Protest

 August 11 Word of the Day: Protest

 

Letrilla: All my songs are protest songs

 

It’s true my heartbeat grows and grows

My body lives out all it knows

All my nerve ends walk to the edge

My tongue goes lightly from the ledge

And all my songs are protest songs

 

There is the song of red flowers

Songs that swagger songs that glower

Drawled songs travelling the world and back

Songs ludicrous songs blue songs black

But all my songs are protest songs

 

Lullabies without a pretext

I sing anthems lots of effects

Tall ballads long crooners their schmaltz lines

Great spirituals in waltz time

But all my songs are protest songs

 

Freeways streaming without a care

Buildings go nowhere into air

All the cables are enough rope

Spaceships promising more false hope

Where all my songs are protest songs

 

 

 

Listening to the Royal Albert Hall concert of 1966

Image: B. Harvey