The history and politics of the English protest song

1982

How Does it Feel (To Be the Mother of a Thousand Dead)

Tune: Original
Lyrics: Crass
Composer: Crass

Released in the wake of the Falklands War, ‘How Does it Feel’ charged the prime minister Margaret Thatcher with cynically escalating a conflict with Argentina to reassert her authority and distract from the problems her policies engendered at home. The lyrics are spat directly at Thatcher, with the dead and injured mourned as collateral damage in a quest to reinstate national pride.

Cause: Anti-militarist
Theme: War and Peace
Addressed to: Elected Representatives | The People
Target of Protest: Elected Representatives | Armed Forces
Proposal/Solution: Disarmament