Protest Songs vs. Older work

There were many ideas in these three protest songs that relate back to previous work that we read. Most of these protest songs inspired young black African Americans who were going through their lives. Many black African Americans in the past didn’t have much money and lived in poverty and when they heard these protest songs they could relate to the issues and the rest of the world could in some way place themselves in their shoes.

Even black African American rappers that sang songs like “N.Y State of Mind” or the “The Message” could relate to these protest songs and it inspired their work and helped their own songs make more sense. In the song, “We Shall Overcome” they sing about how one day they will overcome many problems they are facing in the world and that they may be considered as equal one day. Rappers like NAS talk about the same kind of things in their songs. They talk about growing up in the hood and having a hard time doing so and making a name for themselves, mostly due to their skin color.

Even people like John Henry can relate to these protest songs. John Henry is someone who wanted to pound steel stakes with a hammer his whole life and who most likely had a rough and challenging childhood. John Henry and his story can relate to the lyrics present in the song “Ain’t gonna let Nobody Turn me “Round” where the message there is that basically no one will stop you from doing what you are doing if you have a goal. It also says in that song that if you are so determined in doing something you can ultimately ‘build a brand new world” which is what these rappers are trying to do and people like John Henry amongst others.

Another important message of these protest songs is that what Black Americans truly want is to simply be equal to white people and have the same opportunity as anyone else to do something good in the world. That’s what they are all trying to do in a way. ( Black African Americans in the readings and songs)

John Henry Blog

In John Henry's song it tells us a story about a young black boy. This boy was obsessed with steal driving and he wanted to be the best steel driving man ever and thats all that he thought about. This young boy wanted to do this as a career and until the day he dies. John Henry here is showing us how determined and motivated this boy was and that he had set himself a goal for his life. This ballad influenced songs like "NY State of Mind" and "The Message"because both of these rappers also had a goal in their life and a "message". They both had hard lives when they were young and they had to face difficult challenges and be determined just like the young black boy in John Henry's song to succeed in life.