Legendary rocker and activist Neil Young is jumping into the fray to support the protesters fighting to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. As Rolling Stone notes, he definitely wrote and recorded the song within the last two weeks:
Young wrote the track in the past two weeks as it mentions Dale "Happy" American Horse Jr., a Native American protestor who was arrested August 31st after chaining himself to pipeline construction equipment for nearly six hours. "Saw Happy locked to the big machine / They had to cut him loose and you know what that means," Young sings. "That's when Happy went to jail / Behind big money justice always fails.”
The lyrics and video below clearly show Neil Young is standing with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe as they try to stop the pipeline from going through their reservation. Lyrics via Stereogum.com:
There’s a battle raging on the sacred land Our brothers and sisters have to take a stand
Against us now for what we all been doing On the sacred land there’s a battle brewing
I wish somebody would share the news
Now it’s been about 500 years We keep taking what we gave away
Just like what we call Indian givers It makes you sick and gives you shivers
I wish somebody would share the news
Big money going backwards and ripping the soil Where graves are scattered and blood was boiled
When all who look can see the truth But they just move on and keep their groove
I wish somebody would share the news
Saw Happy locked to the big machine They had to cut him loose and you know what that means
That’s when Happy went to jail Behind big money justice always fails
I wish somebody would share the news
Bring back the days when good was good Lose these imposters in our neighborhood
Across our farms and through our waters All at the cost of our sons and daugthers
Our brave sons and daughters We’re all here together fighting poison waters
Standing against the evil way That’s what we have at the end of day
I wish somebody would share the news
Keep on rocking, Neil Young!