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MUSICAL COMMENTARY ON THE COPS AND FREEDOM


  • Traditional Patriotic
  • Other Genres (UPDATED- on a separate page)
  • Rock and Roll
  • Reggae
  • Punk (UPDATED- on a separate page)
  • Country
  • Rap
  • Gratuitous Review The White Stripes (On a separate page)
  • READER SUGGESTIONS




  • Traditional Patriotic


    1. The Star Spangled Banner
      by Francis Scott Key

      Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
      What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
      Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
      O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
      And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
      Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
      O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
      O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

      On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
      Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
      What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
      As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
      Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
      In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
      'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
      O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

      And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
      That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
      A home and a country should leave us no more?
      Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
      No refuge could save the hireling and slave
      From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
      And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
      O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

      O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
      Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
      Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
      Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
      Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
      And this be our motto: "In God is our trust";
      And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
      O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!




    Rock and Roll


    1. Mr. Big Pig
      by Country Joe McDonald and the Fish

      Mr. Big Pig, he thought he was tough,
      He learned how to swear, you know that he learned how to curse.
      He got himself a gun and he learned how to shoot,
      He even got a gas mask and put it on his snoot.

      With his gun and his club hanging by his side
      You know that he thought he was the meanest -huh- pig alive.
      With his gloves on his hands and his boots on his feet
      He thought he was the coolest pig on the streets.

      Hey, you don't have to be a man to beat a man,
      You don't have to be a man to beat a man.
      Aw come on, play it for me now.

      Hey! You know what I'm talkin' about,
      I'm talkin' about Mr. Pig, the man.

      Mr. Big Pig, he likes to be safe,
      You know that he always begs for tear-gas and a little bit of mace.
      He loves his leather gloves, his bullet-proof vest,
      His great Big Pig badge pinned to his chest.

      With all his equipment, he feels pretty big,
      But it takes more than clothes to make more than a pig —
      Shotguns, squad cars, walky-talkies, too,
      Mr. Big Pig, you just look like a fool.

      Hey, you don't have to be a man to beat a man.
      C'mon, you don't have to be a man to beat a man.

      Ah, come on, let's rock on now.



    2. Daylight Again / Find the Cost of Freedom
      by Stephen Stills (CROSBY, STILLS, AND NASH)

      Daylight again, following me to bed
      I think about a hundred years ago, how my fathers bled

      I think I see a valley, covered with bones in blue
      All the brave soldiers that cannot get older been askin' after you

      Hear the past a callin', from Armegeddon's side
      When everyone's talkin' and noone is listenin', how can we decide?
      -----------------------------------------

      Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
      Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down

      Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
      Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down


    3. Ohio
      by Neil Young (CROSBY, STILLS, NASH, & YOUNG)

      Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
      We're finally on our own.
      This summer I hear the drumming,
      Four dead in Ohio.

      Gotta get down to it
      Soldiers are gunning us down
      Should have been done long ago.
      What if you knew her
      And found her dead on the ground
      How can you run when you know?


    4. American Skin / 41 Shots
      by Bruce Springsteen

      41 shots [x7]
      41 shots and we'll take that ride
      41 shots [x3]

      Lena gets her son ready for school
      She says now on these streets Charles
      You got to understand the rules
      Promise me if an officer stops you'll allways be polite
      Never ever run away and promise momma you'll keep your hands in sight

      Cause is it a gun?
      Is it a knife?
      Is it a wallet?
      This is your life
      It ain't no secret
      It ain't no secret
      The secret my friend
      You can get killed just for living in your American skin

      41 shots [x3]
      Across this bloody river to the other side
      41 shots they cut through the night
      You're kneeling over his body in the vestibule
      Praying for his life

      Is it a gun?
      Is it a knife?
      Is it a wallet?
      This is your life
      It ain't no secret
      It ain't no secret
      Ain't no secret my friend
      You can get killed just for living in your American skin

      41 shots [x3]

      Lena gets her son ready for school
      She says now on these streets Charles
      You got to understand the rules
      Promise me if an officer stops you'll always be polite
      Never ever run away and promise momma you'll keep your hands in sight

      Cause is it a gun?
      Is it a knife?
      Is it a wallet?
      This is your life
      It ain't no secretn get killed just for living in your American skin

      41 shots [x3]

      Is it a gun?
      Is it a knife?
      Is it a wallet?
      This is your life
      It ain't no secret
      It ain't no secret
      It ain't no secret

      41 shots and we'll take that ride
      Across this bloody river to the other side
      41 shots my boots caked in mud
      We're baptized in these waters and in each other's blood

      It ain't no secretIs it a knife?
      Is it a wallet?
      This is your life
      It ain't no secret
      It ain't no secret
      The secret my friend
      You can get killed just for living in
      You can get killed just for living in
      You can get killed just for living in your American skin

      41 shots [x7]


    5. L.A.P.D.
      by OFFSPRING

      When cops are taking care of business I can understand
      But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand
      Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified
      But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
      They're shooting anyone who even tries to run
      They're shooting little kids with toy guns
      Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn
      Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman

      CHORUS
      Beat all the niggers
      Beat whoever you see
      Don't need a reason
      (We're) L.A.P.D.

