Eco-Punk Songs and Chants of The Latter Twentieth Century

From the Mind to the Mouth: Eco-punk Songs and Chants of the Latter Twentieth Century
Eric Henson
Prof. Wojcik
Folklore 412
--Folklore of Subcultures--
June 3, 1999
Hidden away in the trees of the forest, the alleys of the city, and in the protest rallies against
environmental destruction dwells the Eco-punk. He or she is part of a newly emerging subculture of
environmentally-minded radicals whose fiery activist spirit is stoked with subversion and rebellion.
Like the punks of the 1970s and 80s, this new breed of rebel sees a bleak future ahead, but rather
than accept the present's demise they work towards its betterment.
I have chosen the eco-punk movement as a field of study because it both contradicts and supports
the ideological values upon which punk was founded. Eco-punks seem to be the modern answer to
the problems of our contemporary American society: the capitalistic corporate raping of the world's
people and land, the imbalance of wealth in America's hierarchical class system, the government's
theft of rights and land from indigenous cultures, the unwarranted pollution and destruction
incurred upon the environment, society's ever-growing reliance on technology, the wrongful
imprisonment of political prisoners, the vivisection of the world's animals, and the blind-eye to truth
through which dominant American society teaches its members to see.
In order to better understand the nature of eco-punk ideology, I have chosen to study the songs and
chants of protest that have been cultivated within the subculture. Through these lyrics I hope to
establish a connection between modern eco-punks and both their punk and activist forefathers. I
also intend to explain how these lyrics also reinforce eco-punk ideology, create a greater sense of
community, strength, and solidarity between punks, assist eco-punk activists to share their opinions
as a collective to others, and to describe how they function as a methodology through which eco-
punks may share the truth to those whom society has blinded with lies. I also aim to show how eco-
punk protest songs and chants manipulate and subvert American traditions of the past, while
continuing to uphold the revolutionary rebellious spirit upon which our country was founded. As a
folkloric medium, these lyrics both symbolize and represent the eco-punk subculture from the
inside out, and make it possible to discover the true agenda of America's modern-day radicals.
Punk music, style, aesthetics, and politics erupted out of a new kind of rock and roll that swept
England and America in the mid-1970s. Punk music first crystallized in 1976 as a musical
alternative to both disco and motown that could better define the proletariat in both British and
America societies. In her book, Break All Rules: Punk Rock and the Making of a Style, Tricia
Henry states:
British bands developed a new and distinct sound and together with their fans created an ambiance
for their music that soon grew into a dynamic and unique subculture...In the mid-1970s, Great
Britain was suffering from one of the highest unemployment rates the country has seen since World
War II, and a steadily rising cost of living exacerbated a mood of unrest and discontent among
working class people forced to struggle for the basic necessities of existence. For the large number
of people on welfare--or "the dole," as it is known in Great Britain--especially young people, the
outlook for bettering their lot in life seemed bleak. (p. ix)
This perspective on society was adapted to fit the musical desires of the nation, thus creating an
entirely different realm of rock and roll with a completely oppositional ideology. The music of
bands and artists such as the Sex Pistols, The Velvet Underground, MC5, and later Patti Smith, The
Ramones, and others, spoke for the underclass like no other contemporary music could. Henry says
of punk rock's essence, "It is a reaction against established theories and techniques of art, as well as
against the society that produces them....Like members of earlier avant-garde movements they were
antibourgeois and anticapitalist." (p. 1).
Punk style also worked to exhibit the underclass' rejection of mainstream culture. Clothing worn by
members of the movement was heavily influenced by society's dark tendency towards sado-
masochism. Fans belligerently wore chains, spikes, and leather, as well as painted their faces and
wore black lipstick and fingernail polish. For punks, fashion of this sort illustrated an in-your-face
attitude to dominant society; punk style pushed society's dark sexual secrets into the face of the
