All That Gold…

A friend posted on Facebook the mother’s aria from Amahl and the Night Visitors, a heartbreaking piece of the opera. It’s a small part of the whole, but it helps set the circumstances of the family.

Here are the lyrics, taken from https://www.tpac.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GBAmahl08.pdf.

All that gold, all that gold!
I wonder if rich people know what to do with their gold.
Do they know how a child could be fed?
Do rich people know?
Do they know that a house can be kept warm all day with burning logs? Do rich people know?
Do they know how to roast sweet corn by the fire?
Do they know? Do they know how to fill a courtyard with doves?
Do they know? Do they know?
Do they know how to milk a clover-fed goat?
Do they know? Do they know how to spice hot wine on cold winter nights? Do they know? Do they know? 

All that gold! All that gold!
Oh, what I could do for my child with that gold! Why should it go to a child they don’t even know? They are asleep. Do I dare?
If I take some they’ll never miss it. 

For my child… for my child… 

Armor

So many great lines in this tune by Sara Bareilles. The rhymes work very well with the tune, plus the artist turns a familiar trope on its head. Her band in this recent late-night show performance is awesome as well.

Put a Woman In Charge

“Call the mothers, Call the daughters, We need the sisters of mercy now.”

Keb’ Mo and Rosanne Cash deliver a rousing anthem.

Preach

John Legend performs a song that requires no introduction, but he introduces it anyway. He knows how to warm up a receptive crowd. For those of you who need no introduction, skip the first three minutes.

Vote ‘Em Out

A grizzled veteran stumped for a new, younger candidate with a pointed tune with a honky-tonk flair. Could be an anthem for future voter registration drives.

Holy War

“Break the walls… blow by blow, brick by brick…” Alicia Keys delivers a soulful plea.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Take sides, Beat each other bloody. With this classic, Bono sings of that futility with a militaristic beat.

Can’t Stop This

The Roots. Seethin’. (Parental advisory.)

Rock the Casbah

I’m always intrigued by undertones in some rock-and-roll songs. The Clash’s classic tune, if you can get past the sort-of-cheesy video, is kind of anti-establishment, subversive if you will.

2 + 2 = 5 [The Lukewarm]

Orwellian overtones in this tune by Radiohead, from the album “Hail to the Thief.”