For 11/11/11, we suggest these great songs about the experience of veterans finding their place at home upon return. Remember to support as well as honor those who protected us!

1. Brothers Under The Bridge Bruce Springsteen; 18 Tracks (Columbia)
2. Hope Stephen Cochran; Single-Hope (Department Of Veterans Affairs)
3. I Just Came Back From A War Darryl Worley; Hear And Now (903)
4. My Dream Of The Big Parade Peerless Quartet with Henry Burr and Billy Murray; Single-My Dream Of The Big Parade (YouTube.com)
5. Sarge Rick Lance; Home Free-A Tribute To American Veterans-C (CD Baby)

You’ll find many more songs on this topic in GreenBookofSongs.com categories Holidays: Memorial & Veterans Day.

As Occupy Wall Street protests continue, we look back at the songs that grew from and sustained earlier social movements. You’ll find many more in our category Protest. Here’s a small sample:

1. Bread And Roses Judy Collins; So Early In The Spring, The First 15 Years (Elektra)
2. Eyes On The Prize Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
3. Get Up, Stand Up Bob Marley & The Wailers; Songs Of Freedom (Tuff Gong)
4. If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) Peter, Paul & Mary; In Concert (Warner Bros.)
5. Ohio Crosby, Stills & Nash; CSN (Atlantic)
6. This Land Is Your Land Woody Guthrie; Woody Guthrie (Vanguard)
7. War Edwin Starr; War & Peace (Motown)
8. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye; What’s Going On (Motown)

These songs, drawn from our category Holidays: Memorial & Veterans Day, express our commitment never to forget those who gave their lives for love of country.

1. 50,000 Names George Jones; The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 (BNA)
2. Angel Flight Radney Foster; Revival (Devil’s River)
3. Just A Dream Carrie Underwood; Carnival Ride (Arista Nashville)
4. Snow White Rows Of Arlington Sammy Kershaw; Single-Snow White Rows Of Arlington (MCA)
5. Soldiers Drowning Pool; Full Circle (Warner Bros.)
6. Somebody’s Darling Cumberlands; Civil War Tribute Collection-15 Timeless Classics (Rural Rhythm)

If Wisconsin governor Scott Walker wants to defeat collective bargaining, he’d better hope teachers, police and firefighters aren’t listening to these inspiring tunes. They chronicle the challenges, and sometimes the deaths, of workers in the mines, factories and mills, birthplace of the unions Walker seeks to sideline. Those who remember what it cost to get unions may work that much harder to keep them. 

1. Come All You Coal Miners Sarah Ogan Gunning; Harlan County USA-Songs Of The Coal Miner’s Struggle (Rounder)
2. Death Of Harry Simms Pete Seeger; American Industrial Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways)
3. Death Of Mother Jones Gene Autry; Freedom: Songs From Heart Of America-C (Columbia/Legacy)
4. It Goes Like It Goes (Theme From “Norma Rae”) Jennifer Warnes; Best Of Jennifer Warnes (Arista)
5. Joe Hill Paul Robeson; Don’t Mourn-Organize! Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill (Smithsonian Folkways)
6. Join The C.I.O. New Lost City Ramblers; Songs From The Depression (Folkways)
7. Shuttin’ Detroit Down John Rich; Son Of a Preacher Man (Warner Bros. Nashville)
8. There Is Power In A Union Billy Bragg; Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (Yep Roc)
9. They’ll Never Keep Us Down Hazel Dickens; Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People (Rounder)
10. Union Burying Ground Woody Guthrie; My Dusty Road (Rounder)

For more songs on this topic, see GreenBookofSongs.com® category Work: Unions.

A recent tweet by The Gateway to 21^st Century Skills, an NEA-supported site that gathers educational resources online, asked a question that intrigued us: “Anyone have ways to incorporate events in Egypt and Middle East into different subject areas?”

Naturally, we thought about using songs! Freedom and protest songs have a rich history, and GreenBookofSongs.com® has catalogued hundreds of songs from Civil Rights, peace and other political movements that are relevant to Egypt’s fight for democracy. And of course, music is a great way to get students involved and bring subject matter to life.

We compiled the following list from a variety of Green Book categories, among them Freedom; Protest; Politics: Political Classics; and Politics: Social Injustice. Whether you’re using music as a background to discussion, connecting American history with the Middle East, or helping students learn to put their own thoughts into words, you’ll find something useful here.

