When I decided to make the move to New Hampshire, I still wasn’t sure what form my activism was gong to take. I was certain only that I had to do something, or live with the consequence of knowing that I’d made no effort to push back the incursions of the State–forever tormenting myself with wondering whether some simple action of mine might have made the crucial difference.
I’ve always been linguistically oriented. I make my living proofreading and copy-editing, and my mind is always whirring with wordplay that would make a cryptic crossword puzzle comparatively comprehensible. It seemed that I could channel that ability into something useful to the liberty movement.
Shortly before embarkation, I began writing down some of the songs I’d always playfully composed in my own mind, solely for my own amusement. I found it as enjoyable a pastime as any I’ve ever engaged in–yes, ranking right up there with certain other procreative acts . . .
A few days after arriving in Keene, brain still a-buzz with all the people I was meeting and the options to explore, I woke up early to get to a trial. My conscious mind, reluctant to relinquish the soothing swaddle of somnolence, gently urged, Time to get active, activist!
The admonishment stuck with me all morning long, and by the next day, I’d composed this ditty to sing to myself when I’d rather lie abed a little longer:
ACHTUNG! (ACTIVIST ACTIVATOR)
A Musical Motivator for the Movement
COPYRIGHT 2009 by Sam A. Robrin or whoever the hell it is who writes these things. Go ahead and use it, but if you make a little money on it, I want some!
You’ve gotta get active, activist–
You’ve gotta get out and act!
Your co-agitators are probably pissed
Observing the pep that you’ve lacked.
There’re tasks to be started and goals to set;
They aren’t gonna happen themselves!
No real-world accomplishment ever gets met
By the shoemaker’s magical elves . . .
You’ve gotta get moving, movement maven–
You’ve gotta get on the move!
If you see something you think’s needin’ savin’,
Well, jump right on into the groove!
There are signs to be painted, and letters to write.
Gotta edit those videos.
When you can swing it, the time’s always right
To tread on some bureaucrat’s toes.
You’ve gotta get going, go-getter–
You’ve gotta get up and go!
Don’t kid yourself, you should know better
Than to amble so ploddingly slow.
You have flyers to put up and e-mails to post
And a fund-raising party to plan.
If you believe liberty matters the most,
Then pitch in wherever you can.
Gotta get going, Ghost in the Machine,
Gotta go haunt the streets.
Stand up and show ’em you say what you mean.
Startle them out of their seats.
There isn’t a minute to slack off or sleep–
Each day has to count toward advance.
Americans languish in trouble so deep–
Go give ’em a kick in the pants!
I was reasonably happy with the lyric (though if I”d written it yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have rhymed “go-getter” with “know better” now that I , uh, know better . . .). Not so much with the melody I was using, which was somewhat too close to Chuck Berry’s little-known “Anthony Boy”–but that’s the way I heard it in my mind.
I soon discovered something about the creative process: Ideas are everywhere–the trick is to learn to recognize them as ideas. Now I frequently step out of the shower or dismount from my bicycle with two or three usable springboards for songs.
And does the liberty movement ever need songs! They’re an indispensable part of any major historical upheaval. As the American Revolution had “Yankee Doodle,” the Civil War had “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” as the civil rights movement had “We Shall Overcome” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and the 1960s anti-war faction had “Fixin’ to Die Rag” and “Give Peace a Chance,” this here peaceful evolution revolution needs its own soundtrack. Aside from a few Rush albums, I don’t hear much of a one.
As the song says, when you see something that needs doing, it’s up to you to do it. But it’s best to be able to recognize one’s own strengths and shortcomings. I can contribute lyrics, but don’t have much of a gift for musicianship: I mean, when your singing is criticized by the guy known for intoning “Ridley Report-dot-com / Something that rhymes with ‘com,’ ” you know there’s a problem! Likewise, I can come up with a sing-songy sort of melody, but it’s frequently lacking in originality, or outright derivative. So I’m hoping to use this space to find other talents who can help liberty to lift up its voice and sing. I don’t know of anything else more worthy of singing about!
