Are The World”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkUyX0rVw

We Are The World 25 for Haiti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

If you read all of that, you are a rockstar. Bless your beautiful soul.

#music #poetry #politics #the beatles #bruce springsteen #bob dylan #pink floyd #bob marley #simon and garfunkel #michael jackson

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