1. Eyes On The Prize Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
2. (For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People Chi-Lites; Greatest Hits (Epic)
3. Get Up, Stand Up Bob Marley & The Wailers; Songs Of Freedom (Tuff Gong)
4. Power To The People John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band; Shaved Fish (Capitol)
5. Revolution Beatles; Hey Jude (Capitol)
6. Rhythm Nation Janet Jackson: Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (A&M)
7. Something In The Air Thunderclap Newman; ST/The Strawberry Statement (MCA)
8. Stand! Sly & The Family Stone; Greatest Hits (Epic)
9. Takin’ It To The Streets Doobie Brothers; Takin’ It To The Streets (Warner Bros.)
10. We Didn’t Start The Fire Billy Joel; Storm Front (Columbia)

If you’re teaching about Presidents Day, here are five songs that may help bring history alive. What student will forget James K. Polk after listening to They Might Be Giants?

1. All Across The Land [Abraham Lincoln] Jonathan Sprout; American Heroes (Sprout)
2. James K. Polk They Might Be Giants; Factory Showroom (Elektra)
3. Obama Song Michael Franti & Spearhead featuring SoliLLaquists Of Sound, Cherine Anderson & Anthony B; Single-Obama Song (Anti/Epitaph)
4. Roosevelt The Cry [Theodore Roosevelt] Oscar Brand; Presidential Campaign Songs-1789-1996 (Smithsonian Collection)
5. We Remember You, George Washington Children From N.Y.P.S. 24; Twelve Songs for All Year Long (Folkways)

Find more songs on this topic in the GreenBookofSongs.com® category Presidents.

Last month, we featured songs about civil rights leaders. This month, we honor Black History Month with this brief selection of songs from the Civil Rights movement itself. Each one helped strengthen and motivate those in the fight.

1. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize Pete Seeger; We Shall Overcome-Complete Carnegie Hall Concert (Columbia)
2. Move On Up Curtis Mayfield; Curtis (Rhino)
3. Oh, Freedom Joan Baez; How Sweet The Sound (Razor & Tie)
4. Say It Loud-I’m Black And I’m Proud-Pt. 1 James Brown; 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (Universal Motown)
5. We Shall Not Be Moved Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
6. Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed On Freedom Sweet Honey In The Rock and James Horner; Freedom Song (Sony Classical)

For more songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® category Politics: Civil Rights.

We honor Martin Luther King Day 2011 with these songs about the civil rights movement, and those who sacrificed so much for freedom.

1. Anne Braden Flobots; Fight With Tools (Universal Republic)
2. Change Is Gonna Come, A Sam Cooke; Portrait Of A Legend-1951-1964 (Abkco)
3. Everyday Angel Radney Foster; Another Way To Go (Dualtone)
4. He Was My Brother Simon & Garfunkel; Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. (Columbia)
5. Here Comes The Freedom Train Merle Haggard; Capitol Collectors Series-Merle Haggard (Capitol)
6. No Easy Walk To Freedom Peter, Paul & Mary; No Easy Walk To Freedom (Warner Bros.)

For more songs on this subject, see the GreenBookofSongs.com® category, Politics: Civil Rights.

As we watch the aftermath of the political shootings in Arizona, it is clear that violence undermines our entire country.

GreenBookofSongs.com® has long gathered songs about protest, political dissension and and violence, in categories such as Protest, Politics: Social Injustice and Society: Criticizing Modern Society. Here are six songs culled from those lists, each with a different perspective, all leading to the conclusion that violence is not the way.

1. Black Shadow Symphony Westworld; Skin (Dreamscape)
2. Catalyst, The Linkin Park; A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.)
3. Devil’s Right Hand Steve Earle; Essential Steve Earle (MCA)
4. Get Together Youngbloods; Best Of The Youngbloods (RCA)
5. Vote With A Bullet Corrosion Of Conformity; Vote With A Bullet (Relativity)
6. Winter In America Gil Scott-Heron; First Minute Of A New Day (Arista)

We add here to other lists we’ve posted in previous years, in remembrance of 9/11 and all that was lost.

1. God Bless This Mess Sheryl Crow; Detours (A&M/Interscope)
2. Have You Forgotten? Darryl Worley; Have You Forgotten? (DreamWorks/SKG)
3. Him Lily Allen; It’s Not Me, It’s You (Capitol)
4. If I Had A Time Machine, That Would Be Fresh MC Lars; The Graduate (Horris)
5. You’re Missing Bruce Springsteen; The Rising (Columbia)

For more songs on this topic, see the GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Danger & Disaster: 9/11/2001 and War: Middle East.