Songs to Resist To
City of Heroes - Key of F
by Billy Bragg
Dm C Bb/Dm C Bb
Dm C Bb
The ghost of Martin Niemöller
Dm C Bb
Haunts the halls of history
Dm C Bb
When they came for the communists
Dm C Bb
He said "It's nothing to do with me"
Dm C Bb
When they came for the Democrats
Dm C Bb
He had nothing to say
Dm C Bb
And when they came for the Jews
Dm C Bb
He just looked the other way
[Pre-Chorus]
Dm C Bb
His silence didn't save him
Dm C Bb
When they came for him as well
Dm C Bb
There was no one to speak out for him
Dm C Bb
Resistance had been quelled
[Chorus 1]
Dm
What excuses would you tell yourself
C
If this ever happened to you?
Gm
Well, I live in a city of heroes
Am C
I know what I would do
Dm C Bb
When they came for the immigrants
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they came for the refugees
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they came for the five-year-olds
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they came to my neighbourhood
Dm C Bb
I just got in their face
[Chorus 2]
Dm
They use tear gas and pepper spray
C
Against our whistles and our phones
Gm
But in this city of heroes
Am C
We will protect our own
Dm C Bb
When they dragged people from their cars
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they took families from their homes
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they murdered our sister
Dm C Bb
I got in their face
Dm C Bb
When they murdered our brother
Dm C Bb
I still got in their face
[Chorus 3]
Dm Gm
In Dachau Martin Niemöller
Dm C
Suffered for his complicity
Gm
But in this city of heroes
Dm Am C
We learn the lessons of history
Dm C Bb
I will bear witness to terror
Dm C Bb
I will bear witness to tyranny
Dm C Bb
I will bear witness to murder
Dm C Bb
I will bear witness to fascism
Blow Your Whistle
G G G G
Let me tell you a story about a man
C C C C
That hated and hated and hated and then
G G G G
The government put a gun in his hand
D D D D
and told him he was the biggest man
G G G G
The biggest man in all the land
C C C C
and all he had to do was recruit his friends
G G G G
And hide his face behind a mask
D D D D
and drive a big ol’ kidnappin’ van
G G G G
But the people - they weren’t havin’ that
C C C C
not the people of Minneap’
G G G G
And Chicago and cities across the U.S.
D D D D
They drew their drums and whistles and sang this:
[Chorus]
G G G G
Blow your whistle - witness loudly
C C C C
inflatable frogsuit? Wear it proudly!
G G G G
Around the block - marching loudly
D D D D
no sleep for hate-filled killers cowardly
G G G G
Come on, get up, put on your whistle
C C C C
It’s as good as a clear dismissal
G G G G
Knowin’ that we all are trackin’
D D D D
every time they’ve been attackin’
G G G G
All our friends and all our neighbors
C C C C
And witnessin’ their cruel behaviors
G G G G
As they put them all in danger
D D D D
Our vigilance and noise won’t waver
G G G G
Let me tell you a story about a land
C C C C
Where the people walked on up to that man
G G G G
And told him they weren’t even mad
D D D D
and wished him lunch and then were shot dead
[Chorus]
G G G G
Blow your whistle - witness loudly
C C C C
inflatable frogsuit? Wear it proudly!
G G G G
Around the block - marching loudly
D D D D
no sleep for hate-filled killers cowardly
G G G G
Come on, get up, put on your whistle
C C C C
It’s as good as a clear dismissal
G G G G
Knowin’ that we all are trackin’
D D D D
every time they’ve been attackin’
G G G G
All our friends and all our neighbors
C C C C
Built this place, we’re our own saviors
G G G G
We’re in this together you and me
D D D D
and we’re here for immigrants and liberty
[Chorus]
G G G G
Blow your whistle - witness loudly
C C C C
inflatable frogsuit? Wear it proudly!
