My favourite example of a song that people think is patriotic but isn't even close.

Too often this song is seen as an unwavering patriotic song, which to me indicates that people aren't paying attention to all the lyrics. This song is about the country forcing the poor and downtrodden to go to war on behalf of people they will never meet and then expected to, somehow, return to normal. When understood in it's appropriate context, this song is better than anything uncritical listeners hear.

This is another legendary classic. Seeing the protest crackdowns on college students had me thinking about this song for the last few days.

I humbly submit some dance by elder statesmen of the genre.

Aside from a cracking beat, it's a complete piss-take of modern, forward-thinking, community-first terminology.

Take your anger out on the dancefloor, and solidarity.

(And, in case I failed to embed the link in the title, here it is .)

Watching this video (probably 15 years ago) was the moment I realised I was left wing.

Another Chinese punk band that's explicitly leftist (and black flag).

Pretty much anything by the Dummy Toys qualifies as left-messaging.

Edit: didn't put the URL in the URL spot. Wasn't thinking, sorry.

I'm pretty sure every song on this album would fit here. Also probably like 85 % of the folk-punk genre.

Hope you enjoy.

Is this how you want to live your lives?

inside the vultures circle

can you feel the talons in your neck?

Only the strong survive you say?

Just pray that prey you don't become

You've got no time for safety nets

There are no alpha wolves

Only those struggling to survive the state of nature

Domestic animals lost without the trappings of their civilization

You like to play armchair eugenicist, militant pessimist

An ivory tower that's built upon

the product of a million labors

Regression to the mean, repression of the weak

fraudulent pyramid scheme of human hierarchy

Do you ever wonder why you've been deprived

the wealth of nations?

do you feel the trickle down your leg?

Preoccupied with war against your own and your own home

How is it you're not already dead?

Another failed experiment

Evidence suggests you will not pass the last great filter

The soldiers won't defend the hive

when the Queen neglects to satisfy the builders

You like to play the devil's advocate, passive and impotent

brood over fallen empires

That were built upon the bones of millions

Narrow minded sanctimonious

self-serving sophistry

Greed governing holiness?

Not in the version I have seen.

You will not see the stars

doomed to the tides

access denied, fated to die

This one is a cover of a song written by Joe Hill. The IWW still publishes the little red songbook, which has this song in it!

We don't mind\ See we've been doin' it all the time\ But if you want us to you sacrifice\ You will not get it without a price\ We don't mind\ See we've been doin' it all the time\ But if you want us to you sacrifice\ You gotta give something back to life

You think I'm vulnerable to your pressure tactics\ Because I shed a tear, 'cause I shed a tear\ You think I'm vulnerable to your violence\ Just 'cause I'm sittin' here\ But my babies came into this world\ Without a single fear, say they has no fear\ 'cause the seven generations before me\ They all fought to get us here

You can't just come in here like that no more\ And snatch up our childhood\ You just can't walk on up\ And replace it yo, with your Hollywood\ But I see now\ How all of the words I say you'll take and misconstrue\ And I'm prepared now\ To suffer the penalties for speakin' the truth\ And I speak the truth when I say

People if you hear me now I wantcha to say\ Naa, na-naa, na-naa, nah\ People if you hear me now I wantcha to say\ Naa, na-naa, na-naa, nah

Haven't seen any RATM in this community yet. But i feel like basicly all their songs would fit here.

This is a legendary classic, covered by dozens of leftist artists. While I prefer studio recordings generally, hearing an entire crowd singing this song gives so much more weight to it. I also really like this (admittedly it's mostly a meme) edit with rifle fire to really drive home that we would not have our labor rights today without these brave workers literally fighting with guns for better working conditions.

Harry Simms was an organizer for the NMU, a communist union that had been organizing in Harlan county, Kentucky during the events of Bloody Harlan. In fact his death, as described in this song, reignited militant labor into more violent action against the capitalists. Eventually the UMW won the hearts and minds of the workers while beating back the capitalist union busters, but the NMU was a crucial part of the story in supporting workers and their families after getting kicked out of company towns.

Piped / Invidious

Wikipedia: Bella ciao

Astronautalis - Bella Ciao - Youtube / Piped / Invidious

Chia Madani - Bella Ciao - Youtube / Piped / Invidious

(and yes, I have an irrational dislike of the La Casa de Papel version)

I suppose I'm cheating a bit by posting Pink, but their leftist messages are popular for a reason!