Totally Tunes: If I Can Shoot Rabbits, Then I Can Shoot Fascists

Politics are a tricky thing. Not everyone will be in agreement, especially with parties, presidents, misinformation, and wars getting in the way. No matter the outcomes and countries, there's always the present threat of extremism, hate between neighbors and family members, social media being attacked by foreign-operated bots to push an agenda, and an overall unsafety in the world. Music has sunk its teeth in politics since the dawn of time, and here are some examples of this.

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Let's begin, as usual, with the song that gives this article its title, a tune by Political Song Experts™ Manic Street Preachers written at the time about the Spanish Civil War and the rise of fascism in Spain, with golden, incredibly-quotable lyrics like the one appearing on today's title.

Speaking of politically inclined bands, we can't ignore the enormous repertoire of System of a Down, who always tackle politics and criticism on war from really novel angles. For example, in this insane track, the band lays down the law about how the politicians' privilege allows the starting of wars they're not planning to fight.

At first glance you may not expect a band like The Decemberists to have protest songs, but truth is, they do! If you don't believe me for some reason (why wouldn't you?!), look no further than this tune, where Colin Meloy goes off on Bush's foreign policy.

USA! USA! USA! That is, until we talk about the treatment of Vietnam vets, then it's radio silence. That's basically what this iconic Bruce Springsteen song talks about... except that, for some reason, the same people that tend to ignore vets think it's a patriotic song that's super pro-America. Sigh.

In the subject of misunderstood political songs, there's no better example than this Creedence Clearwater Revival track, which it's still unfortunately used by ads and politicians who can't seem to realize that the lyrics criticize privilege and the fantastic ability by the rich to dodge becoming cannon fodder just for having deep pockets. And, of course, it gave us this fantastic retort by John Fogerty after a certain orange turd used it for his rallies.

What's your favorite political song? Do you prefer subtle or in-your-face political messages in songs?