In We Shall Overcome, Bruce Springsteen voices a subtle, but powerful message of political protest. Part 1 explores the album’s pro-labor and anti-racism messages.
Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is not an overtly political album. On the surface, it appears to be a simple homage to a folk music legend who was a major influence on Springsteen's music and American music in general.
And yet, the Boss' latest musical excursion is not so innocuous. This will become clear after a few listens, when those unfamiliar with these songs start singing along and suddenly realize that-despite in some cases being hundreds of years old-they are a direct commentary on today's political and social turmoil.
In light of recent immigration rallies across North America, Springsteen's choice of such pro-labor songs as "Erie Canal" and "Pay Me My Money Down" feel rather prescient. Above all, though, it is his raucous, fiddle-infused version of "John Henry" that contains an unambiguous socio-political commentary.
Most people are familiar with the story of this mythical railroad man who worked himself to death in a competition against a machine that threatened to mechanize his job out of existence. Not only does this song allude to the current state of the North American economy, where workers face ubiquitous reminders that any day they could go to work, find the gates chained, and their jobs shipped overseas.
Another important undercurrent is that John Henry is a black man, and usually depicted as a former slave. Time after time, We Shall Overcome addresses the issue of racial intolerance. The album, of course, takes its title from the famous civil rights anthem, or what the liner notes call, "The most important political protest song of all-time, sung around the world wherever people fight for justice and equality."
While the reference to the American Civil Rights Movement is undeniable, Springsteen has a loftier goal. Songs like "Eyes on the Prize" and "Oh, Mary Don't You Weep"-both containing biblically inspired lyrics-represent an attempt to reclaim religious ideals frequently bandied about by politicians, but which, in reality, are rarely put into practice.
Finally, there is the anti-war song, "Mrs. McGrath." A traditional Irish broadside that dates back to at least the Napoleonic Wars, it tells the story of a mother whose son goes off to war in the name of patriotism. Seven years later he returns, to his mother's horror, without any legs, having been struck by a canon ball in battle.
Continue to Part 2...
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The copyright of the article Springsteen's Protest (Pt. 1) in Folk Music is owned by Brett Hooton. Permission to republish Springsteen's Protest (Pt. 1) must be granted by the author in writing.