      The city of L.A. feels like a prison
      With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by
      Martial law ain't no solution
      Police brutality's just social pollution

      Beat all the white trash
      Beat whoever you see
      Don't need a reason
      (We're) L.A.P.D.

      They say they're keeping the peace
      But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier
      "Protecting your freedom"
      Now that's just a lie
      It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi
      Law and order doesn't really matter
      When you're the one getting bruised and battered
      You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face
      Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace



    Reggae


    1. Get Up, Stand Up
      by Bob Marley (and the WAILERS)

      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Preacher man don't tell me
      Heaven is under the earth
      I know you don't know
      What life is really worth
      It's not all that glitters is gold
      Half that story has never been told
      So now you see the light
      Stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Most people think
      Great god will come from the skies
      Take away everything
      And make everybody feel high
      But if you know what life is worth
      You would look for yours on earth
      And now you see the light,
      You stand up for your rights, come on
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      You're sick and tired of the ism-schism game,
      Die'n go to heaven in a Jesus name, lord.
      We know and we understand
      Almighty god is a livin' man
      You can fool some people some time
      But you can't fool all the people all the time
      And now we see the light
      We gonna stand up for your rights, Jah
      (So you better )
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights
      Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
      Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights


    2. I Shot the Sheriff
      by Bob Marley (and the WAILERS)

      I shot the sheriff
      But I didn't shoot no deputy
      I shot the sheriff
      But I didn't shoot no deputy.
      Yeah! All around in my home town,
      They're tryin' to track me down;
      They say they want to bring me in guilty
      For the killing of a deputy,
      For the life of a deputy.
      But I say:
      Oh, now, now.
      I shot the sheriff - the sheriff.
      But I swear it was in self defense.
      I say: I shot the sheriff - Oh, Lord!
      And they say it is a capital offence.
      Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
      For what, I don't know:
      Every time I plant a seed,
      He said kill it before it grow -
      He said kill them before they grow.
      And so:
      Read it in the news:
      I shot the sheriff. Oh, Lord!
      But I swear it was in self defense.
      Where was the deputy?
      I say: I shot the sheriff,
      But I swear it was in self defense.
      Freedom came my way one day
      And I started out of town, yeah!
      All of a sudden I saw sheriff John Brown
      Aiming to shoot me down,
      So I shot - I shot - I shot him down
      and I say: if I am guilty I will pay.
      I shot the sheriff,
      But I say - But I didn't shoot no deputy
      I didn't shoot no deputy
      I shot the sheriff- I did!
      But I didn't shoot no deputy. Oh!
      Reflexes had got the better of me
      And what is to be must be:
      Every day the bucket a-go a well,
      One day the bottom a-go drop out,
      One day the bottom a-go drop out.
      I say:
      I shot the sheriff.
      Lord, I didn't shot the deputy.
      I shot the sheriff
      But I didn't shoot no deputy, yeah!


    Country


    1. Copperhead Road
      by Steve Earle

      Well my name´s John Lee Pettimore
      Same as my daddy and his daddy before

      He only come to town about twice a year
      He´d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
      Everybody knew that he made moonshine

      Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
      He headed up the holler with everything he had
      It´s before my time but I´ve been told
      He never come back from Copperhead Road

      Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big black Dodge
      Bought it at an auction at the Mason´s Lodge
      Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
      Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
      Well him and my uncle tore the engine down
      I still remember that rumblin´ sound
      Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
      Heard mama cryin´, knew something wasn´t right
      He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
      You could smell the whiskey burnin´ down Copperhead Road

      I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
      They draft the white trash first ´round here anyway
      I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
      And I came home with a brand new plan
      I take the seed from Columbia and Mexico
      I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
      Well the D.E.A.´s got a chopper in the air
      I wake up screaming like I´m back over there
      I learned a thing or two from ol´ Charlie don´t you know
      You better stay away from Copperhead Road


