Are you looking for a fun, meaningful way to enjoy Memorial Weekend with friends and family?
Check out the annual Northwest Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center from Friday, May 27th to Monday, May 3oth. Here is a complete schedule:
For example, join some of our SSCAN folks at:
Seattle Labor Chorus performance on Saturday, 5 pm at the Cornish Theatre and Singalong on Sunday, 6 pm at the Cornish Courtyard.
Just Us Singers’ Singalong on Saturday, May 28th at 2 pm at the Cornish Courtyard. For your convenience, see the lyrics below.
Just Us Singers Song Sheet Please Sing Along! NWFL May, 2022
Classic & original songs for a just world. (206) 769-4204, Rainier Valley, Seattle. Listen to some songs at Mike Wold/Singing to Remember https://bit.ly.singingtoremember
Peace-Salaam-Shalom by Pat Humphries
Peace, Salaam, Shalom (4X); then repeat
Peace Medley
Vine And Fig Tree (Hebrew folksong)
And everyone ’neath their vine and fig tree shall live in peace and unafraid (2X)
And into plowshares beat their swords,
nations shall learn war no more (2X)
Love to your neighbor
and love to the spirit of all life (2X)
Repeat 1st & 2nd lines
Down by the Salish Sea
(African American Spiritual)
Gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the Salish Sea (3x)
(repeat)
Chorus: I /Ain’t gonna study war no more, 6x
Gonna sing for peace around the world…
(repeat)
Chorus: I /Ain’t gonna study war no more, 6x
We Shall Not Give Up On Peace
(South African Folksong)
We shall not give up on peace.
We have only started, 3x; (Repeat all)
We’ll put an end to violence,
Hand holding hand, 3x, (Repeat all)
There’s enough for all of us;
Peace will prevail, 3x (Repeat all)
Singing Through the Hard Times
by Utah Phillips
Sometimes our living gets so dark & lonesome
It seems like there’s nothing we can do
So we reach out to each other
& raise a song together
And let our voices carry us through
Chorus:
We are /Singing thru the hard times (2x)
Working for the good times to come (repeat)
And when the war clouds gather,
it’s so easy to get angry
And just as hard not to be afraid
But you know in your own heart,
no matter what happens
You just can’t turn your back and walk away
Chorus: We are singing….
So hand in hand together,
we help each other carry
The light of peace within us every day
If we can learn to live it, to walk & talk & give it
That world of peace won’t be so far away
Chorus: We are singing…. (2x)
Why We Sing by Mike Wold
Because a worker will make less
Than 50 years ago,
Because reforming welfare threw
So many off the rolls,
Because the social safety net
Has gotten full of holes, …that’s why we sing.
Because a woman’s choice
has been eroded by decree,
Because one soul in prison
means the rest cannot be free,
Because our climate chaos means
there’s no safe place to be … that’s why we sing.
Chorus: We sing the way some people laugh,
The way some people cry.
We sing because we’re not prepared
To cash it in and die.
We sing because we know there’ll be
No pie up in the sky.
We sing for the courageous folks
Who rise again and try.
Because the police seem to think
it’s OK to kill blacks.
Because the FBI and NSA
can sneak behind our backs,
Because our wars kill more than die
In terrorist attacks…that’s why we sing.
We sing our faith that change comes from
The bottom, not the top.
We sing our vow to fight for justice
And we’ll never stop.
We sing to bring about a world
Where all share what they’ve got.
We sing to bring the light of hope
To places where it’s not!
& we believe that everyone should live w/ dignity, And when the people join our song
It’s beautiful to see,
Because we want to live in peace
And in prosperity … that’s why we sing. (Chorus) We sing……
That’s why we sing,
On picket lines, in concert halls,
That’s why we sing,
To those who struggle and to you all,
That’s why we sing,
We stand prepared to answer any call,
That’s why we sing, that’s why we sing.
