Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

Annotation

"Writings on Disobedience and Democracy"

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Rap / Hip Hop Songs

Vinnie Paz, East Coast Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop artist, born on 5 October 1977 in Sicilia, Italy, and soon after moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was member of the group Jedi Mind Tricks. His solo songs referencing the Vietnam War included: "And Your Blood Will Blot Out the Sun" (2012), "You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train" (2012), "God Bless" (2013), "Writings on Disobedience and Democracy" (2016), "Ninety Three" (2016), and "Pray for Sleep"(2018). His group, Jedi Mind Tricks, also released a bunch of Vietnam War-related songs: "I Against I" (2000), "The Wolf" (2003), "And So It Burns" (2004), and "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story" (2006) (with R.A. the Rugged Man).This album had two songs referencing the Vietnam War. The track "Ninety Three" (Enemy Soil Records # ES-CD-1601) was another example of using Vietnam to compare to violence back in the US: "inside the concrete jungle... this is a war here, it's Vietnam". Meanwhile, the song "Writings on Disobedience and Democracy" was a political protest, which discussed the Vietnam War, including a reference to a previous collab with R.A. the Rugged Man when part of the group Jedi Mind Tricks, on the song "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story", about his father Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn, a Vietnam veteran: "the part where I would talk about Vietnam, but me and Rugged Man we already made a song".1 It argued that "55,000 died in the war of moral shame" and painted a picture of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate period: "after Watergate and Vietnam there was a deep economic insecurity in this world of ours". Sources1usafrotorheads.com: Thorburn john a↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: This is the part where I would talk about Vietnam / But me and Rugged Man we already made a song / By the '70s distrust had spread across the nation / Basic discontent political alienation / 55,000 died in the war of moral shame / And then Watergate was added to the hall of pain / The Watergate burglaries was rather complicated / But in the end mostly all of them exonerated / Nixon had CIA and G. Gordon Liddy / Lie about the Democratic National Committee / But eventually they all flipped on him / And told the Senate that they had a lot of shit on him / After that it was a swift and a sudden fall / Nixon resigned before they could impeach them all / They got rid of Nixon but they kept the system / His foreign policy still remains in position / Corporate interests still remained in position / His closest advisors remain in position / Vietnam recession and unrest / All adds up to a motherfucking mess After Watergate and Vietnam / There was a deep economic insecurity in this world of ours / Environmental deterioration took its toll / A cultural violence upon the families took its toll / Problems couldn’t be solved without bold changes / But no major party candidates proposed changes / American political tradition held fast / Urban communities turning into hell fast / Black folks are bitterly disappointed with Carter / Opposed federal aid the poor people didn’t bother / Reagan got elected and he built a military up / A trillion dollars later / And this motherfucker dummy…

About the artist

Vinnie Paz, East Coast Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop artist, born on 5 October 1977 in Sicilia, Italy, and soon after moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was member of the group Jedi Mind Tricks.

Themes

Anti-War · Nixon · Watergate · K.I.A. · Economic · Family Vet

In collections

Rap / Hip Hop Songs