nation, thus subverting society's attempt to keep its dark side hidden. Likewise, eco-punk fashion
and style is based upon the same premise: to subvert. On the other hand, most eco-punks typically
refrain from using makeup to accomplish this goal, but otherwise wear clothing similar to regular
punks. The aforementioned counter-cultural ideals held by punks further reinforced their non-
mainstream fashion and aesthetic style.
The two main ideals held by the punk movement are "no future" and "do it yourself." The
expression "no future" comes from the phrase "no future for me" as it was first used in the Sex
Pistols song, "God Save the Queen." This phrase basically sums up the punk attitude that the future
will be as bleak as the present and past. Eco-punks have also adapted this phrase into their
ideological value system, but used it in a more positive manner; rather than expecting a poor life
and world ahead, eco-punks strive to improve their environmental and political surroundings
through activism and cultural subversion. "Do it yourself" is another punk ideal which speaks for
itself. This attitude declares that punks need to take the initiative for change upon themselves.
Another self-explanatory corollary to this slogan is "think for yourself." The eco-punk lifestyle
thrives upon these ideals and uses them as the basis for their political and environmental activism.
In conjunction with these two main ideals, eco-punks have also added a third tenet to their lifestyle:
"mending is better than ending." This notion extends the length and breadth of the eco-punk
movement. Based upon the concept of recycling, "mending is better than ending" signifies the eco-
punk desire to create less and reuse more. In terms of eco-punk fashion, this means that it is better
to patch a hole on a pair of jeans rather than have them take up space in a landfill somewhere. A few
eco-punks have taken this ideal to an extreme in their fashion, whereas a few wear clothing that has
been reconstructed so many times that the original garment has evolved into a network of patches.
This ideal also extends to eco-punk activism, whereas it is better to salvage the earth's remaining
undeveloped land rather than let it be destroyed and changed into suburban housing projects or
logged for profit. In essence, this ideal is an extension of the eco-punk philosophy that it is
necessary to act now to preserve our future for both ourselves and our children.
From these three basic tenets, eco-punks have developed an ideological system which rejects:
environmental destruction in any form, corporate control and capitalism, governmental control and
regulation of indigenous people's lives and land, right-wing politics, a culture and social class
system with a hierarchy based upon wealth, oppressors of free speech, practitioners of vivisection,
and various other people and institutions whose motivation is greed and the oppression of others. In
order to combat actions of this sort, eco-punks (unlike most punks) take an activist stance towards
changing things. Rather than sit idly by and listen to punk music, as most regular punks do, eco-
punks actively promote their ideology. One of the manifestations of this is the public demonstration
or protest.
During these protests, eco-punks hold signs, sing songs, shout chants, and listen to informational
guest speakers, as well as a variety of other actions intended to spread eco-punk ideology to non-
eco-punks in their communities. Integral to these protests are the songs and chants, for it is through
eco-punks' lyrics that their ideology is directly presented to those who would otherwise refuse to
read their signs. The songs and chants are able to reach everybody who can hear them; although
someone can easily shut their eyes, it is more difficult for them to shut their ears. Correspondingly,
eco-punk songs and chants come from many different sources--some from activist individuals and
some from activist organizations.
Protest songs and chants, aside from getting the eco-punk message out to the community, serve
other purposes: strengthening the movement from the inside, building a sense of community and
solidarity between the protesters, reinforcing the ideals of the group, and others. There are many
songs written simply for this purpose. A song by Casey Neill, an eco-punk lyricist, was written
especially for reinforcing solidarity between protesters during the Critical Mass Bike rides
(demonstrations where people take the streets back from the automobiles with neo-luddite
intentions):
If anyone should ask you, "How did this movement start?"

