The first thought that one has when they contemplate a protest is definitely not songs. Rallies with signs, sit-ins, and peaceful shouting are just a few forms of protest that come to mind. Yet, songs may be the favored method of protest. Two songs that highlight misfortune and suggest something needs to change are “Times Like These” by Jack Johnson and “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall” by Bob Dylan. Both of these songs were written in a certain time, when people were going through struggles. Yet they don’t mention anything specific in the song, meaning that they can apply to all sorts of different situations and change meaning depending on what’s going on today.
The meaning of songs is up to interpretation of the listeners. With Johnson’s song, one could say it means that there have always been these things going on around us and we're just beginning to notice now that we're at war with another nation. One line in the last verse of Dylan’s song says, “Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters” (Dylan). Even Dylan himself said that this line talks of lies people were being told on the radio and in newspapers during this time. This can still be applied to things that are going around the world today. Newspapers and other forms of media have a strikingly distorted view of reality
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Neither song has specific things they are protesting about within them, but the way Johnson wrote his song there is absolutely nothing specific. This type of music lasts years and years to come since it can still be applied to people’s lives, even as the times change. Rather than point out one thing, like the dishonest journalist, Johnson repeats “And so it goes / and it always goes / On and on and on and on and on” twice in the song. The song doesn’t exactly highlight anything specifically. It’s more about the rhythm of life and how everything is always changing, but overall nothing is ever actually