A House for the Homeless by Mike Wold
Chorus:Sing a dream house for the homeless
For the guy in the doorway,
The woman on the street
Sing a roof & 4 walls, bed & bathroom for all
And a kitchen with plenty to eat
Sing a dream house for the homeless
For the family asleep in their car
Where the rent is real cheap
There’s no shortage of heat
And the good jobs are not very far
Take Julie out there, looking worn out with care
Got an A.A. in office admin
But harassment at work got her out in the dirt
And she never got back in again
And Jimmy arrived from a long Greyhound ride
He was hired on a fast-moving line
But when orders slowed down,
No more jobs could be found
And he just couldn’t pay rent on time
Let’s change this world for the homeless
We all make mistakes; they say that’s the breaks
But when people get broken, that’s wrong
And sometimes we fall, but that shouldn’t be all
For folks like the ones in this song
I don’t like to preach, but I do have to teach
How what happened to them isn’t strange
We could all take their place,
With a small twist of fate
That’s why the whole system must change
Let’s dream a world for the homeless
Bob came from the res, made a good life he says
Bought a house where he thought he could stay
But the interest rate rose
and his home was foreclosed
So he’s down in Tent City today
And Nancy was smart, but a guy broke her heart
And took all her money besides
She’d be on her way up,
but she can’t make a buck
That’s why she’s sleeping outside
Let’s change this world for the homeless
There’s lots more we’ll do before we get to
A world that takes care of its own
Pay a livable wage, make rents harder to raise
Defend people’s right to their homes
And just to be fair, make the rich pay their share
What they pay now’s a sin and disgrace
So let’s organize and prioritize
What it takes to get out of this place
(Chorus)Sing a dream house…
Let’s change this world for the homeless
Across the Borderline by John Hiatt, James Dickinson, Ry Cooder There’s a place where I’ve been told Every street is paved with gold And it’s just across the borderline
And when it’s time to take your turn
Here’s a lesson that you must learn
You could lose more
Than you ever hope to find
(Chorus)
When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hand
Then you’ll know that it’s too late
To change your mind
‘Cos you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline.
Up and down the Rio Grande
A thousand footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
The river flows on like a breath
In between our life and death
Tell me who’s the next to cross the borderline
(Chorus) When you…..
En la triste-oscuridad
Hoy tenemos que cruzar
Este río que nos llama más allá
But hope remains when pride is gone
And it keeps you moving on
Calling you across the borderline
(Chorus, repeat last three lines)
Locally Grown John Forster & Tom Chapin
If I were an apple, I’d be very unhapple
Traveling 4000 miles or more,
From far off Tasmania, in a shipping contain-ia,
To a shelf in a Washington store.
Why should I be tortured
When some Washington orchard,
Would be totally thrilled to the core
To pick me & crate me & load me & freight me, not 4000 miles, but 4?
An apple should be not far from the tree
where it ripens in the fall.
(Chorus) Locally grown and locally eaten
is globally good, good, good for us all. (2x)
If I were a berry, I expect I’d be very contrary and hardly inclined
To ship out from Chile to a store in Tukwilly.
Hey, I’d have to be out of my mind. It seems paradoxic and carbon dioxic
That we force all our food to commute, wasting gallons of fuel, which we know isn’t cool for people or planets or fruit.
A berry is fine not far from its vine,
near the farmer’s market stall.
(Chorus)Locally grown and locally eaten, is globally good, good, good for us all. (2x) So when you’re walking the aisle
past a beautiful pile
Of the fruit you might want to take home.
Do not buy for your table,
‘Til you check out the label
and determine how far it did roam.
Aside from the karma of helping the farma,
who lives in your county or state.
The very best reason to buy what’s in season:
the taste is incredibly great!
So keep buying foods
from your regional dudes,
Keep your carbon footprint small.
(Chorus: Locally grown…) (2x)
Power from Above by Dan Berggren
Sinners are you ready for a little redemption
To receive forgiveness for what we’ve done?
The time has come to break bad habits
It’s time to turn to the wind and sun
Chorus: Just a little more power from above
Just a little more faith respect and love
For this old earth our only home
It may take strength to say no
to that power from below.
But there’s salvation in the power from above
There’s a better way than barrels of oil
There’s a better way than lumps of coal
There’s a better way to work together
Renewable power, that’s our goal
(Chorus)
What will we do for a better world?
Get on our knees to hope and pray?
Well that’s not enough unless we change
The judgment day is every day
Wars have been fought over who owns oil
Lives have been lost and fortunes won
But you and I will someday win
‘Cause no one owns the wind or sun
(Chorus)
Yes there’s salvation in the power from above
Simple Song of Freedom by Bobby Darin
Chorus:
Come and sing a simple song of freedom.
Sing it like you’ve never sung before.
Let it fill the air, tell the people everywhere,
We, the people here, don’t want a war
People round the world can you hear us?
We don’t want to occupy your land
We just want to be someone known to you as me
And we’ll bet our lives you’ll understand
(Chorus)
And people ’round the world, are you listening?
Lots of what you hear is full of lies
But speaking one to one, ain’t it everybody’s sun
We wake to in the morning when we rise?
(Chorus)
Now some folks just enjoy doing battle
Like presidents, prime ministers and kings
So let ’em scream and fuss,
but please don’t involve us
The people of the world would rather sing.
