Song picture
Julian Hair
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Folk song about the incarceration of Julian Assange; Wylie Robbins Thorne-Thomsen on mandolin
media whistleblower
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 #22
Peak in subgenre #3
Author
Tom Neilson
Rights
Tom Neilson 2022
Uploaded
August 23, 2022
Track Files
MP3
MP3 10.3 MB 320 kbps 4:31
Story behind the song
Julian Assange was arrested in April 2019 and sent to Belmarsh Prison. At Belmarsh, he is kept under tortuous conditions. I started letting my hair grow as a sign of solidarity with him, hence the CD title. Chris Hedges writes that “Assange committed empire’s greatest sin. He exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption and innumerable war crimes.”
Lyrics
What I learned as a beginner is not be late for dinner; Cause if you get there late; the food is cold and maybe ate And it’s later than you think; may not be nothin left to drink And not a place at the table; so show up if you’re able. I became a story spinner, but now my hair is getting thinner; So I thought I’d let it grow until they let him go He’s doing time because he dropped a dime; Truth tellin is a crime when the state you undermine It was Julian who blew, a whistle maybe two, He had to 23 skidoo, truth-telling is taboo But you know the Feds were lyin, too many people dyin; & he wouldn’t be a shill when they went over there to kill; He did what journalists should do; he brought the news to you; With good documentation; White House incrimination He documented lies of the criminal enterprise; And truth gets in the way of the profiteering play An attack on journalism; to create a cataclysm; And Julian they knew, had told a truth or two The cat’s out of the bag; the truth was steppin on the flag But they owned all the judges to deal with all their grudges Kidnap, assassinate; said the CIA and State Obama, Biden, HRC; and Pompeo all agree They torture him in prison; That’s how they discipline him; There’s no excuse for tyrannical abuse, A form of execution, the ultimate solution What I learned as a beginner is not to be late for dinner
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