Well, tell them it started here in my heart.
It rose, it rose, it rose from the dead,

And my faith will bear my spirit home.
If anyone should ask you, "Which side are you on?"

Well if anyone should ask you "Hey, which side are you on?"
Well, tell them it doesn't matter--this time it's everyone

These words are intended to provoke the energy needed to carry out a successful protest, meaning a
demonstration where the protesters have enough drive to spread their opinions. The third stanza of
this song further reinforces the fact that the eco-punk subculture is trying to better the world for
everyone, not just themselves. By asking the protesters and the listeners of the protest to concede
that "this time it's everyone," Neill is acknowledging that the duty to stop the destruction and
pollution of the earth (in this scenario, as a result of automobiles and road construction) is an
obligation that everyone has to each other if the goal is ever to be reached.
Another song often used by eco-punks that is intended to create a sense of community comes from
an organization known as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Also known as the Wobblies,
the IWW is based upon the concept of the worker's union. In unions, workers are strong, and
through songs such as "Solidarity Forever," the power of the group (versus the power of the
individual) is promoted. The first verse (of approximately ten on record) in this song directly
addresses the necessity to organize, as there is power in numbers:
When the union's inspiration through the workers bloodshed won,

There can be no greater power anywhere beneath the sun,
What force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one?
But our union makes us strong!
Solidarity forever!
Solidarity forever!
Solidarity forever!
'Cause our union makes us strong!
These lyrics, sung to the tune of the "John Brown's Body" eloquently addresses the need for people
to organize themselves in order for their words to have the greatest power possible. The reader
should also note that "John Brown's Body" was a protest song written to promote abolition during
the civil war. Aside from "Solidarity Forever," the songs "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and
"His Truth is Marching On" were also written according to the same tune; and are likewise protest
songs responding to issues of concern (in this case, the atrocities of war and the end of the world,
respectively). As a subculturally-derived tune, "John Brown's Body" continues to be reused by
various subculture in order to promote their value systems and concerns.
A chant, written by a Cascadia Forest Defender named Akasha, further relates the need for
the working class to organize themselves into unions so that things may be changed for the better:
Take the day off and organize!

Although extremely simple, like most chants, these lyrics stress the fact that people need to be
willing to sacrifice things in their personal lives (work in this case) in order to make the lives of
everyone better.
Protest songs and chants address many topics besides the need to organize and the
reinforcement of solidarity, as there are many issues against and for which eco-punks fight. As the
name eco-punk connotes, first and foremost of these is the preservation of world's ecology and
natural environment. Through their public protests, tree-sits, and direct actions (environmental
sabotage), eco-punks strive to create a future where people are able to co-exist with nature as
opposed to destroy it. Their enemy: corporations who develop the earth's remaining untouched land,
the loggers who perform their work, and the government agencies who sanction corporate
environmental destruction. Typically people in any and all of these occupations are referred to as
"FREDS"--an anachronism that stands for "Federally Regulated Environmental Destroyers."
"FREDS" also is used to specifically refer to members of the Forest Service who, backed by
corporate dollars and capitalistic governmental legislation, attempt to stop tree-sits and end
environmental protests. An untitled eco-punk chant, performed by an informant named Trillium at
the Fall Creek Tree-sit, speaks out against governmentally sanctioned tree cutting:
F.R.E.D.S.
With the badge on their chest,
They're here to oppress
This ancient forest.
These FREDs are armed and dangerous,

The boys in green,
Pull your climbing line up
Or they'll cut down your tree.
Their excuse is forest maintenance,

Their tool is the saw,
The time to act is now,
Don't let the FREDs make the law!
This chant not only reinforces eco-punks' stance against environmental destruction, but also
reminds eco-punks that environmental protests (in situations such as tree-sits) are illegal and that
they must remain mindful of this unless they seek imprisonment. The judicial power behind the
"FREDS" is illustrated in this song through the second verse: "These FREDS are armed and
dangerous." Furthermore, the necessity for environmental protesters to always remain prepared for
the "FREDS" to visit and attempt to end their protests is further illustrated in the second verse: "Pull
your climbing line up / Or they'll cut down you're tree." This phrase is the golden rule of a tree-sit
that is invaded by "FREDS," If a protester is able to come down from the platform atop a tree they
must, and as a result, have the tree be logged.
Eco-punks' loyalty to the environment and its protection is also portrayed in many other chants. A
simpler chant often shouted at rallies is based upon the eco-punk willingness to continue fighting
for their beliefs, even when they continually lose to environmental destroyers:
They clear-cut, we treespike!

