Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrants Song"

[edhopper]

I think it would be so cool if during their marches the immigrants sang Led Zep's "immigrants' Song" from Zep 3.
Think of it 500 thousand people singing AHHH AHHH AHHH AH!
that would spook the sh*t out of all Freepers.
Yeah, it's about Vikings and North Europeans, but doesn't that remind us that we are all immigrants. I just think it would be so cool.
And yes, I did smoke a lot of pot in college.:-)

[Sanity Claws]

1. Someone did a video of it using cutout cats

I haven't seen it in ages. It's a real hoot? Anyone know whether it's still available?

[JuniperLea]

2. Yep!

http://users.wolfcrews.com/toys/vikings/

[realisticphish]

3. plus

it would be plain old bad-ass. cause the immigrant song is the shit :headbang:

[Az_lefty]

4. Neil Diamonds "America" would be so appropriate...

Far
We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star

Free
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream

On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again
They're coming to America

Home, don't it seem so far away
Oh, we're traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm

Home, to a new and a shiny place
Make our bed, and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm

Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Every time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America

Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America

They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
Today, today, today, today, today

My country 'tis of thee
Today
Sweet land of liberty
Today
Of thee I sing
Today
Of thee I sing
Today
1980 Stonebridge Music (ASCAP)

[sweetheart]

5. neil diamond!!!! in a led zepplin thread!

SIN.

"...and she's buyin' a stairway to heaven."

[NNN0LHI]

6. I think 'Immigration Man' by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young was better

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/crosby-stills-nash-young-immigration-man-lyrics.html

Graham Nash

There I was at the immigration scene
Shining and feeling clean
Could it be a sin?
I got stopped by the immigration man
He says he doesn't know if he can
Let me in-let me in-immigration man
Can I cross the line and pray
I can stay another day
Let me in immigration man
I won't toe your line today
I can't see it anyway

There he was with his immigration face
Giving me a paper chase
But the sun was coming
Cos all at once he looked into my space
And stamped a number over my face
And he sent me running
Let me in-let me in-immigration man
Can I cross the line and pray
I can stay another day
Let me in immigration man
I won't toe your line today
I can't see it anyway

Here I am with my immigration form
It's big enough to keep me warm
When a cold wind's coming
So go where you will
So long as you think you can
You'd better watch out-watch out-for the man
Anywhere you're going.

Won't you let me in immigration man
Can I cross your line and pray
Take your fingers from the tray
Let me in-irritation man
I won't toe your line today
I can't see it anyway

[AlphaCentauri]

24. nice

[Minstrel Boy]

7. FYI, check out this anti-Bush music video

by The Who Boys that mixes "The Immigrant Song" with "This Old Man." Pretty powerful stuff:

NickNackPaddyWhacked

[Canuckistanian]

8. Actually, the freepers have co-opted it

They threaten to sic the "Viking Kitties" (see above) on any non-conformers to tombstone them.

[U4ikLefty]

9. That may get a few white-rockers out to the protests...lol!!!

They'd be all like "I hear Zep dude" and the other would be all like "Yeah, it's from NUMBER-THREE maaan!!!"

Then before they knew it, they would be in the middle of a revolution...yeah!!!

[scarletwoman]

10. Yeah, singing "We are your overlords" would be totally radical!

Don't get me wrong, I'm an old hippie, I LOVE Led Zeppelin. And I LOVE "Immigrant Song". But, uh, I'm not so sure that those lyrics are *quite* the message the immigration marchers want to convey.

Not that the lyrics may not be utterly appropriate in a sort of meta/ironic way...

But, judge for yourselves:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/led+zeppelin/immigrant+song_20082032.html

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.

The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying:
Valhalla, I am coming!

On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.

How soft your fields so green,
Can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war.

We are your overlords.
On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.

So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day
Despite of all your losing.

;-)

sw

[sweetheart]

11. Vikings well put

A few miles from here is a crumbling Viking "broch" a thousand
years old, from when the vikings ruled north scotland which
was a "southern land" = "sutherland" to them.

And the song holds very true... the european lords who
colonized the americas.. led zepplin being british band.
Wouldn't read the lyrics as "from" american mind.

[scarletwoman]

15. As a happy (and snarky) descendent of Vikings, I was trying for dry humor.

Of course I am well aware that "the song holds very true", when you look at it from the p.o.v. of the colonizers.

That's why I posted what I did -- to point out the delightful irony of the O.P.'s original suggestion; that the "Immigrant Song" would have been a cool part of the immigration demonstrations.

Skål,
sw

p.s. -- I'm utterly delighted to "see" you again, sweetheart. Don't know if you remember me, but my earliest DU exchanges with you began quite some years ago. You remain one of my great loves here.

[sweetheart]

23. pardon

Apologies for chiming up to state the obvious.

It is always a pleasure, SW, to share a thread with you.
You're probably a very graceful dancer in person.
:-)

namaste,

[edhopper]

12. Hey,

They don't need to sing the lyrics.
Just the AAAAH AAAAAH AAAAAAH AH! Would be totally awsome.
Stop intellectuallizing. Half a million people singing the refrain would blow their minds.

