Song picture
That was the Week 2013
Comment Share
Social commentary
acoustic folk social commentary political satire western massachusetts oil coal climate change fracking incineration music for social change nuclear energy
Artist picture
Folk singer, social commentary, satire, people's stories, children's music
Hi Folks, The Bard Insurgent here. My comrade D.O. (the Poet Roofer) and I got that handle (The Bard Insurgents) from traveling town to town performing songs and poetry about people's lives. I've been performing since I was 3 years old, cutting my vocal chords on liturgical and classical music. I was a concert soloist as a child, when I wasn't herding cows, throwing hay and shoveling manure. During the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam war, I began writing songs about social change. I left the country in 1970 and my dozen years in other countries, mostly in Africa & South America, have provided a global perspective to my music. My travels helped me realize that people all around the world are essentially the same in their basic life needs and their desires to live peacefully in their communities. These experiences have informed my commitment to working for international understanding as I organize at home. A powerful way to educate and inspire is with music. I tell people's stories, do social commentary with a touch of satire that I hope you enjoy and share with your friends, as well as sing together in the streets and in your living rooms. I also have children's music written for the children in my life with Jacob and Kayla as primary muses. Looking forward to seeing you on the road, Tom
Song Info
Charts
Peak #4
Peak in subgenre #1
Author
Tom Neilson & Dan Hart
Rights
Tom Neilson
Uploaded
August 31, 2013
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.0 MB 160 kbps 4:21
Story behind the song
The original song was written by Dan Hart. A decade ago, Tom put new lyrics to it and under pressure from his fans, he now has updated it again.
Lyrics
There was a meltdown that happened somewhere, destroying the earth, the water, and air. But it isn’t news with the tv or press cause that was the week of Lady Gaga’s new dress Antiquities being destroyed in Iraq, children are starving from US attack But we never gave it one minute of thought cause that was the week John Edwards got caught Telecom industry caught up in spyin. Bush and Obama caught up in lyin State dept war is inciting but that was the week survivors were fighting Bradley Manning is sitting in Jail, Patriot Act is reading your mail Aaron Schwartz is suicidal but everyone’s watching American idol That was the week more families died, drones in their skies commit genocide That was the week they could have been saved, But there wasn’t room for them on the front page. That was the week. Monsanto is changing the food that we eat; genetically altering seeds with deceit; Roundup dioxin comes out in your urine, but GMO in the White House is what we’re endurin’ Jill Stein and Cheri are handcuffed to chairs; media is acting like they’re unawares While Obama & Romney from Wall St debating, doing each other, incestuous mating Fukushima radiation reaching our shores. Afghanistan’s looking like El Salvador Plutonium is leaking in Paducah, Kentucky, while you’re scratchin a card to see if you’re lucky Wars in the Congo to make our cell phones; Mercury in your teeth, fluoride in your bones, Glyphosate in our food causes cancers, But that was the week of the stars and their dancers But we didn’t care cause we didn’t know. We only saw what they chose to show. We got our kicks, we’re not complaining. It’s only news if it’s entertaining. That was the week. Shell kills the Ogoni there’s blood in its oil. Texaco’s burnin a forest to spoil Bovine Growth Hormone is milking the public, but that was the week Kardashians were love sick. That was the week of corporate crime, whitewash at justice time after time. That was the week voting rights were suspended; that was the year civil liberties ended That was the week. That was the year. Those were the stories we didn’t hear. That was the week.
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