Category Archives: Holiday Tunes

There Goes 45 

THERE GOES 45
•	Tune: Here Comes Santa Claus
•	By Jo-Hanna Read

There goes 45, there goes 45,             
We’ve sent him on his way.
Lost the election, 
Tried for exception,  
He’s out of here we say!
Filing lawsuits, leaning on officials, 
Spreading all of his lies.
He lost the election, 
His pathetic reaction 
Is pretend there’s still a fight.

There goes 45, there goes 45, 
He’s trashed so many things.
Packed all the courts with 
Right wing zealots,
Including the Supremes.
Trashed protections for earth’s environment, 
Immigrants, so many wrongs.
Tried to eliminate 
Affordable Care Act, 
While Covid rages on.

There goes 45, there goes 45, 
Doing all he can
To trash our country, 
Put millions in poverty,
Seems to be his plan.
People are dying, our nation is crying, 
The pandemic threat is clear,
Economy hurting, 
Yet he keeps blurting 
That a vaccine is almost here.

Goodbye 45, we’re done with 45, 
You need to move your rear
Out of the White House, 
Off of the premises
The people’s voice is clear.
Stop your whining, stop your tweeting, 
Get your ass in gear.
Start the transition, 
Stop your pissin’,
A new administration is here.

AND ABOUT TIME!

New Year’s Vision

  • tune: Deck the Halls

Tax the rich; don’t starve the poor, Fa la la la la la la la la
Let’s end homelessness for sure, Fa la la…etc
Raise the wages, increase welfare, Fa la la etc….
Share the wealth and cut the warfare, Fa la la etc….

Let’s pass healthcare legislation, Fa la la la la la la la la
That will cover all the nation, Fa la la, etc…
Clean up all the air and water, Fa la la etc…
Let’s take no more steers to slaughter, Fa la la etc….

Join the grannies, fight by golly, Fa la la la la la la la la
End all this nuclear folly, Fa la la, etc..
Build a world where children thrive, Fa la la etc..
Do it while you’re still alive, Fa la la etc…

Jingle Bombs

  • tune: Jingle Bells

Jingle Bombs!
Jingle Bombs!
Jingle all the way,
Disobey the USA!
We’ll blow you all away, HEY!

Let’s make war!
Let’s make war!
Let’s invade Iraq,
Take the money from the poor,
We need it to attack!

Who needs health care?
Screw the homeless,
Take their rights away!
If we can get Iraqi oil,
It’s worth the price we pay!

Jingle bombs!
Jingle bombs!
Jingle all the way,
Disobey the USA!
We’ll blow you all way, HEY!!

Don’t Bomb Iraq

Tune: ‘Silent Night’

Don’t bomb Iraq,
Let’s not attack.
Don’t take over their soil,
Cause we need their oil.
We don’t want women and children killed
Cause the gas tanks on our SUVs must be filled.
Don’t bomb Iraq to pieces,
Don’t bomb Iraq for peace.

Don’t bomb Iraq.
Let’s not attack
All will be calm,
If we don’t drop a bomb.
Spend more of our money on schools and health
We’ll be much safer if we share our wealth
Don’t bomb Iraq to pieces.
Don’t bomb Iraq for peace.

Christmas 1994

  • tune: Deck the Halls
     by Kay Thode

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Helms and Gingrich promise folly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Poor will lose all their apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Far more children will face peril,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Right wing crazies they are jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Think they’ll have their way by golly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Now it’s time to start the war,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
To fight poverty once more,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

A “Newt” Deal

  • tune: Away in a Manger
    by Kay Thode

Away in DC, no crib for a bed,
All the poor and the homeless lay down their cold heads.
The stars in the Congress look down where they lay
And say: Get a job and get out of our way.

The cattle are lowing, the farmers are glad,
Because price supports are sure to be had.
I love thee, Jesse Helms, look down from on high.
Subsidize our tobacco ‘til doomsday is night.

A “Newt” Deal

Jingle Bells (on corporate welfare)

  • by Kay Thode

Jingle bells, ring a ding,
We are catching on,
How this corporate welfare works
It’s not a pleasant song.

Chorus: Oh, jingle bells, ring a ding,
We are catching on,
How this corporate welfare works,
It’s not a pleasant song.

Repeat

Dashing through the world
On a corporate welfare sleigh,
Profit, profit, is their song,
They’re laughing all the way.
We’ve got a thought or two,
About your dirty schemes,
About the garbage, land and sea
What free trade really means.

Chorus

They export jobs afar,
To pay a cheaper wage,
The union guy is unemployed
And we are in a rage.
We subsidize the firm
We give them tax breaks too,
The third world countries protest,
But can’t afford to sue.