Treespiking is an act of monkeywrenching, or in other words, a practice designed to make the

cutting of trees by loggers impossible. By inserting metal spikes into trees near their base (where
the logger traditionally inserts their chainsaw), the trees become impossible to log without
endangering the life of the logger--upon striking the treespike, the chainsaw is bounced back
towards the logger's body. This chant alludes to the equal distribution of power amongst eco-punks
and loggers, as each have tools capable of harming the other. The chant also shows the "never give
up in the face of adversity" approach used by eco-punks in order to maintain their activism.
Part of eco-punk attitude towards the environment stems from humankind's symbiotic relationship
with it. As humans are born from the earth, and rely upon the resources of the earth to live,
humankind's dependence on the earth is likewise acknowledged by the eco-punk mentality. In a
chant sung by eco-punks protesting nuclear testing and waste dumping by the government's
Department of Energy on Shoshone tribal land, this connection is excellently portrayed:
Air my breath,
Fire my spirit,
Earth my body,
Water my blood.
Air, Fire, Earth, and Water are known to be the four elements that comprise life on this planet--a
concept first introduced by the native cultures of America. In this chant, the earth and the human
body are promoted as being of a single essence. Through these four simple lines, eco-punk activism
is shown to be based upon the desire to save oneself as well as one's surroundings since they are
comprised of the same elements.
The eco-punk attitude to the environment includes not only nature, but the animals living in nature.
As time has passed, many species once abundant on this planet are now on the brink of extinction
because of hunting and other methods of extermination. Since animals are as natural to the world as
old-growth forests, eco-punks often fight for animal rights alongside their fight to preserve the
fauna also nearing extinction. "Flaming Arrow," another eco-punk song written by Casey Neill,
asserts the eco-punk desire to liberate animals from the control of humans:
The coyote lifts her head and the deer's ears are pricked
Over the forests and the cities and the plains.
Our brothers caught in the trap they set,
Oh do you know his name?
The defenders of the leviathan from the sting of the harpoon,

Friend of the wild fox hunted by the red cocoons,
To the children of earth they strike their blows,
But they cannot stop these wild seeds to grow.
We are howling out of the cages,

In the arms of eternity my soul enrages.
My heart is crying, my spirit is on fire,
I've unleashed my demons and armed my desire.
Aim high, Air true

I shoot these flaming arrows for you
I-----------shoot these flaming arrows for you
With a bullet and a bible, they came for the tribes,

Fighting to keep their traditions alive,
Trying to keep the young ones off drugs and alcohol,
Their mission franchise children with their backs up against the wall
backs up against the wall.
Cry freedom for the lynx.

Cry freedom for the minks.
Cry freedom for the wild ones driven to the brink.
For this we will fight until they cease,
Until all the animals and political prisoners have been released.

Aim high, Air true

This song incites activism through its portrayal of a war between animal rights activists and animal
oppressors. The flaming arrows being shot are symbolic of the chant itself, as well as the direct
action protests that result from the energy created by the song's refrain.
It is equally important to note that the issues of indigenous people's rights and political prisoner's
wrongful imprisonment are also addressed in this song. The first two lines of the fifth stanza and the
last line of the sixth stanza draw the connection between the extinction of animals and the extinction
of native culture and free speech in America. These two issues are also of great concern to the eco-
punk movement, though are rarely addressed.
While most regular punks are often disinterested in the preservation of the environment, animal
rights, or the preservation of indigenous cultures, they (like their eco-punk sisters and brothers) do
care about the dissolution of governmental systems. With an ideology based upon anarchistic
thinking, both regular punks and eco-punks strive to end governmental control. One very anti-
government song used during protests uses the symbolism of flag burning to represent eco-punk
and regular punk values:
Late last night, when you were home in bed,

A revolutionary took a lighter to the flag,
When the cops knocked her over, she winked her eye and said:
It'll be a hot time, in your town tonight!
Fire! Fire! Fire!

