When faced with tragedy that leaves us at a loss for words, there is music. Our thoughts are with Japan.

1. Calling All Angels Jane Siberry with k.d. lang; When I Was A Boy (Reprise)
2. I Grieve Peter Gabriel; Up (Geffen/Interscope)
3. If I Rise Dido; ST/127 Hours (Interscope)
4. We Are Each Other’s Angels Chuck Brodsky; Fingerpainter’s Murals (Waterbug)
5. You Are Not Alone Mavis Staples; You Are Not Alone (Anti/Epitaph)

For more songs about coping with disaster, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Faith & Hope, Help, Losing & Loss and Trouble, among others.

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, we chose a range of folk songs that express the history, accomplishments and passionate love of country of the Irish. On this day, the Green Book is all Irish!

1. Fields Of Athenry Paddy Reilly; The Sound Of Irish Folk (Digitalpressure/Dolphin Group)
2. Hills Of Donegal Peter Tomelty; Essential Irish Pub Songs Collection-C (Arran)
3. It’s A Great Day For The Irish Frank Parker; St Patrick’s Day Party (Sony)
4. Pat Works On The Railway Cottars; Forerunner (Rounder)
5. Song For Ireland Mary Black; Raised On Songs & Stories-Collected Irish Ballads-C (Digitalpressure/Dolphin Group)

For more songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® category Countries: Ireland.

In previous lists for Women’s History Month, SongsAbout.com has looked at female heroes, the feminist movement, and the spirit of women who will not be kept down. For Women’s History Month 2011, we focus on women at work – the discrimination, the low pay, but also the ability and determination to do whatever work they choose.

1. 9 to 5 Dolly Parton; 9 to 5 And Odd Jobs (RCA) Don’t be fooled by the humor. Parton’s description of harassment, low pay and underappreciation is no joke.
2. Company Time Linda Davis; Shoot For The Moon (Arista) This song describes the classic bind: a single mother torn between caring for her children and the discriminatory workplace where she earns the paycheck to support them.
3. Dirty Sheets Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women; Hot Flash (Alligator) A blues song about cleaning women who labor all week, yet can’t afford rent — all the more tragic because it is just as true as it was when released 20 years ago.
4. I’m Gonna Be An Engineer Peggy Seeger; Period Pieces-Women’s Songs For Men And Women (Tradition) Remember the bad old days, when girls were discouraged from careers in science? Let’s not go back.
5. Mill Worker Cris Williamson; Circle Of Friends (Wolf Moon) The soul-killing drudgery of factory work leaves this single mother wondering how she ended up in a dead-end life.
6. She’s Not Just A Pretty Face Shania Twain; Up! (Mercury) To close the list, a song in the spirit of women’s independence. Women can do any job!

For more songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Feminism and Work: Women in the Workplace.

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.

No Name-Calling Week is a program aimed at elementary and secondary school students to promote acceptance and understanding of the differences among us.  Now in its eighth year, the program’s stated goal is to “end name-calling of all kinds.”

We support this effort with the following playlist of songs urging kindness, love and mutual respect:

1. Don’t Laugh At Me Mark Wills; Wish You Were Here (Mercury)
2. Good Left Undone, The Rise Against; The Sufferer & The Witness (Geffen)
3. If Everyone Cared Nickelback; All The Right Reasons (Roadrunner/IDJMG)
4. Let Me Be Myself 3 Doors Down; 3 Doors Down (Universal Republic)
5. Point Of Light Randy Travis; Heroes And Friends (Warner Bros.)

For some songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Character & Integrity and Teaching Values.

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)