Chorus.

Santa Bush

tune: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
by Monica Zucker

There’ll be a tax cut, we’ve got a surplus,
But who’s gonna get it—surely not us!
Santa Bush is coming to town.

He says the big cash will trickle on down—
That voodoo bunk of Reagan renown.
Santa Bush is coming to town.

Won’t spend on education,
Won’t spend it for our health.
He’ll spend it on a missile shield
And subsidize big wealth.

You better not cry, you better not pout.
“Compassion” is in, society’s out.
Santa Bush is coming
Santa Bush is coming
Santa Bush is coming to town!

Santa Bush 2007

  • tune: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
    by Monica Zucker

We had some tax cuts, and now we’re in debt.
Who’ll get more tax cuts?—yes, the jet set.
Santa Bush is coming to town.

He’s got donor lists, he’s checking ’em twice.
He’s gonna find out we’re naughty–they’re nice.
Santa Bush is coming to town.

Won’t spend on education,
Won’t spend it for our health.
He’ll spend it on Iraqi war
And subsidize big wealth.

You better not cry, you better not pout,
War “surge” in, social needs out.
Santa Bush is coming,
Santa Bush is coming,
Santa Bush is coming to town!

DIVEST

  • TUNE: Away In a Manger

Divest fossil funds and divest fossil stocks,
Invest in our future and walk what you talk.
We burn fossil fuels now at great global harm,
It’s time to invest in a planet less warm.
Divest universities, cities, and schools.
Divest temples, churches invested in fuel.
Our fossil fuels mostly must stay in the ground.
Our future is priceless, let’s keep it around

DECK THE COAL

  • TUNE: Deck the Halls

Close the coal plant in Centralia Fa la la
Solar power will never fail ya, Fa la la
We have lots of greener choices, Fa la la
Stop the coal and raise our voices, Fa la la la la, La la la la

Coal plants fill our air with gasses, Fa la
Breathed by all our lads and lasses, Fa la
We can call on higher powers, Fa la la
From the sun and wind and showers, Fa la la

Close the coal plant in Centralia Fa la la
Coal will shrink your genitalia Fa la la
Coal has lots of nasty gases, Fa la la
Close the plant and save your (pause) health, Fa la la, etc….

No More Waste

  • tune: Deck the Halls

Hear the latest nuclear folly,
Fa, la Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Shipping wastes in trucks by golly,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Transuranics on the highway,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Endangers folks along the byway,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.

Don’t trade any more new waste,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
For promises made in haste,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Trading low level waste for high,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Makes us as the question why,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.

File a TRO, block shipments,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Stand by TPA commitments,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
No new waste with no EIS,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
We want cleanup, not a new mess,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.

Leaking trenches we do fear,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
Don’t bring any more new wastes here,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
We won’t become a waste dumpsite,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.
For the nation, without a fight,
Fa, la, la la, la, La, la, la, la.

Don’t Make War

  • tune: Jingle Bells

Don’t make war!
Don’t make war!
Don’t invade Iraq!
Use the money for the poor, not weapons to attack!

    •  Don’t’ drop bombs!
      Don’t drop bombs!
      Inspections are the way
      Let’s spread peace around the world
      Now blow them all away.

We need healthcare!
We need homes,
Our liberties have to stay
We don’t want a war for oil
It’s not worth the price we pay.

Get Outta Town!

tune: “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town ”

You’d better watch out, it’s happening fast –
Mom and Pop shops are a thing of the past. .
Wal-Mart stores are ruining our town.
The corner store’s gone, it couldn’t compete
With mega-marts cov’ring a million square feet.
Wal-Mart stores are ruining our town.

  • Two hundred billion dollars
    They’re haul in’ in each year!
    They’re the biggest corporation
    In both the hemispheres ….

They say they’re “just folks,” ‘simple and plain,
But we know that they’re the Merchants of Shame!
Wal-Mart stores are ruining our town.
You’d better take note if you’re in retail,
Tomorrow your job might be up for sale.
Wal-Mart stores are ruining our town.
A poverty wage is what you’ll expect
When you’ve got the Waltons writing your check.
Wal-Mart stores are ruining our town.

  • They’re slashing pay and prices,
    It’s a national disgrace!
    They’re destroying our economy
    While they wear their happy face ….

So it’s time to say “NO!” We’re taking a stand.
Shopping for Justice, that is our plan.
Wal-Mart stores, get out of our town!