G G G G
Around the block - marching loudly
D D D D
no sleep for hate-filled killers cowardly
G G G G
Come on, get up, put on your whistle
C C C C
It’s as good as a clear dismissal
G G G G
Knowin’ that we all are trackin’
D D D D
every time they’ve been attackin’
G G G G
So don’t forget - you kids remember
C C C C
they don’t wanna be witnessed or remembered
G G G G
Blow your whistle - tell a stranger
D D D D
it’s time to get to know your neighbor
Friend Behind the Whistle - (Men Behind the Wire)
C Am
Armored men with guns in Benz
G C
Came to take away our friends
C F
But everyone must stand beside
C/G C
Our friends behind the whistle
C F
In the streets of Powderhorn
C G
Through the cold of early morn
C F
Fascist soldiers came a-raidin’
C G / C
Wreckin’ family home with scorn
C Am
Hear the sobs of crying children
C G
Filling parents full of dread
C F
Watch the scene as helpless neighbors
C / G C
Feel the blood fall from their head
[Chorus]
C F
Not for them any due process
C G
Or indeed a crime at all
C F
Looking brown means they’re guilty
C G / C
So we’re guilty one and all
C Am
Round the world the truth will echo
C G
¡la migra está aquí!
C F
Minnesota’s streets are sullied
C / G C
By cruel men full of greed.
[Chorus]
C F
Proudly march behind our banners
C G
Firmly stand beside our friends
C F
We will have you as our neighbors
C / G C
In our cities once again
C Am
Come on people all together
C G
Proudly strike downtown again
C F
Never fear and never falter
C / G C
Till our neighbor’s home again
[Chorus x 2]
Health to Community - A minor (Health to the Company tune)
Dm Am C Dm
Kind friends and companions come join me in time
F Dm Dm C
Come lift up your bodies in chorus with mine
F Dm Dm C
Come lift up your bodies, may they never detain
Dm Am C Dm
For we may or might never all meet here again
Dm Am C Dm
So here’s a cry for community as I call for more
F Dm Dm C
Let us scare off the agents from our neighbor’s front door
F Dm Dm C
We gather and record though we might be then slain
Dm Am C Dm
For we may or might never all meet here again
Dm Am C Dm
Here’s a health to the wee lass I see ev’ry morn,
F Dm Dm C
My coffee – just decaf– with cream dark is torn,
F Dm Dm C
It na’er tastes sweeter than by her own hand,
Dm Am C Dm
May she always be safe inside this-- her homeland
[Chorus]
Dm Am C Dm
My post lies in living room, astrewn with my things,
F Dm Dm C
I hear all the cries for help, and the aid we can’t bring,
F Dm Dm C
And if ever I should meet you by land or by sea
Dm Am C Dm
I will always remember those I could not reach
[Chorus x 2]
Boots for Licking (This one's just silly.)
E | E | E | E | x2
E
You keep sayin', freedom's somethin' to you
E
Somethin' you call rights, but confess
A
You've been a-messin' where you shouldn't have been a-messin'
E
And now the feds are gettin' all your best
[Chorus]
G E
Those boots are made for lickin'
G E
And that's just what you'll do
G E N.C. E
One of these days those boots are gonna walk all over you
[Link]
|(E) | E | E | E |
|E | E | E | E |
E7
You keep lickin' when you think you're truthin'
E7
And you keep losin' when you oughta not bet
A7
You keep samein' when you ought to be a-changin'
E7
Far right ain't been too good to anyone yet
[Chorus]
G E
Those boots are made for lickin'
G E
And that's just what you'll do
G E N.C. E
One of these days those boots are gonna walk all over you
[Link]
|(E) | E | E | E |
|E | E | E | E |
E7
You keep cheerin' when you shouldn't be cheerin'
E7
And you keep thinkin' that you'll never grow cold, ha!