[Berry Cool]

13. Here's an overlooked one: Neil Sedaka's "The Immigrant"

Sure, when people think of Neil Sedaka they think of cutesy '60s hits like "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Calendar Girl" and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen." But when his career rebounded in the '70s, he wrote this (most likely because his father was an immigrant):

The Immigrant

Come to live in the light of the big L of liberty
Plains and open skies billboards would advertise
Was it anything like that when you arrived
Dream boats carried the future to the heart of America
People were waiting in line for a place by the river

It was a time when strangers were welcome here
Music would play they tell me the days were sweet and clear
It was a sweeter tune and there was so much room
That people could come from everywhere

Now he arrvies with hopes and his heart set on miracles
Come to marry his fortune with a handful of promises
To find they've closed the door they don't want him anymore
There isn't any more to go around
Turning away he remembers he once heard a legend
That spoke of a mystical magical land called America

It was a time when strangers were welcome here
Music would play they tell me the days were sweet and clear
It was a sweeter tune and there was so much room
That people could come from everywhere

[Hissyspit]

17. That's about/was inspired by John Lennon and his green card problems

in the mid-70s. I always liked that song.

[many a good man]

14. Counter-protesters can blast this old anthem:

"Kill The Poor"

Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home:

The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
All systems go to kill the poor tonight

Gonna
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight

Behold the sparkle of champagne
The crime rate's gone
Feel free again
O' life's a dream with you, Miss Lily White
Jane Fonda on the screen today
Convinced the liberals it's okay
So let's get dressed and dance away the night

While they:
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight

[ghostsofgiants]

19. Possibly my favourite DK song ever.

Brilliant use of sarcasm/irony.

[AlphaCentauri]

22. freepers would love this one

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb
Mother do you think they'll like the song
Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls
Ooooh aah, Mother should I build a wall
Mother should I run for president
Mother should I trust the government
Mother will they put me in the firing line
Ooooh aah, is it it just a waste of time *
Hush now baby don't you cry
Mama's gonna make all of your
Nightmares come true
Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you
Mama's gonna keep you right here
Under her wing
she won't let you fly but she might let you sing
Mama will keep baby cosy and warm
Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe
Of course Mama's gonna help build the wall

Mother do think she's good enough for me
Mother do think she's dangerous to me
Mother will she tear your little boy apart
Oooh aah, mother will she break my heart
Hush now baby, baby don't you cry
Mama's gonna check out all your girl friends for you
Mama won't let anyone dirty get through
Mama's gonna wait up till you come in
Mama will always find out where
You've been
Mamma's gonna keep baby healthy and clean
Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe
You'll always be a baby to me
Mother, did it need to be so high.

[OneBlueSky]

16. let's go back in time . . . "This Land Is Your Land" . . .

first, because it's a great song by a great American songwriter . . .

second, because it's easy to sing . . .

third, because everybody knows it . . .

fourth, because it's meaningful . . .
(under BushCo, this land is definitely NOT our land . . . or so they think) . . .

[ghostsofgiants]

18. How about this one?

"Fuck The Border" by Propagandhi

A friend of mine dropped me a line,
Said, "man, I gotta run to the USA.
I got no money, got no job."
She skipped out of Mexico to stay alive.
You've got a problem with her living here,
but what did you do to help her before she fucking came?
What did the country do?
What did the people do?
I stand not by my country,
but by people of the whole fucking world.
No fences, no borders.
Free movement for all.
Fuck the border.
It's about fucking time to treat people with respect.
It's our culture and consumption that makes her life unbearable.
Fuck this country; its angry eyes, its knee-jerk hordes.
Legal or illegal,
watch her fucking go.
She'll take what's hers.
Watch her fucking go.
Fuck the border.

Maybe not as catchy as "Immigrant Song" but it gets the point across I think, haha.

[AlphaCentauri]

20. Hey you

Hey you ! out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old, can you feel me
Hey you ! Standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles, can you feel me
Hey you ! don't help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight.
Hey you ! out there on your own
sitting naked by the phone would you touch me
Hey you ! with your ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out would you touch me
Hey you ! would you help me to carry the stone
Open your heart, I'm coming home
But it was only a fantasy
The wall was too high as you can see
No matter how he tried he could not break free
And the worms ate into his brain.
Hey you ! out there on the road
Doing what you're told, can you help me
Hey you ! out there beyond the wall
Breaking bottles in the hall, can you help me
Hey you ! don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall.

[incapsulated]

21. Please, must we drag the mighty Zep into this debate?

I must object!!!

[Atman]

25. Don't forget my version of "GALLOWS POLE" -- "GALLUP POLL"

Pollman, Pollman, push poll a little while,
Think I see some richies coming, Riding many a mile.
Friends, did you get some tax cuts? Did you buy a little gold?
What can I give you, my dear friends, To boost me in the Gallup Poll?
What can I give you to boost me in the Gallup Poll?

I thank you for the tax cut, I made a kill in gold,
But I need Mexican labor if you want a boost in your Gallup Poll.

Pollman, Pollman, push poll a little while,
I think I see the fundies coming, riding many a mile.
Brother, did you like that Schiavo?
We won't let those homos ball!
Can I get a Hallelujah, my brother, to stop me from a Gallup fall?

Brother, I liked that Shiavo,
But the gays didn't even stall; you seem to say most anything
To keep you from the Gallup fall.
Yes, you'll pander to just about anyone to keep you from a Gallup fall.

Pollman, Pollman, please push-poll awhile,
I think I see the freepers coming, riding many a mile, mile, mile.
Freepers, I implore you, take the fundies by the hand,
Tell them that I hate the queers, and the lib'rals takin' over this land,
Please take them, save me from the wrath of Gallup, man.

Pollman, Pollman, upon your face a smile,
Pray tell me that I've gained a point,
And I won't have to face a war trial.

Oh, yes, you are a fine pollster, but I'm still down in the hole,
Soon I'll be looking UP at Nixon when I see the next Gallup Poll,
Fundies brought me red states, Freepers sold their soul,
But now I cry and fall so hard, as I'm swinging on the Gallup Poll

Swingin' on the Gallup Poll!