The history and politics of the English protest song

2020

Wildfires

Tune: Original
Lyrics: Sault
Composer: Sault

Channelling the soul of Marvin Gaye and other civil rights music activists, this song protests at racist police violence and promises popular resistance (the ‘wildfires’). It speaks to the forces of law and order (‘The bloodshed on your hands’), to the ‘we’ who ‘will never show fear’ and the ‘I’ who ‘will always care’. As a group, Sault have been closely allied with the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Cause: Anti-racist
Theme: Rights | Identity
Target of Protest: Police etc | Bigots