The protest song that I'm going to talk about is Masters of War, by Bob Dylan. This song was released on 1963, in the middle of the cold war. In it's lyrics, Bob Dylan lets out his impotence about what was happening, and he shouts it to yhe world without any kind of shame: he's direct, simple and brutal. If you listen to the song, you can feel the rage in his voice, rage against those who cause the war looking for their own benefit, those who make the world a much worst place. Well, the lyrics talks about itself:
Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain
You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you sit back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
While the young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could?
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
By the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead
Wow. Impressed? For me, the song has an explosive composition. This is a crescendo of intensity, in two scales:
-Firstly, every stanza begins "normally" but ends with two verses of very powerful words.
-Then, the stanzas are organized from less intense to more. Here we can see what he thinks about what he writes, from less importance for him to more importance. From the 6th stanza he adresses directly to the masters of war, letting out all of his hate. What to tell about the ending?
In conclusion, Masters of War is a powerful, intense and strong protest song.
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