Higher! Higher! Higher!
Halt Pigs! Eat Shit!
Burn, Baby, Burn!
Sung to the tune of the American traditional song known as "The Chicago Fire Song" (about the fire
that destroyed most of Chicago, Illinois, in 1871), this eco-punk rendition subverts American
cultural tradition while promoting eco-punks' anarchistic views. The brutality and conceptualization
of the police, as stated in line 2 and in the expression "Halt Pigs!", incorporated into this song
further illustrates eco-punk disdain for governmental control.
Of course, rather than have a government with little control, eco-punks believe that no government
is good government. A chant that originated in England describes this belief eloquently:
The left, the right,

They're all a pile of shite!
Anarchy is based upon the premise that no politics are good politics, and as we can see in this chant,
eco-punks reinforce their belief that both left-wing and right-wing politics are equally based upon
faulty thinking.
Most of eco-punks' disagreement from American government stems from our society's capitalistic
economic system. As our culture has evolved, it has become ever more driven by greed. Our
modern hierarchical class system is based upon wealth, and thus punks (who are most often
products of the lower class) have a considerable dislike for capitalism as a result of their social
position. This sentiment is also integral to understanding eco-punk protest songs and their view of
society and the world. "Dumpster Diving Forever" (also put to the tune of "John Brown's Body") is
a song which perfectly articulates eco-punks' attempt to co-exist with the upper-class while refuting
society's ideology based upon greed:
Is there all we have in common with the greedy parasites

Besides that we eat out of his dumpsters every night?
Is there anything left for us? Open the lid and take a bite,
For the donuts make us strong!
Dumpster Diving Forever!

They have wasted untold millions and they waste more everyday.
While the workers keep producing, they keep throwing it away.
But the fregans are uniting and we vow to never pay.

We may be industry dependent hypocritical leeches!

So while they're working to buy careb organic wheat-free brownies, we'll be swimming in the
beaches.
Then when consumerism dies, we'll be making fregan speeches,
In these lyrics, eco-punks identify themselves as "fregan" in a comparison to the upper-class. The
term "fregan" is a contraction stemming from the words "freak" and "vegan." Rather than refer to
themselves as eco-punks (besides the need to fit the rhyme scheme), the term fregan is used
sarcastically, as members of dominant culture often call those who do not live according to
dominant ideals "freaks." "Vegan", as a term denoting one who does not eat anything made with
meat or meat by-products, further reinforces the eco-punk subculture's belief about animals and
their right to exist (in nature, not on dinner plates).
This song draws many other comparisons between eco-punks and the wealthy. America's upper-
class, being mainly comprised of corporate executives and heirs to deceased rich family members,
often fail to recycle or reuse what they own because their money allows them to replace (rather than
mend) that which they break or use. In this song, thrown away donuts are the symbol of typical
upper-class consumerism. However, this song refutes values such as those possessed by the upper-
class, and draws an inverse between the two cultures; what the wealthy discard, the eco-punks use
as the driving force behind their protesting. Conversely, while refuting these values, the first line of
the song's last stanza acknowledges the balance between the upper and lower classes of society:
"We may be industry dependent hypocritical leeches." While eco-punks occasionally scour
dumpsters looking for their meals, this line acknowledges that without the upper-class' waste eco-
punks would have nothing to eat. Of course, this still does not refute the main goal of the song: to
counter the products of greed that characterize America's upper class.
Another Wobbly (IWW) chant that is often used by eco-punks also supports the eco-punk
perception of society's economic hierarchy:
Oh conditions they are bad

And some of us are mad.
We still don't see the enemy,
The class that lives in luxury,
You Working people are poor,
And will be forever more
As long as you allow the few to guide your destiny!
Shall we be slaves and work for wages?