A7
The weather's frigid, but my friends are with me, yeah
E7
Now what we know you ain't had time to learn
[Chorus]
G E
Those boots are made for lickin'
G E
And that's just what you'll do
G E N.C. E
One of these days those boots are gonna walk all over you
[Outro]
|(E) | E | E | E |
E
Are you ready boots? ... Start walkin'
| E | E | E | E | x2
| E | E |
(fade out)
Come Out Ya’ Cowards ICE
Based on “Come Out Ye Black and Tans,” Dominic Behan. Adapted by Carsie Blanton, Sophie Schleicher, Ben Grosscup
Listen Here (YouTube Link)
I live here on a Powderhorn Street Where ICE agents walk the beat With a signing bonus Fifty thousand dollars When we saw those vicious goons Steal our neighbors from their rooms We went out into the streets And yelled and hollered CHORUS Come out ya’ cowards ICE! Peel away your grim disguise Tell your wife how you Take orders from the fascists And how the city you betray Made you run like hell away From the white and snowy Streets of Minneapolis Won’t you tell her how you stood In the way of Renee Good How she tried to leave But you were too afraid of her How she did just what you said So you shot her in the head For the crime of standing up For her own neighbors I bet you felt so big and strong, When Nurse Pretti came along And he tried to shield a woman You were beating Six agents held him down, and you shot him on the ground And stood around to watch him As he lay there bleeding Come let us hear you tell How you serve the country well Gassing children in their schools And cars and houses And how the nation’s great distress Can be solved by DHS If you repress the rage Your cruelty arouses
Abolish Ice - Resistance Bells
Listen Here (YouTube Link)
Just another day for the hell brigade Another body for the reaper They say deny your eyes, well, it's comply or die All hail the glorious leader The banshee’s cry was heard through the night For another precious martyr How many need die for the changing tides To bring the Lady’s mighty hammer Oh, the battle’s just begun, Oh, there’s freedom to be won In the shadow of a would-be king, Oh, resistance bells shall ring The masks they wear can’t hide the murderous stare Of the fascist armed invaders It’s not a means to an end; it’s just the evil intent Of the malignant white crusaders But the rebellious sparks that spring from love-filled hearts Won’t be coerced into submission With every passing day, oh, they set the stage For the coming revolution Oh, the battle’s just begun, Oh, there’s freedom to be won In the shadow of a would-be king, Oh, resistance bells shall ring And through the dark and stormy days, Oh, the fight is not in vain
The Folks from Minnesota (Warlike Lads of Russia)
Brian Lindsay
Listen Here (YouTube Link)
[Verse 1] Oh when Gregory Bovino to Minnesota went with all his troops and all his men Their minds were fully bent For to break those northern cities oh they had been employed But the whole town rose against them And their spirits did destroy [Chorus] Oh the folks from Minnesota They fight all in one mind Making Bovino to run and leave his troops behind [Verse 2] When in two Sister Cities the common man did stand Old Bovino and all his men took anyone they’d get But in two Sister Cities the common man’d retreat They flooded all the sidewalks and they froze hard all the streets [Chorus] [Verse 3] Well it’s all across Twin Cities the common man held fast against Bovino and all his men They marched and drove them back The action being so hot from right and left and front and rear “Well damn you all” said Bovino “I’ll stay no longer here” [Chorus] [Verse 4] Well away then went poor Bovino as fast as he could run Over snowy fields and ditches He left cars and plans and guns The carnage of his actions, the rage of neighbors too He left it all behind him for it’s all he knows to do [Chorus] [Verse 5] Said “It’s full 3,000 men of mine their dignity you’ve taken. Likewise you’ve robbed them of their sleep and nobody will feed them. But never more to Minneapolis I dare advance For if I do I may be sure they’ll teach me how to dance [Chorus] [Verse 6] So it’s to conclude and so to finish up my song Old Bovino can run from state to state but not for long For it’s each and every tyrant and every cruel small man Must turn and face the music or else see his soul be Damned [Chorus] Oh the folks from Minnesota They fight all in one mind Making Bovino to run and leave his troops behind
The Ropes of Nuremberg
Am E
Am Am
The ropes of Nuremberg are going hungry
Dm E
Too many winters gone since they were fed
C
Everywhere, the cold earth waits
G
For graveyards to be sated
Dm E
With men who now are sleeping in their beds
Am Am
The cells of Spandau slumber in their silence
Dm E
Hell’s empty and the devils walk the streets
C
In the hanging yard, the ropes
G
Cry out for necks to choke
Dm E
And put a final jig into their feet
Chorus:
C
When the battle has been fought
G
We’ll make up and tie the knot,
Dm E
A new beginning, with a hempen wedding ring
C
Each man will have his say
G
Then learn to dance ballet
Dm E
Cut loose once he’s got a little swing
Am Am
The ghost of Nuremberg is too long fading
Dm E
So many sinners never paid their debt
C
It used to haunt the dreams
G
Of crumbling regimes
Dm E
But now these Kings are starting to forget
Am Am
Madame l’Guillotine is going lonely
Dm E
She needs to take a lover in her arms
C
So many men deserve
G
Her kisses for their service
Dm E
So many should be dying for her charms
Chorus:
C
When the battle has been fought
G
We’ll make up and tie the knot,
Dm E
A new beginning, with a hempen wedding ring
C
Each man will have his say
G
Then learn to dance ballet
Dm E
Cut loose once he’s got a little swing
Am Am
The ropes of Nuremberg are going hungry
Dm E
The tyrant’s axe is sharpened for our heads
C
The night is fading fast
G
The sunrise come at last
Dm E
The knife edge of the dawn is black and red
Am Am
Out in the streets the barricades are rising
Dm E
The board is overthrown- the game was rigged!