(Chorus) (repeat last two lines at end)
Can You Breathe? by Mike Wold
Can you breathe
when a man dies in a choke hold
Can you breathe
when they clear protest off the street
Can you breathe when the verdict is foretold
Can you breathe
when they knock folks off their feet?
(Chorus) Can you breathe? Can you breathe?
While all around you all the people grieve?
Can you live as you choose,
What is it you believe
If after all that you have seen
You can breathe?
He was drivin’ down the street mindin’ his business When the police pulled him over for a stop They say he offered them too much resistance But murder’s just the same done by a cop His death was “unfortunate, an accident” They thought his hand was pullin’ out a gun They treated it like just another incident And his killer still is walkin’ in the sun. Chorus. Can you breathe….
Now you know that we’re all in this together
And a total system change is what we need
There are lots of different ways
our lives are fettered
& those chains are reinforced by corporate greed
Can you breathe
when they lock folks up for lifetimes
Can you breathe while they build that border wall
Can you breathe
when they build another pipeline
Can you breathe while the rich take it all?
Chorus. Can you breathe….
Now I won’t say that I don’t believe in progress
And it’s clear the good that civil rights did bring
But still this society’s in regress
And it’s time to give that pendulum a swing
If you want to breathe,
then tell them black lives matter
If you want to breathe,
then come out, take a stand
If you want to breathe,
then let’s create the answer
Let’s roll justice out right across this land.
Chorus; Can you breathe…..
Power of the Union by Si Kahn
Some people never say no to the boss
They take what they get for their labor
Others will stand up whatever the cost
And fight for the rights of their neighbor
Chorus: Every day, every night, will you fight for the things that you believe in?
Will you stand, hand in hand,
Hand in hand with the power of the union?
Some people never say what’s on their mind
In a hard time you hardly can find them
Others will stand up the first in the line
And hold on till there’s hundreds behind them
(Chorus) Every day,….
Come in, close the door, between you and me
I’ll tell you just what the truth is
The power and spirit we feel in this song
Are born in the power of the union.
(Chorus) Every day,…
Some people never say yes to a dream
They say change can wait until later
Others will keep on until they succeed
Then fight for a dream even greater
(Chorus) Every day…
There Is a Wall by Charlie King
There is a wall and it’s the tallest wall of all There is a wall and it’s the tallest wall of all They named a street for it where numbers roll and eyes go blank A wall of gold, they buy the future with the past They call it work, just feels like money in the bank And way down at the foot of that wall Where the guard can barely see her at all A woman is standing, not asking, not demanding a poor woman is standing
with a hammer in her hand
Chorus: Don’t you want a piece of that wall when it comes down? Don’t you want to live to see it fall
when it comes round? When that wall is gone, no matter which side you were on Can you say you took a piece of that wall down? Don’t you want a piece of that wall?
There is a wall and it’s the meanest wall of all
Stretched from my doorstep straight back to 1492
It hides the ovens,
it hides the settlements, the homelands
Pink triangles, shackles, passbooks and tattoos
And way down at the foot of that wall
Where the guards can barely see him at all
An old man is standing not asking not demanding
An old African is standing
with a hammer in his hand
(Chorus) Don’t you want…..
There is a wall and it’s the oldest wall of all
A wall of fear, holds danger out, desire in
A wall that bristles,
each time the warden brings back tales
Inside we’re starving…
to buy the bricks to build the cells to bury love
To bar the door, to ban the stranger
And way down at the foot of that wall
Where the guards can barely see at all
A stranger is standing, not asking not demanding
A stranger is standing w/ a hammer for your hand
(Chorus) Don’t you want….
Freedom Medley
Woke Up This Morning
By Rev Osby & Robert Zellner
Woke up this morning with my mind
(my mind it was) stayed on freedom (3x)
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!
Walkin’ & talkin’ with my mind…
Singin’ & workin’ with my mind…
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody (Albany movement)
Ain’t gonna let nobody / turn me around (3x)
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around.
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a talkin’ Marchin’ down to freedom’s land.
Ain’t gonna let injustice / turn me around (3x) Ain’t gonna let injustice turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a talkin’ Marchin’ down to freedom’s land
This Little Light of Mine (traditional)
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine (3x) Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
All around the whole wide world,
I’m gonna let it shine (3x)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
We Shall Overcome by Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, Pete Seeger
We shall overcome (3x) some day,
Oh deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome some day.
We shall live in peace (3x) someday.
Oh deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome some day.