    Rap


    1. Fuck the Police
      by NWA

      Fuck tha police,
      Comin straight from the underground.
      Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown,
      And not the other color so police think,
      They have the authority to kill a minority.
      Fuck that shit, cuz I ain't tha one,
      For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun,
      To be beatin on, and throwin in jail.
      We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell.
      Fuckin with me cuz I'm a teenager,
      With a little bit of gold and a pager.
      Searchin my car, lookin for the product.
      Thinkin every nigga is sellin narcotics.
      You'd rather see me in the pen,
      Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo.
      Beat tha police outta shape,
      And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape,
      To mark off the scene of the slaughter.
      No controller, bread and water.
      A young nigga on a warpath,
      And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath,
      Of cops, dyin in L. A.
      Yo, I got somethin to say.
      Fuck the police,
      Comon! Off, What?
      Fuck the police,
      Yeah!
      Comon!
      Fuck tha police,
      Yeah.
      Fuck The police,
      Comin straight from the underground.
      Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown,
      And not the other color so police think,
      They have the authority to kill a minority.
      Fuck that shit, cuz I ain't tha one,
      For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun,
      To be beatin on, and throwin in jail.
      We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell.
      Fuckin with me cuz I'm a teenager,
      With a little bit of gold and a pager.
      Searchin my car, lookin for the product.
      Thinkin every nigga is sellin narcotics.
      You'd rather see me in the pen,
      Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo.
      Beat tha police outta shape,
      And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape,
      To mark off the scene of the slaughter.
      No controller, bread and water.
      I don't know if they fags or what,
      Search a nigga down and grabbin in the nuts.
      And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none.
      But don't let it be a black and a white one.
      Cuz they slam ya down to the street top,
      Black police showin out for the white cop.
      Yeah, my brothas will swarm,
      On any mutha fucka in a blue uniform.
      Just cuz we in Washington D.C, punk police are afraid of me.
      Hey!
      Punk on a warpath,
      And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath,
      Of cops, dyin in L. A.
      Hey yo, We got somethin to say.
      Fuck the police,
      Comon, sing that shit,
      Right now,
      Comon!
      Comon!
      One more time,
      Here we go, here we go,
      Comon!
      One More, We gotta do it, right now,
      Yeah,
      Check it out.


    2. Cop Killer
      by BODY COUNT

      COP KILLER! YEAH! I got my black shirt on.
      I got my black gloves on.
      I got my ski mask on.
      This shit's been too long.
      I got my twelve gauge sawed off.
      I got my headlights turned off.
      I'm 'bout to bust some shots off.
      I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.
      I'm a COP KILLER, better you than me.
      COP KILLER, fuck police brutality!
      COP KILLER, I know your family's grieving,
      (FUCK 'EM!)
      COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, ha ha.
      I got my brain on hype.
      Tonight'll be your night.
      I got this long-assed knife.
      and your neck looks just right.
      My adrenaline's pumpin'.
      I got my stereo bumpin'.
      I'm 'bout to kill me somethin'.
      A pig stopped me for nuthin'!
      COP KILLER, better you than me.
      COP KILLER, fuck police brutality!
      COP KILLER, I know your momma's grieving,
      (FUCK HER!)
      COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, yeah!
      DIE, DIE, DIE PIG, DIE!
      FUCK THE POLICE! [x8]
      Yeah!
      COP KILLER, better you than me.
      I'm a COP KILLER, fuck police brutality!
      COP KILLER, I know your family's grieving,
      (FUCK 'EM!)
      COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, ha ha ha ha, yeah!
      FUCK THE POLICE! [x7]
      Break it down.
      FUCK THE POLICE, yeah!
      FUCK THE POLICE, for Darryl Gates.
      FUCK THE POLICE, for Rodney King.
      FUCK THE POLICE, for my dead homies.
      FUCK THE POLICE, for your freedom.
      FUCK THE POLICE, don't be a pussy.
      FUCK THE POLICE, have some muthafuckin' courage.
      FUCK THE POLICE, sing along.
      COP KILLER! [x4]
      COP KILLER! Whaddyou wanna be when you grow up?
      COP KILLER! Good choice.
      COP KILLER! I'm a muthafuckin'
      COP KILLER!
      COP KILLER, better you than me.
      COP KILLER, fuck police brutality!
      COP KILLER, I know your momma's grieving,
      (FUCK HER!)
      COP KILLER, but tonight we get even!


      SUGGESTIONS


      We are attempting to compile a comprehensive list of songs, (as well as poetry), concerning police conduct, freedom, and related subjects. Apropos suggestions may be submitted to copwatch@lokmail.com or to our discussion forum.



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