There are songs about struggles for social justice throughout our songbooks. Here some places you can find them:
In Rise Up Singing, see the following chapters:
- Ecoloogy
- Freedom (on U.S. civil rights movement - including many great "zipper" songs for use on the picket line)
- Hope
- Mountain Voices (e.g. re strip mining)
- Peace
- Rich & Poor
- Struggle
- Unity
- Women
- Work (re labor union struggles)
A few favorites in RUS:
- Bella Ciao (not the traditional partisan lyrics)
- If I Had a Hammer by Pete Seeger & Lee Hays
- Look to the People by Ruth Pelham
- Love's Gonna Carry Us by Fred Small
- Never Turning Back and Common Thread by Pat Humphries
- Singing for Our Lives by Holly Near
- Step by Step by Pete Seeger
- Which Side Are You On? by Florence Reece
In Rise Again, see the following chapters:
- Dignity & Diversity (includes songs on women's & LGBTQ+ issues)
- Earthcare
- Freedom (including ones from South Africa, Ireland, etc.)
- Hope & Strength
- Peace
- Rich & Poor
- Struggle
- Work
Some favorites in Rise Again:
- Let Justice Roll Down by Aileen Vance
- Rise As One by Aaron Fowler
- Sing People Sing by Emma's Revolution
- Still Looking for Freedom by Jon Fromer
You find many additional songs by checking out the topic pages for racial justice, immigrant solidarity, peace, etc.
Check out also our pages of songs and lyrics "For the Resistance" (for use at rallies, meetings, etc.)
Here are a few others worth noting that are not in Rise Up Singing or Rise Again:
- Eye of the Tiger (adapted protest lyrics) by Colleen Kattau (original song by Survivor)
- Lead with Love/One Step and Rise Up by Melanie DeMore
- We Rise by Batya Levine
- Hold On by Heidi Wilson
- Our People Gonna Rise by Emma's Revolution
- Resilient by Rising Appalachia
- We Shall Be Known and Courageous from MaMuse
- Emma Goldman by Jolie Rickman
- Work to Be Done - by Sarah Nutting of MaMuse (tricky if you're doing all 4 parts but can be simplified)