New video adds musical background to the school closings Fight Back... and adds to a growing musical tradition being born out of Chicago's struggles
Throughout US history, every new struggle of working people has given rise to cultural expressions, both in song and in art. Chicago's struggle to prevent the destruction of public education by the "one percent" plutocrats and their front man, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has begun to give an old tradition new life. A new music video, "It's time to fight back"," released by Chicago parent and populist musician Matt Farmer has the chorus "You've got to stand up, show 'em who you are. You've got to fight back, Rahm has gone too far..." and includes dramatic photographs of the latest protests against Rahm Emanuel's closing of more than 54 Chicago public schools.
One of the aesthetic features of the protests against Rahm Emanuel's policies destroying the public schools of Chicago has been an outpouring of individual "signange" (banned from the Board of Education building) expressing peoples' understanding of Rahm's realities. This photo was taken in Daley Plaza in Chicago on March 27, 2013. Substance photo by Susan Zupan. The words to the song are available.
“It’s Time to Fight Back”
Nine times six
Fifty-four
Schools gettin’ closed
Like never before
It’s the most school closings
In history
But it ain’t no
Scooby-Doo mystery
Gonna clear out
The neighborhood
Keep people movin' out
To Harvey and Maywood
Rippin’ out
Community anchors
Push out the poor kids
Bring on the bankers
Where was Rahm
When the deal got done?
Out skiing
In the Utah sun
These are your schools, Chicago
And it’s time to stand up
CHORUS
You’ve got to stand up
And show him who you are
It’s time to fight back
Rahm has gone too far
Progressive poseur
Walkin’ bulldozer
Union bustin’
Grade school closer
9.5
Landed a quick jab
South Side, West Side
It’s a land grab
Lookin’ for a tax base
Maybe a white face
All-out crisis
That he won't let go to waste
Runnin’ schools
With the help of the fat cats
Treatin’ poor kids
Like they were lab rats
These are your schools, Chicago
Tell ‘em what to do, G
CHORUS
You’ve got to stand up
And show him who you are
It’s time to fight back
Rahm has gone too far
Mad about the strike
So now he’s strikin’ back
Bully with a big stick
Hittin’ the brown and black
Movin’ kids
Like Monopoly pieces
Same old games
Class size increases
When you fight back
Rahm’s like a rich dad
Tryin’ to buy you off
With a brand new iPad
Air conditioning
For when you get hot
Got his fingers crossed
That you don’t get shot
These are your schools, Chicago
Tell ‘em what to do, G
CHORUS
You’ve got to stand up
And show him who you are
It’s time to fight back
Rahm has gone too far
REPEAT CHORUS 3x
This isn't the first time on a similar subject for the group making this video. Before the 2011 mayoral election, they produced a song about Rahm Emanuel's plans called "Too Big To Fail." More than a year before the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012 it had the memorable line... "send a dead fish to the union teachers."
Thus the latest video and music are reminiscent of Matt Farmer's previous "Too Big to Fail" effort, "Too Big To Fail". "Too Big to Fail" was widely appreciated as a satirical warning to Chicago about Rahm Emanuel during the 2011 mayoral election.
The URL for "You've got to stand up..." is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN0wR0h7trc&list=UUza6qnGh7IRrkzim40uL_pQ&index=1
The URL for "Too Big To Fail," still available on You Tube, is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScYHLfdV8u8&list=UUza6qnGh7IRrkzim40uL_pQ
"it's time to fight back" includes dozens of photographs, most of them from the March 27, 2013 rally, march and civil disobedience, showing the latest round of protests and ties in the current attacks on the city's public schools with the mayor's attack on the Chicago Teachers Union because of the successful strike of September 2012.
Since we're tagging music today, it may be time for teachers and others struggling to save Chicago's public schools to give another nod to "Chicago Teacher" by Rebel Diaz, the rap song of the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012. The URL for the 2012 strike song is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yN7cRZP58k.
And last but never least, the song that is sung at the beginning of every meeting of CORE, the Caucus Of Rank and file Educators -- Solidarity Forever -- as sung by Pete Seeger and with a video of union strikes from the past 150 years. The URL for the song is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g1IArAW5Dk
