Boots on the Ground, Skin on the Line A Winter 2021 Singing Playlist Thank you for joining us! We are grateful to have your voice with many of us from around the world, learning these potent songs in service to our resilience, courage, and justice for all. Thank you for respecting the artists and the integrity of this project by not sharing this document or the playlists with others. We will open the songs up widely for public release later in 2021. You now have free access to the full playlist as well as a bonus playlist. Enjoy! A tech-support guide is at the end of this document. A few days after each Zoom call, we’ll post video recordings for you to enjoy here. Meeting links for next Zoom sing can be found here too: https://thebirdsings.com/winter2021playlist-zoom. At the bottom of the page you’ll also find supplemental materials. CLICK HERE FOR THE SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST: https://soundcloud.com/thebirdsings/sets/boots/s-xfoBTYpS9nb CLICK HERE FOR THE BONUS PLAYLIST: https://soundcloud.com/thebirdsings/sets/boots-bonus/s-wwmnW8XA1Wh CLICK HERE FOR THE MP3 FILES FOR BOTH PLAYLISTS (IN GOOGLE DRIVE): https://tinyurl.com/winter-playlist2021 Zoom Calls While entirely optional, you will receive email invitations and are encouraged to join us at six Zoom calls. There you’ll have a chance to meet the songwriters, hear more about the background of the songs, imbue them with greater relevance and meaning, learn each and every harmony line, and meet others who are singing these songs alongside you. If it feels comfortable, the artists will love to have you join with your camera on – thank you! The first three calls will give you a nice long drink of each song, with each songleader from the playlist sharing more about themselves, the song’s backstory and teaching us all the parts. The fourth call will offer a chance to meet and sing with our Bonus Playlist songleaders, and the fifth and sixth calls will offer a final celebratory chance to sing the songs we’ve learned with our playlist songleaders one more time. Find the recordings from past Zooms PLUS the meeting links to join future Zoom sessions here: https://thebirdsings.com/winter2021playlist-zoom. Sunday, January 31 – Noon-1:30pm Pacific/ 3-4:30pm Eastern/ 8-9:30pm London Featuring MaMuse, Arnaé Batson, Debbie Nargi-Brown, Mark Growden, Alexandra Blakely, (Ahlay) & Itai Gal Wednesday, February 10 – Noon-1:30pm Pacific/ 3-4:30pm Eastern/ 8-9:30pm London Featuring Melanie DeMore, Maggie Wheeler, Lea Morris, & Pauline Pisano Sunday, February 21 – Noon-1:30pm Pacific/ 3-4:30pm Eastern/ 8-9:30pm London Featuring Samara Jade, Ben Gould & Britta Gudmunson, Te Martin, & Marilyn Power Scott Sunday, March 7 – Noon-1:30pm Pacific/ 3-4:30pm Eastern/ 8-9:30pm London Featuring all the artists from the Bonus Playlist Final Zoom Celebration Singalongs: Tuesday, March 16 – 6:30-8pm Pacific/ 9:30-11pm Eastern/ 2:30-4am London & Sunday, March 21 – Noon-1:30pm Pacific/ 3-4:30pm Eastern/ 7-8:30pm London (Note this date is after the US daylight savings but before the UK’s) Eight songleaders will join us for each date for one more chance to bask in each song together. 2 Lyrics & Credits The World is Turning Words and Music - Maggie Wheeler Instrumental Arrangement by Mick Kiely Produced by Maggie Wheeler & Mick Kiely Lyrics The world is turning (x3) Do you feel like your heart’s breaking? Do you feel like your soul’s shaken? Do you feel like the earth’s quaking under your feet? Well it must be the world turning, Must be the systems burning, Must be the truth yearning to be set free. Do you feel like your heart’s breaking? Do you feel like your soul’s shaken? Do you feel like the earth’s quaking under your feet? Well it must be the Hope reaching, Must be the young ones teaching, Must be the people marching to fill the streets. Do you feel like your heart’s breaking? Do you feel like your soul’s aching? Do you feel like the earth’s quaking under your feet? Well it must be the mothers crying, Must be the children dying, Must be the fathers taken from their families. The world is turning (We are the turners ) The system’s burning (We are the burners) The Truth is yearning to be set free! The hope is reaching (The hope is reaching) The young ones teaching (The young ones teaching ) The People Marching to fill the streets! (x2) 3 Do you feel like your heart’s breaking? Do you feel like your soul’s shaken? Do you feel like the earth’s quaking under your feet? Well it must be the world turning, Must be the systems burning, Must be the truth yearning to be set free Well it must be the hope reaching to let us be In a world of Peace, Justice and Equality!!!!!! A Note From the Songleader: This song came as a response to the cries of outrage and mourning in the months after George Floyd’s death. We watched as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement led the charge and the youth of our nation took to the streets to demand justice and change. in the face of