Two days after a young white gunman acting in the name of white supremacy murdered nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, a Wisconsin folk singer reacted with a song on YouTube that has since gone viral, amassing over 200 covers, a Twitter hashtag (#TakeDownTheFlag) and rewritten verses for each respective victim.
The song, aptly titled “Take Down Your Flag,” speaks powerfully for itself, as the confederate flag still wavers high in parts of the country, its point made in the opening couplet: [LISTEN}
Every flag over Charleston is at half-mast today except one, you know which one
The original songwriter, Peter Mulvey, debuted the song on stage opening for Ani DeFranco at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, Massachusetts, starting with a verse for 87-year-old victim Susie Jackson, posting the song later that evening on YouTube the same. When asked in a YouTube comment where the eight other verses are for the other victims, the homage went large, with everyone from Vance Gilbert to Keb’ Mo’ adding a new verse to the three-chord catharsis.
We’ve contemplated what kind of pulse folk has these days here on SONGLYRICS, predominantly wrapped around all the suspender and string-emblazoned heel stompers out there, masquerading around all the core tenants of the genre with glorified pop, lovelorn AOR Genericana without a soul. We’ve even argued in defense of The Lumineers and the Mumfords — hearts are for beating, not judging. The contention lies in record sales, at the end of the day.
The #TakeDownTheFlag movement and song is not gospel. And there is some borderline over-sentimentality going on, and one could argue exposure is more alluring for some of these cover artists then the actual message of the song, but in theory, no one is getting paid here, unless perhaps some of these artists get enough views to start accruing ad revenue share. Otherwise no matter how you spin it, the reach of social media and socio-political conscious is beautifully immense.
Think about it this way, how much more powerful would Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young‘s “Ohio” have been if they could have dropped the Nixon-administration bashing tune on YouTube when they recorded it? The single didn’t come out until a month after the Kent State shootings, let alone provide an open-format to immediately upload a response or cover for each of the four-dead-in-Ohio victims.
Take away the guitar and the porch-swinging lull of the genre and the message is the same. This tool is a message and art hybrid that spans all genres, hip-hop, metal, punk, etc., etc. Once we start talking responsibility and record sales, that’s when we have to start looking at a pulse. But for now, there is a flag to be taken down and some victims to know.
Peter Mulvey’s original lyrics to “Take Down Your Flag:”
Every flag over Charleston is at half-mast today except one, except one
Every flag over Charleston is at half-mast today except one, you know which one
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half mast
She is survived by her children and her grandchildren, her name is Susie Jackson
She was eighty-seven years old
She is survived by her children and her grandchildren, her name is Susie Jackson
She was eighty-seven years old
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half mast
It will take all of the love in all of our hearts, and it will also take something more
It will take all of the love in all of our hearts, and it will also take something more
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half-mast
Take down your flag to half mast
And then take it down for good
