The Mycenaean

Americans are afraid. Our political climate is more polarized than ever before, and we stand on the precipice of what is, arguably, one of the most controversial elections of our nation’s history. 

In spite of this turmoil, we must not forget that we are still the United States. 

Regardless of what happens in the general election on November 5, 2024, US citizens have to uphold the democratic values that brought this country together. 

Many songs from the 20th century encapsulate the United States — all of the good and the bad. There are five that you need to listen to before election day, no matter what candidates you support:

“This Land is Your Land”

Woody Guthrie’s 1945 song “This Land is Your Land” highlights our nation’s beauty. It describes the awe that our environment provokes and provides a peaceful resolution of unity:

As I went walking that ribbon of highway

And I saw above me that endless skyway

I saw below me that golden valley

This land was made for you and me

Guthrie appreciates the landscape of America: mountains and beaches, deserts and forests, all a part of our home. He is inclusive of all parts of the United States, showing that every place makes its contribution to the natural environment:

From California to the New York island

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters

This land was made for you and me

Guthrie shows that from east to west, we should take pride in the terrain, and be grateful for the opportunities it brings. He emphasizes that we share this land. We are all inhabiting the same place — driving the same roads to work, going to the same fast food restaurants, and staring at the same ‘skyway.’

On Election Day, remember that your country is the same as your neighbor’s.

“A Change is Gonna Come”

Sam Cooke wrote “A Change is Gonna Come” in 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement. It highlights Cooke’s experiences with racism and discrimination, expressing his pain, but also his hope for the future:

Then I go to my brother

And I say brother help me please

But he winds up knockin’ me

Back down on my knees

Cooke’s lyrics are 60 years old, but they continue to describe a common phenomenon in our society. Instead of being supportive, we fight each other, in politics or otherwise. Americans have always disagreed, and the political conflict right now is nothing new. Despite this conflict, Cooke shows the importance of persisting:

There been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long

But now I think I’m able to carry on…

But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

The song ends with a positive outlook. As a people, we will “carry on.” America is always changing; there is always potential for improvements in equality and peace. If you are unhappy with the state of the nation right now, it will not always be this way. 

On Election Day, remember how far we have come as a nation, and how far we have left to go.

“America”

Simon and Garfunkel wrote “America” in 1968 to explore the country’s changes during the counterculture of that decade. The song details a couple traveling across the United States:

‘Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together

I’ve got some real estate here in my bag’

So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies

And walked off to look for America

The couple starts out young, eager, and full of excitement. They have no property to their name, and they see America as a place where they can find themselves. However, as the song continues, the opposite happens:

‘Kathy I’m lost,’ I said…

I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike

They’ve all come to look for America

As the song ends, the narrator voices his despair. On his journey to discover America, he diverges from his expected path. He watches all of the other hopeful souls on the highway, looking for their own ‘American Dream.’ But what does that mean?

Historically, America has been a land of economic opportunity and religious freedom, with people immigrating to this country for the possibility of a better life.

Look within yourself. What does ‘America’ mean to you? Is it a land of opportunity? Is it a land of irreparable inequality? Or, is it a nation of motivated people that will continue to withstand adversity? It is up to us to find out. 

On Election Day, remember what it means to be an American.

“Yes We Can Can”

The Pointer Sisters released “Yes We Can Can” in 1973. Allen Toussaint wrote the song, inspiring all people to take part in social progress:

Now’s the time for all good men

To get together with one another

We got to iron out our problems…

And try to live as brothers

We can take direct advice from this song. Instead of viewing your fellow Americans as enemies, view them as members of your household. When you disagree with your sibling, parent, spouse, kid, roomate, or whoever you live with, you find a way to resolve the problem and move forward. If you do not, then the house is full of tension, which is not a pleasant environment for anyone. Disagreements have solutions, but solutions take compromise:

We got to make this land a better land

Than the world in which we live…

I know we can make it

I know darn well, we can work it out

The lyrics are confident that Americans can find respect for one another. If we all have a mindset of patience and agreeability, we will ‘work out’ our problems. Let this confidence comfort you; we will make it through to a more agreeable political climate.

On Election Day, remember that we are working with — not against — each other to improve our country.

“Democracy”

“Democracy” by Leonard Cohen came out in 1992, but democratic ideals have characterized the United States since its beginning. Cohen poetically describes America’s relationship with democracy. He argues that democracy is not here yet, but we are desperately trying to achieve it:

It’s coming to America first,

the cradle of the best and of the worst

It’s here they got the range

and the machinery for change

and it’s here they got the spiritual thirst

America has a mixed history. We have a history of slavery and genocide, and we have a history of autonomy and popular sovereignty. Cohen captures this feeling of pride and shame. We are “the cradle of the best and of the worst,” but we can still improve. America has the power — even the desire — for democracy:

I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean

I love the country but I can’t stand the scene

And I’m neither left or right

I’m just staying home tonight,

getting lost in that hopeless little screen

The song can appeal to all. Everyone, especially older generations, knows the patriotism that we are supposed to have, but that many do not. The song does not argue for any political side; it simply shows the pessimism everyone feels, especially while watching the news. Cohen’s “little screen” would have been a television, but today it is our phones that give us information on our nation’s conflict. Cohen then describes how he carries on through this negativity:

But I’m stubborn as those garbage bags

that time cannot decay,

I’m junk but I’m still holding up

this little wild bouquet:

Democracy is coming to the U.S.A

As Americans, we persevere. Cohen compares this stubbornness to garbage bags, showing that it’s not always a positive thing. However, Cohen’s bouquet of wildflowers shows that good also comes from our nation’s tenacity. 

During the American Revolution, Americans went to war against a country that was more powerful than them. During the Civil War, Americans fought hard to end the atrocity of slavery and remain united. During the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Americans challenged a longstanding constitutional provision to procure a woman’s right to vote. During the Civil Rights Movement, Americans combatted — and continue to combat — a deep rooted system of racial oppression. During every important historical event, Americans did not quit:

Sail on, sail on

O mighty Ship of State!

To the Shores of Need

Past the Reefs of Greed

Through the Squalls of Hate

We are a democratic republic. Democracy will continue to progress towards our nation, as long as we help it. It is a strong force in itself, but we must row the ship when the wind dies low. 

On Election Day, remember our nation’s past, look towards the future, and let democracy define both.