It is outrageous!
Has been for ages!
This world by rights belongs to toilers,
And not the spoilers
Of liberty.
This song explicitly addresses the large gap between America's rich and poor. By drawing upon the
image of the American proletariat unable to see their enemy (their boss' boss or corporate CEO), but
who continue to work for meager wages in order to stay alive and support their family, this song
reinforces the true driving force behind America's companies: the working-class who are often paid
poorly for their labor. As stated in the last three lines of the song, this nation was founded upon the
hard labor by the hands of the economically average person. While corporate executives, and even
lower-level managers, rarely metaphorically put their hands in the dirt, they are the people who are
paid the highest wages, and comprise a minority in American society. This song is intended to
protest the unfair balance of wealth, as those who toil the hardest often are paid the least.
A few chants are also used by eco-punks to describe the lower-class' contempt for the upper-class.
While they may be considered less eloquent (as a result of less deductive reasoning), some chants
nonetheless explicitly address our country's imbalance of wealth, such as this chant which
originated in England:
The rich, the rich,

We've got to get rid of the rich.
Unlike many songs, this chant directly addresses society's need to dissolve the imbalance of wealth
(as exhibited by the rich) in order for equality and a true balance of political, social, and economic
power to exist. While in the same vein, other eco-punk protest chants concerning this issue take a
more radical approach towards change:
Kill the rich, arm the poor

Social justice is civil war
Stick to your story, you'll never get caught
Rob the rich, break stuff up!
This particular chant is meant to incite direct action through its words, as told to me by my
informant. Rather than be used to convince someone that economic social reform is necessary in
order to establish a true balance of power at an event like a political rally, this chant is more often
used during tree-sit direct actions as the motivation for those working on the projects of the day.
As a method through which eco-punks can assert their value system and spread the eco-punk
ideology to those unaware, protest songs and chants are part of the means that lead to the end of
governmental control, capitalistic consumerism and class structure, and the destruction of the
environment. While also meant to establish a sense of community between singers and shouters,
these lyrics also are a mechanism that allows eco-punks to reinforce their own beliefs and
simultaneously instill the energy needed to combat America's mainstream cultural ideals. They
simultaneously subvert the dominant paradigm and strengthen the bonds between eco-punks and
others who think along similar lines. As a symbol of activism, protest songs and chants illustrate the
ideals, intentions, and dreams of one of America's largest emerging subcultures: the eco-punk
movement.
Author's note:
All of these songs and chants were tape recorded live on various dates and in various situations.
Most of these came from the mouths of people occupying the Fall Creek tree-sit (near Eugene,
Oregon), however, a few were related to the me during personal interviews and the remaining were
noted during protest demonstrations that I attended. A tape recording of these songs and chants will
also be made available for listening through the folklore archives at the University of Oregon. There
have yet to be any similar studies of this kind, and none of these songs came from books,
magazines, or other printed publications. An appendix has been added to this study in order to
include the protest songs that either did not correlate to the topic areas addressed, or were excluded
due to space limitations.
Works, Observations, Interviews Cited and Consulted
Akasha (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.
Brecke, Leif. Telephone Interview. 21 April. 1999.
Henry, Tricia. Break All Rules: Punk Rock and the Making of a Style. London: UMI Research
Press, 1989.
Healing Global Wounds Mother's Day Protest. Nevada Test Site, Mercury, Nevada. 5 May. 1999.
Kenyon, Tom. Personal Interview. 24 April. 1999.
May Day Forest Rally. Federal Building, Eugene, Oregon. 1 May. 1999.
McCain, Gillian, and McNeil, Legs. Please Kill Me: the Uncensored Oral History of Punk. New
York: Grove Press, 1996.
Millions for Mumia (Abu-Jamal) Protest March. Federal Building and Streets of Eugene,
Oregon. 24 April. 1999.
Shard (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.
Trillium (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.
Unnamed Informant #1 (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.
Unnamed Informant #2 (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.
Wood, Saxon. Personal Interview. 14 May. 1999.

