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OK, this is so charming, so pithy, so spot and so non-violent that even BMAZ can’t hate on this direct action {watch he’ll find something to nitpick and make a liar out of me ;-)}.
The Backbone Campaign, longtime source of witty direct action protests, partnered up with the Other 98%, the Seattle Labor Chorus and the Washington Community Action Network to produce a Christmas caroling event at Bank of America and at Wells Fargo. Donned in their Santa hats and other gay apparel, including a Ghost of Christmas Present, the 99% Choir serenaded the staff and customers at branches in Seattle area.
Enjoy those holiday classics such as “We’ll Foreclose, We’ll Foreclose, We’ll Foreclose” and “Deck the Jails with Wall Street Bankers”. If you want to get involved in something similar where you live, check out their Credit Union Community Organizer kit or their Occupy Our Homes podcast.
More of this, please.
Also, anyone who knows about some similar direct action that took place over the holidays, or who is planning one and wants to get the words out, please let everyone know in the comments thread.
14 Comments
Now that is the true Christmas Spirit!
Excellent!
wanker does rhyme with banker
Where are the posters that criticised Makana’s rhymes?
Greatly appreciate the choir’s generally clear enunciation of non-traditional lyrics.
This appears to be a perfect nonviolent action, although the bank security was certainly scurrying around as if they were under threat. I am particularly moved because the 99% chorus was in Seattle where my dear, retired sister and her husband have a house that is under water.
More! More! More! YES!
Wouldn’t it be great to get as many people demonstrating as possible, with a choral director?
And sing?
I’d love to hear it and be there for it. Haven’t sight-read in too many years, but, I’m sure I could follow along with a decent effort.
Great stuff. Thanks! Rec’d.
I knew it had to be “wanker”.
*heh* Not me…! I like to Occupy with Aloha…! ;-)
I got to outsource your job because your pay is all to high
You got to lower American wages or else you can kiss your job good bye
Gimme all your money all your Social Security and Medicare too
Gimme all your money all your Social Security and Medicare too
You have to give me your private pension and a bank bailout
Cause like a boomerang I’ll need a repeat
Sung to ZZ Top’s “Gimme all your lovin”
OWS Iron Man
Fox News Screams has he lost his mind
can’t he see tax cuts for the rich create jobs or has he lost his mind?
Can he get votes at all or come election year will he fall?
We’ll just ignore him as he stands there
Why should even care?
He was made homeless by the banks who got bailout.
As his tax dollars were used to save those very banks
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
that he will soon unfurl
Now the time is here
for Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved
Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge
Heavy boots of lead
fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/blacksabbath/ironman.html
Sung to ” IronMan” by Ozzy Osbourne
“Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light”
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/christmas-song/do-you-hear-what-i-hear-14361.html
Doesn’t Wallstreet know its Christmas time?
The Billmon of late would have called this one a “contrast gainer” for the obvious reasons that the “giftee” in this case comes across as the paranoid scrooge protected police state droogs they are, compared to the earnest holiday choir.
The Backbone Campaign (again) does this with major competence.
Feels great to read all these comments and ideas. I wonder if I can recruit your creativity for some songs ideas for our next action at the US Supreme Court.
We’ll have a chorus line of Justices with their corporate logo’d robes. I was thinking that the classic Dr. Pepper song might be cool – “Wouldn’t you like to be a person too? Be a person. Be a corporate person!” What do you think? Other songs they could sing/dance to? Lyric ideas?
In collaboration,
Bill Moyer
Backbone Campaign
bill@backbonecampaign.org