Song picture
Veolia
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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
October 22, 2013
Track Files
MP3
MP3 3.1 MB 128 kbps 3:20
Story behind the song
Dee Dee Consolati was organizing in Lee, MA against Veolia's privatization of Lee's water and sewage. She asked Tom to write this song for her which he played at a hearing in Lee. One of the town council members in support of privatization demanded an apology for the lyrics in the song. He didn't receive one.
Lyrics
Have you heard the news? It’s coming to your town. It’s called privatization of the water in your ground. It’s corporate multinational – Veolia’s the name. They say they’re satisfactional, but payola is their game. Now DEP said to Lee that they had to increase Their waste water capacity because of their release, But why only a single bidder? Did they pull a fleece? Check the palms of gov’t to see which ones they grease. Oh we got trouble. Right here in Lee With a capital T and that rhymes with P And that stands for profit. But people power will show Veolia We can organize and then we’re gonna stop it. Why was our community never asked to vote On a referendum – our feelings to promote? Does Veolia think because we’re a smaller town That they can come & have their way & we won’t make a sound. Veolia’s experienced in small town USA With terminated contracts – embezzlement they say In Rockland, MA & down in Texas, Hey They were sued for nonperformance in many different ways. Now NAFTA, GAT, FTAA is all a corporate scheme To trade away our water to a corporate regime. And take away the benefits of the employees From New Orleans to Hempstead… It won’t happen here in Lee.
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