Appendix
Informant: Akasha
"untitled"
Lyrics and tune by Casey Neill

Well, tell them it started here in my heart.


Well if anyone should ask you "Hey, which side are you on?"
Well, tell them it doesn't matter--this time it's everyone

"untitled"
Tune by Grace Slick (of the Jefferson Airplane)
We are agents of chaos and anarchy

Everything they say we are we are
And we are very proud of ourselves
Up against the wall!
Up against the wall!
Motherfucker tear down the wall!
Tear down the wall!
"Flaming Arrow"
Lyrics and tune by Casey Neill
The coyote lifts her head and the deer's ears are pricked
Over the forests and the cities and the plains.
Our brothers caught in the trap they set,
Oh do you know his name?
The defenders of the leviathan from the sting of the harpoon,

Friend of the wild fox hunted by the red cocoons,
To the children of earth they strike their blows,
But they cannot stop these wild seeds to grow.

Aim high, Air true

With a bullet and a bible, they came for the tribes,

Fighting to keep their traditions alive,
Trying to keep the young ones off drugs and alcohol,
Their mission franchise children with their backs up against the wall
backs up against the wall.
Cry freedom for the lynx.

Cry freedom for the minks.
Cry freedom for the wild ones driven to the brink.
For this we will fight until they cease,
Until all the animals and political prisoners have been released.

Aim high, Air true

"untitled"
IWW (Wobbly) chant
Oh conditions they are bad

And some of us are mad.
We still don't see the enemy,
The class that lives in luxury,
You Working people are poor,
And will be forever more
As long as you allow the few to guide your destiny!
Shall we be slaves and work for wages?

It is outrageous!
Has been for ages!
This world by rights belongs to toilers,
And not the spoilers
Of liberty.
"Solidarity Forever"--First Verse and Refrain

IWW (Wobbly) song
When the union's inspiration through the workers bloodshed won,
There can be no greater power anywhere beneath the sun,
What force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one?
But our union makes us strong!
Solidarity forever!
Solidarity forever!
Solidarity forever!
'Cause our union makes us strong!
"untitled"
Lyrics possibly by Joe Hill
The preachers come out every night

Try and tell you what's not wrong and what's right
But when you ask them for something to eat
They will answer in voices so sweet:
You will eat, by and by

In the glorious land in the sky
Kneel and pray, live on hay
There will be pie in the sky when you die,
It's a lie!
"untitled"
Lyrics by Akasha

"untitled"

"untitled"
Fall creek, Fall creek!

The forest service is weak!
"untitled"
Kill the rich, arm the poor

Social justice is civil war
Stick to your story, you'll never get caught
Rob the rich, break stuff up!
Informant: Trillum
"untitled"
F.R.E.D.S.
With the badge on their chest,
They're here to oppress
This ancient forest.
These FREDs are armed and dangerous,

The boys in green,
Pull your climbing line up
Or they'll cut down your tree.
Their excuse is forest maintenance,

Their tool is the saw,
The time to act is now,
Don't let the FREDs make the law!
"untitled"
Green and Black,

We're gonna take it back!
Informant: Unnamed Informant #1
"untitled"
Late last night, when you were home in bed,

A revolutionary took a lighter to the flag,
When the cops knocked her over, she winked her eye and said:
It'll be a hot time, in your town tonight!
Fire! Fire! Fire!

Higher! Higher! Higher!
Halt Pigs! Eat Shit!
Burn, Baby, Burn!
Informant: Unnamed Informant #2
"Dumpster Diving Forever"

Traditional
Is there all we have in common with the greedy parasites

Besides that we eat out of his dumpsters every night?
Is there anything left for us? Open the lid and take a bite,

They have wasted untold millions and they waste more everyday.
While the workers keep producing, they keep throwing it away.
But the fregans are uniting and we vow to never pay.

We may be industry dependent hypocritical leeches!

