I have been thinking about songs that reflect my mood of late, and three songs came to mind. Two Beatles tunes and an amazing protest song by Tracy Chapman seem to spell things out.
Song number one is the Beatles song HELP
Help! I need somebody
(Help) not just anybody
(Help) you know I need someone, help
Chorus:
Help me if you can I’m feeling down
and I do appreciate you feeling ’round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won’t you please, please help me
The second tune is also from the Beatles Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Ob-La-Di, ob-la-da
Life goes on, brah
La, la, how the life goes on
It ends with:
And if you want to have some fun
Take Ob-la-di-bla-da
Thank you
and lastly a real protest song
Talkin’ Bout a Revolution (Tracy Chapman)
Don’t you know
They’re talking about a revolution?
It sounds like a whisper
Don’t you know you better run, run, run, run, run, run
‘Cause finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin’ ’bout a revolution
The question now arises, which lyric would you choose to describe your state of mind? I said in a recent email to George Polisner, that I am pretty much a nervous wreck and I am falling down the rabbit hole. I feel like I have travelled through the looking glass into a bizzaro world, so my inclination is to go with the first lyric…HELP! The anger within me is Talkin’ Bout a Revolution, but the optimist inside is going with Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, as life will go on. Being a boomer, I have lived through the McCarthy Era, the Cuban Missile crisis, Duck and Cover, the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, the Vietnam War, the Civil rights movement, violent protests, 9-11, the 2008 financial collapse, the pandemic and more, but what is going on in this current political climate is a nightmare that I cannot seem to wake up from. On TMSOG we try to inform our listeners about environmental and social justice issues, and we highlight the positive work people are doing. We also call out those who are trying to take America down and bring us back to a time when our freedoms were restricted. I had more rights over my own body in the 1970’s than I do now as a result of the recent SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v Wade, and I am afraid of what they are coming for next. According to Project 2025 by the Heritage Foundation, women should go back to being housewives, mothers and nothing more. Their mantra is “go make some babies and stay out of politics!” What kind of world are we leaving for our grandchildren? Loyalty to party over country will wipe us out!! We have a responsibility to current and future generations, and we must do better, we must do whatever it takes for the greater good to create a world that is respectful to all its inhabitants. Our resident environmentalist, political analyst and curmudgeon, George Polisner, founder of Civ.works, gives us some insight into environmental and political issues. We talk about some good environmental news, tangible actions people can take to make their voices heard and improve society, as well as Project 2025 and more. Find out more by going to civ.works/actions, earthjustice.org and votefwd.org
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