Artist: Sacred Reich
Song: One Nation
Album: Surf Nicaragua
Producer: Bill Metoyer
Label: Metal Blade
Year: 1988
Notes:
I know some have been taught otherwise. But we really are one people. All of us. Everywhere.
Phil Rind (vox/bass), The Republic, Aug. 22, 2019: “It’s up to us. No one is coming to save us. And it’s not enough to talk about it. An intellectual idea is great. But if you don’t put it into practice, it has no real value, Be the change you want to see. Be the example. Everything you need is already inside you. The truth is already inside you. How many billions of people are on the planet? If we weren’t all inherently kind and goodhearted, the place would really be a mess. It would really be a (expletive) show. And it’s not. I mean it’s certainly not perfect. And there’s other parts of the world where they have it much harder than we do.”
Excerpt from ‘Unreality’ —
His ears had gone numb about two months back.
Lyrics:
A vision of unselfishness, a union of black and white
One nation of all races, it’s clear within my sight
I see it clear, no hate, no fear, no soldiers sent to die
A state that’s free and thrives on peace, no greed, no threat to life
We won’t build the weapons of war which looms over your heads
We’ll not feed the war machines that lead our youth to death
We won’t close our eyes to the atrocities which abound
We won’t stand and watch until we’re six feet underground
The future is our burden, we can’t stand and watch
As the world around crumbles, opposing armies march
We work towards our goal: one nation – unity
And you must be the convert who works towards world peace
Muthafuckers around us who stand and say no way
Opposing lessened armies, they say are here to stay
But no one knows until we try, what we all can do
I won’t watch children die, it’s up to me and you
Our world is divided, the boundaries have been drawn
Ideas are decided by where you have been born
You can’t judge people by the government of their land
They’re flesh and blood like us – why don’t you understand?
The future is our burden, we can’t stand and watch
As the world around crumbles, opposing armies march
We work towards our goal: one nation – unity
And you must be the convert who works towards world peace
—
‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.
Chris Smith, Author 