So while they're working to buy careb organic wheat-free brownies, we'll be swimming in the
beaches.
Then when consumerism dies, we'll be making fregan speeches,
Informant: Shard
"untitled"
Out on the street and it won't be long

What will it say on your epitaph?
Corporate Parasites,
How do you sleep at night?
Don't you know our silence is your only bite
Fly around the world in your jets

It's so easy for you to forget
Your wealth it comes from other's hands
Robbing the worker and raping the land
Truth and justice go round

Bucking the system down
We will not bow down

We will not be afraid
We are strong,
Beware the choice is made
All around sea's despair

Yet we've heroes everywhere
You live your lives as though you're safe
While you're surrounded by our hate
Faith then will resound

Bucking the system down
Down, Down, Down
"untitled"
There's a river running underground

That flows along this place
That takes my body when I laid it down
And carried it far away
It's too dark for you to see

Though I did not protest
You can't have me, you can't take me
But you can keep the rest
Someone asleep the sickle sweeps

Though I did not protest
The eagle screams with five frightened wings
But you can keep the rest
Informant: Eric Henson
"untitled"
Air my breath,
Fire my spirit,
Earth my body,
Water my blood.
Informant: Saxon
"untitled"
The left, the right,

They're all a pile of shite!
"untitled"
The rich, the rich,

We've got to get rid of the rich.

Eco-Punk Songs and Chants of The Latter Twentieth Century

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Eco-Punk Songs and Chants of The Latter Twentieth Century

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From the Mind to the Mouth: Eco-punk Songs and Chants of the Latter Twentieth Century

If anyone should ask you, "How did this movement start?"

It rose, it rose, it rose from the dead,

If anyone should ask you, "Which side are you on?"

It rose, it rose, it rose from the dead,

When the union's inspiration through the workers bloodshed won,

Take the day off and organize!

These FREDs are armed and dangerous,

Their excuse is forest maintenance,

They clear-cut, we treespike!

Treespiking is an act of monkeywrenching, or in other words, a practice designed to make the

The defenders of the leviathan from the sting of the harpoon,

We are howling out of the cages,

Aim high, Air true

With a bullet and a bible, they came for the tribes,

Cry freedom for the lynx.

We are howling out of the cages,

Aim high, Air true

Late last night, when you were home in bed,

Fire! Fire! Fire!

The left, the right,

Is there all we have in common with the greedy parasites

Dumpster Diving Forever!

Dumpster Diving Forever!

We may be industry dependent hypocritical leeches!

Oh conditions they are bad

Shall we be slaves and work for wages?

The rich, the rich,

Kill the rich, arm the poor

Akasha (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.

Brecke, Leif. Telephone Interview. 21 April. 1999.

Kenyon, Tom. Personal Interview. 24 April. 1999.

Shard (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.

Trillium (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.

Unnamed Informant #1 (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.

Unnamed Informant #2 (Cascadia Forest Defender). Personal Interview. 29 May. 1999.

Wood, Saxon. Personal Interview. 14 May. 1999.

If anyone should ask you, "How did this movement start?"

It rose, it rose, it rose from the dead,

If anyone should ask you, "Which side are you on?"

It rose, it rose, it rose from the dead,

We are agents of chaos and anarchy

The defenders of the leviathan from the sting of the harpoon,

We are howling out of the cages,

Aim high, Air true

With a bullet and a bible, they came for the tribes,

Cry freedom for the lynx.

We are howling out of the cages,

Aim high, Air true

Oh conditions they are bad

Shall we be slaves and work for wages?

"Solidarity Forever"--First Verse and Refrain

The preachers come out every night

You will eat, by and by

Take the day off and organize!

They clear-cut, we treespike!

Fall creek, Fall creek!

Kill the rich, arm the poor

These FREDs are armed and dangerous,

Their excuse is forest maintenance,

Green and Black,

Informant: Unnamed Informant #1

Late last night, when you were home in bed,