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Shoulder to Shoulder

from Rough Cuts by Great Blue

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about

When Paul Robeson sang in Peekskill in 1949, people stood shoulder to shoulder so those that wanted to violently stop the concert couldn't enter their circle. If we all stand shoulder to shoulder, we can make a difference in this world. There are other topical versions of this song that Steve has written. Steve picks it in open D tuning on his 1969 Martin D21.

lyrics

Shoulder to Shoulder
© 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan

It's corporation policy
Not to care too much 'bout you and me,
They keep their eyes trained on that bottom line
They can dump their poisons without fear,
Just as long as profits rise this year
And then pretend that everything is fine

Chorus: Shoulder to shoulder, if we stand together
We can make a difference in this world
Shoulder to shoulder, we must act together
Working for the future of this world

The Generous Electric Company
Filled the mighty Hudson with PCBs,
Should they be allowed to get away?
New York State just let them walk
Now the E.P.A. is about to balk
We have to raise our voices up today --> Chorus

Waste from this society
Is dumped with impropriety
Or burned to belch forth smoking from some stack
Despite the fact that there are many ways
Better methods that have gained high praise
They choose to dump where poor folks can't fight back --> Chorus

This system thrives on our division
While we fight, they make decisions
This fighting helps to keep us all in chains
We have to show respect for each other
Work together, sister, brother
With our hands our hearts and with our brains --> Chorus

I see people building parks
On cleaned-up dumps and vacant lots
Cleaning up their valleys and their streams
Environmental action troops
Made of every available ethnic group
Folks who're not afraid to live their dreams --> Chorus

credits

from Rough Cuts, released April 3, 2013
Steve B. Kaplan, vocal and acoustic guitar
(Words and music © 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan; 4:39)

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Great Blue Estes Park, Colorado

Shirl Lawrence & Steve Kaplan (a/k/a Great Blue) have been making music for more than 3 decades. Their beautifully crafted harmonies have been heard at coffeehouses in the Hudson Valley. They now reside on the Front Range in Colorado, where they deliver songs to warm the heart and feed the soul. They named themselves “Great Blue” after the observant heron they often find during their kayak trips. ... more

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