Music. Oppression. War.

"Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
then we'll come from the shadows."


That bit is from a Leonard Cohen song that I've had in my head all week. It's an eerie acoustic song about WWII and the Holocaust. That specific passage has been in my head all week, because I keep thinking about how it can easily be applied to any kind of struggle against oppression. Anne Frank, Emmit Till, MLK, Matthew Shepard, Lincoln, and millions and millions of others. Freedom soon will come; then we'll come from the shadows... How fucking powerful is that.

This is from "War," by Bob Marley -

"That until there is no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say war

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace, world citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion
To be pursued, but never attained
Now everywhere is war, war"

Similar themes to the Leonard Cohen song, but I especially love the way the song is so inclusive. I had it in my head for months after 9/11. It's so much bigger than Afghanistan, Bin laden, and Saddam. And it's so much closer to home than we usually realize. Just walk down any city street. It's too bad we don't fight that hard for democracy at home. Ahh, I think the election coverage is getting to me.

"When I was just a kid, my mother used to sing me songs. Now I've grown to be a man, but it still lingers deep down in my soul. Said it still lingers deep down in my soul." Okay, that's kind of random, but still beautiful.