Get up off our knees
Get up Off Our Knees - The Housemartins
[special kudos to Flower Child for reminding me how awesome the Housemartins are!]
Famines will be famines, banquets will be banquets
Some spend winter in a palace, some spend it in blankets
Don’t wag your fingers at them and turn to walk away
Don’t shoot someone tomorrow that you can shoot today
Time to end the praying
Listen what they’re saying
Get up off your knees
You can wag your finger till your finger’s sore
Shake your head till it shakes no more
Paupers will be paupers, bankers will be bankers
Some own pennies in a jar, some own oil tankers
What may sound like tomorrow could be ours today
There’s no more need for sorrow if we get off our knees to pray
Time to end the praying
Listen what they’re saying
Get up off your knees
You can wag your finger till your finger’s sore
Shake your head till it shakes no more
Countries will be countries, borders will be borders
Some have lost their folks at war, some have given orders
What may sound like tomorrow could be ours today
There's no more need for sorrow if we get off our knees to pray
Time to end the praying
Listen what they’re saying
Get up off our knees
What I just loved about this song, as a high school junior - and again as a soccer mom driving a van with her kids screaming this song from the way back - was how it dared people not to hide behind their religion but to get up and do something. To not think "oh, because I prayed the world will be better."
Or worse, to think that a particular religion or belief is better. No one person, no one religion, is better.
Let's agree to believe what we need to believe to get through the day. But none of us are better than anyone else. We're all in this together.
Get up off your knees
Is there a song that gets your social justice juices flowing? Did you reconnect with music you hadn't heard in a long time? Do tell....
And be sure to visit Looking Into all this week because Flower Child is taking us to Miami with her photography. You don't want to miss it!!
10 comments:
I hadn't heard this song in so long, and I don't think I ever got the words before - Thanks! I love it!
My first time to hear this song...and it's nice!
I agree with you...nice post!
Happy Music Monday!
Wonderful post, SMID. And in addition to my song this week, I've been putting together a grad mix for my grads, and I think I'm going to include "Get Up off our Knees" Thanks for the reminder of this wonderful song!
Great song! I think we were thinking along the same lines today. Check out my song--this is my first time and I love the idea!
Awesome post. I hadn't heard or thought of the Housemartins in ages... thanks for the reminder of how good they are.
And a little self promotion here: I moved. Yup, I finally got my own corner of the internet up and running. Come check me out in my new digs at 42.gibkeeg.com
I'm kinda screwed until I can get my new address to link in my comments on other people's blogs.
Thanks for finding the lyrics! I only remembered the refrain. How amazing that the message hasn't changed in 20+ years. Also love "Sheep" for similar reasons.
Here, here! You always know just the right thing to say!
Love this song -- it's been ages since I've heard it...
P.S. I'm resending that disk so you can actually listen to "Sheep"
Do you get in my head and just outright steal my thoughts? Woah. I am a little blown away by this one today... been on this soapbox myself recently.
Hmmm... we'll have to talk about it. Soon.
Love the song. Love the memory too!!
Fabulous post, babe. I don't know the song, but I love the sentiment. There's work do to. Let's get up and do it already.
Oh, and I SO need to start playing Music Mondays! I think about it every week, but then Monday rolls around and I always seem to miss it. One of these days. Mark my words. Haha.
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