Vi valde inte våldet

Annotation

Swedish anti-war, anti-imperialist album, with many references to Vietnam and 1960s/70s Cold War issues. "Vi valde inte våldet" ("We Chose Not Violence").

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: We did not choose violence, it was chosen for us / When others resort to violence then we have the right to fight / What do you want us to do, the way the world looks now / Abolish imperialism by UN resolution? / We did not choose bombs, it was chosen for us / When others resort to bombs then we have the right to fight / What do you want us to do when the houses burn down / Shall we stand there and be silent and wait for more? / We did not choose oppression, it was chosen for us / When others have chosen oppression then we have the right to fight / What do you want us to do, how do you want it to be / Should we stand there and ask for even more slavery? / We did not choose batons, it was chosen for us / When others take up batons then we have the right to fight / What do you want us to do, give up at any price / And let ourselves be beaten to pieces by Wallenberg's police? / We did not choose violence, it was chosen for us / When others resort to violence then we have the right to fight / We know what to do against violence and corruption / Stand up and take up arms, Revolution __________ Swedish: Vi valde inte våldet det valde man åt oss / När andra tar till våldet då har vi rätt att slåss / Vad vill ni vi ska göra som världen nu ser ut / Avskaffa imperialismen med FN beslut / Vi valde inte bomber det valde man åt oss / När andra tar till bomber då har vi rätt att slåss / Vad vill ni vi ska göra när husen brinner ner / Skall vi stå där och tiga och vänta på mer /…

Notes

Other songs on the album: "Vem bombar i Kambodja" ("Who Bombs in Cambodia") - need song; "En vietnamesisk bonde" ("A Vietnamese Farmer", VWSP0755) - need song: "an ideal-type narrative of popular resistance: a peasant sacrifices his life in an attack on a military base" (source: Swedish 70s rock and folk songs, University of Michigan Library).

About the artist

Fickteatern ('the pocket theatre') was one of Sweden's first fringe theatre companies, formed in the late 1960s by director Suzanne Osten, who moved on to Stockholm City Theatre in 1971; the group also put songs from its productions on record, including 'Vi valde inte valdet'. [Source: Wikipedia (Suzanne Osten)]

Themes

Anti-War · Cold War

In collections

European Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]