C
The fire guides us to the day
G
All the screens will show ballet
Dm E
And the tyrants learn to dance the Spandau jig
Chorus (optional)
C
When the battle has been fought
G
We’ll make up and tie the knot,
Dm E
A new beginning, with a hempen wedding ring
C
Each man will have his say
G
Then learn to dance ballet
Dm E
Cut loose once he’s got a little swing
ICE, Fuck You
Listen Here (YouTube Link)
Ice fuck you. Get out of our town! Back under your rocks, jack-booted clowns. Ice fuck you! We won't back down, Say their names, say them loud! Ice fuck you! Hands off our lives, We will remember and survive! Ice fuck you! Minneapolis! Say it now! White hoods traded for flags and shield, Paroled-up thugs in a kill-zone field, They stir the pot then cry "chaos"! Light the fuse then play the boss! Gas the block, roll the cams, Call it "order", beat the damned, Nazi coat-- cosplay king History screams-- same damn thing. You film-- they shove. You help-- they strike! You stand-- They panic at the very sight! Ice fuck you! Get out of our towns! Back under your rocks, jack-booted clowns! Ice fuck you! We won't back down. Hundred cities, same damn sound. Ice fuck you! No normalize! We're not numb we're fucking here! Ice fuck you! Pull that trigger We get loud! Say their names, not statistics Say their names: Renee Good Say their names, not statistics Flesh and blood! Nurse down camera still Truth got shot, power thrilled Help a car, help clear a lane End up dead-- Ice has no shame! You can't tear gas this memory. Your fog can't hide what people see! Ice fuck you! Get out of our town! Back under your rocks, jack-booted clowns! Ice fuck you! We won't back down, Hundred cities same damn sound. Ice fuck you! No normalize! We're not numb we're fucking here! Ice fuck you! Pull that trigger We get loud! Fuck Trump-- fuck ICE We're done with ICE We need our fist-- built to resist We've got two eyes-- truth won't die! It multiplies. ICE: fuck you! Get out of our towns. ICE fuck you! We won't back down Say their names, say them loud! Ice fuck you! Hands off our lives We will remember and survive Ice fuck you! Minneapolis! Say it now.
The Dick blizzard
Emett Doyle
Listen Here (SoundCloud Link)
Come raise up a glass for 2/7/26 When against the ICE Nazis came a blizzard of dicks At Whipple they whipped dildos onto their vans To stand hard ‘gainst a tyrant’s, the measure of man The people faced down those tyrannical fucks And yeeted the penises into the trucks No we didn’t throw Molotovs, bottles, or rocks But we pounded them down with the silicon cocks The Icemen are Feds but they called on the state they pulled out the sheriffs to collaborate They fitted the sheriffs and rolled them down and covered themselves so they could go town Sheriffs stood attention, so stiff and so proud They swung the hard wood and they beat off the crowds They pulled out the handcuffs, we cried “Yes indeed- You can bury us daddy, but we are the seeds!” We’re getting our folks back, we’re giving them care But the icemen have nightmares where filling the air Are dildos that shoot rainbow streams as they hit And that’s the most action that they ever get So Feds learn your lesson, so sticky it sticks- If you fuck with us you’ll eat a blizzard of dicks Those ICEmen regretted that they ever came Like the world regrets that their dads did the same