DAVID ROVICS : "STILL WAITING FOR THE CHANGE"

David Rovics, chanteur et membre de l'IWW *, est constamment sur la route, rejoignant le terrain de toutes les luttes. Ses chansons forment un commentaire permanent, précis et actif de l'autre histoire américaine, celle qu'Howard Zinn a raconté dans son People's History of United States of America). Sa dernière envoyée avant hier est destinée à Barack Obama.

"Here's a song for President Obama (and the Democratic Party more broadly) I
wrote today.

Still Waiting for the Change

I remember in 2008
A Democrat became head of state
His party won the Congress too
Then we watched to see what they would do
Vague promises and hopeful signs
Just try to read between the lines
These things take time, that's understood
And I know that patience can be good
And I'm no genius, but I'm not dumb
And I'm still waiting for the change to come

Many thought it had arrived
We felt lucky to have survived
All those years of rightwing rule
Using fear and hatred as the fuel
Now we're on the other side
And we're still swimming against the tide
The wars go on, good people die
Missiles rain down from the sky
Once I dreamed you were my best chum
But I'm still waiting for the change to come

The prisons fill up with the poor
Victims of the same drug war
Bankers fly in First Class seats
While families move into the streets
Across the country schools close down
In another bankrupt town
Oil sits on the sea floor
And now you want to drill for more
And like everybody where I'm from
I'm still waiting for the change to come

I don't know but I'd like to think
We can pull each other from the brink
I've heard it said with a sigh
This nation is too young to die
But the system's broke and what I glean
Is change must come by other means
Can you hear the whispers in the air
What we need is Tahrir Square
Until then in Washington
I'll be waiting for the change to come
Still waiting for the change to come "

David Rovics sur Youtube avant hier

Site de David Rovics

*Industrial Workers of the World : syndicat fondé à Chicago en 1905 par des anarchistes et des socialistes révolutionnaires, résolument tourné vers la justice sociale qui dès sa création, à la différence des autres syndicats, était ouvert aux femmes, aux noirs et aux immigrés (ainsi le fameux Joe Hill exécuté, comme Rovics un troubadour qui créa le Little Red Songbook). Le syndicat fit l'objet à partir des années 1910 d'une répression ultra-violente de la part de l'Etat et des milices patronales. L'IWW est toujours en activité, on se souvient au début des années 2000 de leur combat exemplaire contre la chaîne Starbucks.

Photo David Rovics au Black Dog (St Paul Minnesota) le 25 septembre 2010