Coal Train Passes Me

  • tune: Come they tell me/little drummer boy

Coal train passes me pa rum pum pum pum
A hundred cars I see pa rum pum pum pum
Each car five hundred pounds pa rum pum pum pum
Of dust it spews around pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Coal train blocks our roads pa rum pum pum pum
For hours and hours it goes with load after load
It cuts me off from home pa rum pum pum pum
My children are alone pa rum pum pum pum
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Coal sits in our ports, big mountains of coal
We’ve stripped the earth of coal pa rum pum pum pum
The dust fills up my lungs pa rum pum pum pum
I taste dust on my tongue pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Our coal goes to Asian factory ports
To dusty towns built just to slave on exports
We bum up coal a lot pa rum pum pum pum
Coal makes our planet hot pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Coal train passes me pa rum pum pum pum
On its last run.

Bomb Iraq

  • tune: Silent Night

Bomb Iraq
Let’s attack
Take over their soil
Cause we need their oil
We’re sorry if women and children get killed
But the gas tanks on our SUVs must be filled —
Bomb Iraq to pieces
Bomb Iraq for peace.

Bomb Iraq
Let’s attack
All will be calm
Once we take out Saddam
They sure as hell better not put up a fight
Cause driving SUVs is our God-given right
Bomb Iraq to pieces
Bomb Iraq for peace.

Santa Bush

  • by Monica Zucker
  • tune: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

There’ll be a tax cut, we’ve got a surplus,
But who’s gonna get it—surely not us!
Santa Bush is coming to town.

He says the big cash will trickle on down—
That voodoo bunk of Reagan renown.
Santa Bush is coming to town.

Won’t spend on education,
Won’t spend it for our health.
He’ll spend it on a missile shield
And subsidize big wealth.

You better not cry, you better not pout.
“Compassion” is in, society’s out.
Santa Bush is coming
Santa Bush is coming
Santa Bush is coming to town!

Slow Down Ye Frantic Shoppers

  • tune: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

Slow down ye frantic shoppers, for there’s something we must say.
If you would spare a moment all the stores won’t run away.
Big business has been telling us what Christmas means today.
Now it’s time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves,
Yes, it’s time we decided for ourselves.

To some folks Christmas means a time for gathering with friends,
And enemies might take it as a time to make amends,
But TV says it’s time for pricey gifts and selfish ends.
Now it’s time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves,
Yes, it’s time we decided for ourselves.

Some people feel that Christmas is when Jesus makes a call.
For others it’s a time to stress good will and peace to all.
But advertisers tell us it means Santa’s at the mall.
Now it’s time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves,
Yes, it’s time we decided for ourselves.

Santa Doesn’t Like War Toys

  • from The Raging Grannies Songbook, 1993
  • tune: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Oh, you’d better watch out, you’d better not buy
Toys for the kids that are violent—OH MY!
Santa Claus is coming to town.

Santa says NO to Rambo and guns.
Lego and games are much more fun.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

The reindeer all cooperate
As they fly on their way.
We can teach our kids to do the same
In the way they play.

Oh, you’d better watch out, You’d better not buy
Toys for kids that are violent—OH MY!
Santa Claus is coming,
Santa Claus is coming,
Santa Claus is coming to town!

Profit Bells

  • tune: Jingle Bells

Chorus:
Profits here, profits there, profits everywhere!
Christmas time is funny, smell money in the air.
Advertise, glamorize, fool you with a flair.
Let’s make sure that Christmas is a businesslike affair.

You’re eating all our lies and dashing to the stores,
Then all the prices rise and how the money pours.
If we don’t keep you drugged and watching your TV,
You might see hypocrisy! Where would business be?

Chorus

We’ll tell you how to think and tell you what to try,
What to eat and drink, and how to live and die.
And if our plan succeeds, when Christmastime is nigh,
Instead of seeking peace and love, you’ll hunt for gifts to buy.

 Chorus

Angels we have heard on high
Tell us to go out and buy!

Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem

  • Using themes of Stuart Heady

Oh, little town of Bethlehem,
Surrounded by guns and tanks,
The children walk amid the threat
Of ever closing ranks.

  • Wise men survey the rubble,
    Remains of Paradise.
    The hopes and fears of all the years
    Are drowned in children’s cries.

Oh, little town of Bait Jala,
A’burning in the night,
The olive trees are seared and black,
And shepherds all take flight.

  • And as the missile thunders,
    The helicopter aims.
    The hopes and fears of all the years
    Are perished in the flames.

Oh, little towns of Palestine,
Cut off by settlers’ roads,
Where poverty’s enforced by guns,
What dire future bodes?

  • Though peace on earth was promised,
    And everlasting light,
    The hopes and fears of all the years
    Are met in thee tonight.