undeniable racism and police violence many began to wake up to a deeper understanding of the work that needed to be done. The Truth is yearning to be set free. Our People’s Gonna Rise Words and Music by Emma’s Revolution Performed by Emma’s Revolution with Reggie Harris © 2020 Pat Humphries/ Sandy Opatow, Moving Forward Music/ BMI https://emmasrevolution.com Lyrics Our people gonna rise, our people gonna rise Listen to our cries Through the pain and lies Our people gonna rise Our people gonna sing, our people gonna sing In spite of everything Hear our freedom ring Our people gonna sing 4 Our people gonna fight, our people gonna fight For what we know is right We’ll march into the night Our people gonna fight Our people gonna grieve, our people gonna grieve Whatever you believe, We have the right to breathe Our people gonna grieve Our people gonna pray, our people gonna pray Take our rights away See you on Election Day Our people gonna pray Our people gonna rise, our people gonna rise Listen to our cries Through the pain and lies Our people gonna rise A Note From the Songleader: When George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin, it was as if the country—and the world—finally took notice of the long-standing pandemic of racism, white supremacy and police violence against people of color. Generations have fought racial injustice but it took a global health pandemic to bring the attention that might finally result in deep change. That day—May 25, 2020—people began to pour into the streets from Minneapolis to Portland OR to Washington DC to demand accountability and an end to a police system that had its start in the slave patrols of the 1700s. Demonstrators wore masks and risked the virus because they knew the risk of letting one more person of color be killed by police without accountability was no longer something they could tolerate. Sandy is one of the people in our pod who has underlying health risks to COVID, so while we did attend a few rallies, we weren’t demonstrating or singing in the streets like we had done in prior years. But our work as activist musicians is to support justice movements through song, whether those movements are in the streets or online. Pat got the idea for “Our People Gonna Rise” when we were asked to sing at a Unitarian Universalist service in support of the Poor People’s Campaign. We invited our friend, songwriter and activist Reggie Harris, to lend his beautiful, foundational voice and heart to the song and video. “Our People Gonna Rise” has since been played in numerous progressive online gatherings and, now, with the inauguration of the Biden-Harris Administration, the work will continue. 5 We commit to working beside our BIPOC friends and loved ones to create the beloved community that MLK dreamed of. In this song, “our people” refers to all who are willing to put their skin on the line and their boots on the ground because when our people are treated unjustly, everyone is affected. We hope this song will keep you energized, inspired and activated to do your part to answer what activists of color have been calling for for generations and what President Joe Biden called in his Inaugural address, "A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making.” The Spark Composed and Performed by Micah Hendler, Danielle Williams, Malinda Reese, and Miranda Bogen Lyrics A spark - to fan into a flame Tend the flame Gather and be warmed by our light Breathe and become A Note From the Songleader:: The four of us were sitting (distanced) around a campfire, and decided to write this song inspired by the fire itself, and our relationship to it and to one another. We feel that if we are to continue to do connective social change work in the world in the face of an onslaught of challenges, we must breathe, tending to the sparks of inspiration within each one of us to keep the fire lit. When the Battle is Won Words & Music by Arnaé Batson ©2020 Lyrics It’s not over – IT’S NOT OVER The job is not done – THE JOB IS NOT DONE It’s not over – IT’S NOT OVER The battle’s not won – THE BATTLE’S NOT WON Everybody stay calm – STAY CALM Stay strong – STAY STRONG Stay woke – STAY WOKE Stay close – STAY CLOSE 6 Let’s stay TOGETHER As one AS ONE Let’s stay TOGETHER In song IN SONG Let’s stay TOGETHER ‘TIL WE SEE A NEW DAWN That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON Stay calm – STAY CALM Stay cool – STAY COOL Stay calm – STAY CALM Stay cool – STAY COOL Stay strong – STAY STRONG Hold on – HOLD ON Stay strong – STAY STRONG Hold on – HOLD ON Stay steady – STAY STEADY Stay ready – STAY READY Stay steady – STAY STEADY Stay ready – STAY READY Stay woke – STAY WOKE Stay close – STAY CLOSE Stay woke – STAY WOKE Stay close – STAY CLOSE Let’s stay TOGETHER As one AS ONE Let’s stay TOGETHER In song IN SONG Let’s stay TOGETHER ‘TIL WE SEE A NEW DAWN That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON That’s when the battle is won – THAT’S WHEN THE BATTLE IS WON 7 That’s when the battle is..