Song picture
Not a safe place
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acoustic folk social commentary political satire western massachusetts oil coal climate change fracking incineration music for social change nuclear energy
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
Author
Tom Neilson
Rights
Tom Neilson
Uploaded
December 21, 2012
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.4 MB 128 kbps 4:50
Lyrics
If you’re white in Amherst, you can get drunk at night Go to UMass and get in a fight Break in a dorm; attack a student there Mississippi burning in the Amherst air Call a Black man a n*** ; beat his head with blows, Give him a concussion, break his nose. Lieutenant says JASON'S A DONKEY, drug deal goin down But says these white boys are just boys out on the town If you’re Black in Amherst & you self-defend From white assailants, it could be the end Of your college studies cause the police arrest you For being in black skin & going to school. Now DA Scheibel wants a full 30 years For defense with a pocket knife From white guys on beers What does it take to be Black and be safe When your home at Umass is not a safe place? If you’re Black in Amherst & you self-defend From white assailants, your studies will end See the law for a Black man’s not the same kind When a racist society’s made up its mind. Now Holub and Wilson could intervene But their support for Jason remains to be seen It must be ok to break window glass For a racist attack in the halls of UMass
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