Oh Little Land of Gaza

  • tune: Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

Oh, little land of Ga-aza,
Surrounded by guns and tanks,
The children walk amid the threat
Of ever closing ranks.
Wise men survey the rubble,
Remains of Paradise.
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are drowned in children’s cries.

Oh, little towns of Ga-aza,
A’burning in the night,
The olive trees are seared and black,
And shepherds all take flight.
And as the missile thunders,
The helicopter aims.
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are perished in the flames.

Oh, little towns of Palestine,
Cut off by settlers’ roads,
Where poverty’s enforced by guns,
What dire future bodes?
Though peace on earth was promised,
And everlasting light,
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

Immigration- Xmas tune

  • tune: Jingle Bells

Grannies sing! Listen! Learn!
Important news you’ll hear:
We welcome immigrants to work
From any hemisphere.

Hear their plight. Don’t lose sight
Of struggles they have known.
Now they’ve come to work with us
And a place to call their own.

Immigration is the way
Our country came to be,
But problems do abound
As you will clearly see.
Some wages that they get
Are blatantly unfair.
It’s something we decry:
The system needs repair!

Night and day, little pay,
Quite close to slavery.
We must push for fairness
And commend their bravery.

Open border! Open hearts!
Display humanity.
Workers from all walks of life
Enrich democracy.

Grannies Against War Toys

  • tune: Frosty the Snowman

We’re the Raging Grannies
And we’re asking you today
Please don’t buy destructive toys
For the kids on holidays.

We don’t like war toys
And tanks and army gear
We like peaceful and constructive games
For our grandkids we hold dear.

The violence and hatred
It really must cease
And children can learn early on
That its better to THINK PEACE

Join the Raging Grannies
In working every day
For peace on Earth, goodwill to all
And singing on our way.

Grannies Against Stuff

  • by Canadian Grannies, adapted by Karen Schneider-Chen 
  • tune: Frosty the Snowman

We’re the Raging Grannies
And we’re asking you today
To cut down on buying more stuff—
Show your kids a better way.
We don’t like landfills
Full of stuff that’s thrown away,
We like walks and talks and constructive games
To fill our grandkids’ day.

They don’t need all those presents
To fill their lives with cheer.
They really want your love and time
Throughout the coming year.
So join the Raging Grannies:
Boycott all that stuff.
Today is buy nothing day—
We all have enough.

Dreaming

  • by Monica Zucker
  • tune: White Christmas

I’m dreaming of a white country,
Just like the fairy tales we knew,
Where the whole world’s Christian,
And children listen,
And do what you tell them to.

I’m dreaming we can block entry
Of those whose skin’s a different hue.
Asians, Arabs, others—
They’re not our brothers—
They could be Muslim or Hindu!

I’m certain that our whole nation
Should always look and think the same.
If religions vary
From the ordinary
Then we should kick them off our plane.

I’m dreaming of those secret closets
Where all the homosexuals stay,
And if bashers pick fights
Gays don’t demand rights,
They just don’t tell us that they’re gay.

I’m dreaming that there’s no more homeless.
Why can’t we sweep them off the street?
They don’t get my pity
If they mess my city.
Freedom’s fine—but not on my concrete.

I’m dreaming of a white nation,
Where the majority is right.
May our suburbs be merry and bright!
And may all our neighborhoods be white!

Dream of Peace

  • by Kay Thode
  • tune: White Christmas

We’re dreaming of a peaceful nation,
With no more guns and bombs and fear.
Where all children are fed,
And all have a bed
To sleep in in the coming year.

We’re dreaming of a diverse country,
Where all the races live in love.
May we treasure each other’s life,
And all live together without strife.

Deck the Halls (Nuclear Folly)

  • by Kay Thode

Deck the halls with boughs of holly.
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Do away with nuclear folly.
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Grannies in their bright apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la l
Sing about the nuclear peril!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

For your attention, we are dressed
Fa la la la la, la la la la
For peace on Earth, you might have guessed.
Fa la la la la, la la la la
We will sing out all our protest,
Fa la la la la, la la la la
’Til we end the nuclear menace!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

 

 

 

Corporate Free Schools

  • by: Kay Thode
  • tune: Jingle Bells

Junk food in the halls,
And Pepsi machines too.
Does the school board think
These are good for you?
Rotting our kids’ teeth,
Making kids obese!
It isn’t nice to push caffeine
‘Cause of a corporate lease!

Chorus:
Oh, no logos, no more ads!
Get them out of schools.
That isn’t education
And we’re not corporate tools!
(Repeat)

Have a tax revolt
For a progressive tax,
Raise the bucks for schools,
Give corporate lease the axe!
No more corporate ads,
Or junk food in our schools.
What fun to have organic foods—
That will be really cool!

Chorus