Get all 9 Lee Brickley releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Kill the Bill, Anarchist & Antifascist, No Leaders Anymore, Diversity of tactics, The Working Class Revolution EP, Songs for Rojava, Ocalan, When the fascists came, and 1 more.
1. |
Stand Up Now
01:34
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They’re burning houses down, stand up now, stand up now
They’re burning houses down, stand up now
They’re burning houses down, in each and every town,
The world just turns around, and no one makes a sound
Stand up now, Stand up now
Each woman and each man, stand up now, stand up now
Each woman and each man, stand up now
Each woman and each man, must do all that they can,
It’s time to lend a hand, and free all of Kurdistan
Stand up now, Stand up now
Oh soldiers heed the call, stand up now, stand up now
Oh soldiers heed the call, stand up now
Oh soldiers heed the call, protect them one and all
No contribution’s small, when you do it for the cause
Stand up now, Stand up now
The revolution’s here, stand up now, stand up now
The revolution’s here, stand up now
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2. |
The Sunrise Over Rojava
04:18
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I’m packing up my bags and leaving this country I’ve always called home
I’m going out to fight for freedom with people who just want to get along
I just can't stand to be trodden, this hypocrisy cuts me to the bone
And I will not return ‘til the people have a safe and peaceful place to call their own
And the whole world turns and sees
The sunrise over Rojava
I know the history of the conflict, I’m not misinformed
I go to Erbil, sign my name and buy my uniform
Across the Tigris in the dark of night I sail away
And in the morning, meet my comrades for a brighter day
And that’s the first time my eyes see
The sunrise over Rojava
I'm doing this because it's right and I don't care what anybody thinks of me
Some are saying that it's not my fight but we're all human beings as far as I can see
And I don't believe in your borders, it's the divisions that create atrocities
I'm gonna help build a culture from feminism and ecology
Wait for the night to end and see
The sunrise over Rojava
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3. |
On A Cold Night In Syria
03:30
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There’s fire lighting up the sky and mortars are overhead
The native people of these lands are now displaced or dead
And in amongst the madness there are thousands of refugees with nothing to eat
On a cold night in Syria
There’s angels watching over them with rifles in their hands
The protectors of the people every woman and man
And if you ever fought for freedom with them you should stand where the martyrs died
On a cold night in Syria
Hear the children screaming in the streets because mom and dad have died
This war machine's an industry, rotten and sour inside
There’ll be snipers on the rooftops and bodies on the ground when the sun goes down
On a cold night in Syria
So spare a thought, shed a tear, do everything you can
Their villages are battlefields, their cities overran
And there’s be fighter jets raining down hellfire in the sand in Kurdistan
On a cold night in Syria
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4. |
Song For The YPJ
03:22
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Have you heard about a people and their occupied homelands
They fought alongside allies in the war against Saddam
The liberators of Rojava, those brave women and men
Some gave their lives for freedom and they'd do it all again
So I sing today for the YPJ in solidarity for those in Kurdistan
There's martyrs there from almost everywhere
They come from far and wide to lend a hand
If only everyone could understand
The revolution rests in their loving hands
Those guerrillas fought islamic state and all that they stood for
Put an end to the caliphate a bolt across the door
And the women's protection unit was the first of its kind
The jihadis ran when they saw ladies behind the gun sights
Chorus
There's something strange happening, Turkey has intervened
And pushed our freedom fighters right out of Afrin
The government is sanctioning a pillage by the state
and murdering the very people they vow to protect
Chorus
Have you heard about a people and their occupied homelands
They fought alongside allies in the war against Saddam
The liberators of Rojava, those brave women and men
Some gave their lives for freedom and they'd do it all again
Chorus
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5. |
Yazidi
04:23
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They murdered her son
Enslaved both her daughters
Imprisoned her husband
Now he’s for the slaughter
They darkened their world
And left them with nothing
They cry for salvation
But no one is coming
This is not a war! This is just evil! Why does the world ignore those poor Yazidi people?
And where are they now?
There’s 3000 missing
Forced to submit or
Die with all their siblings
These men have no soul
This rape goes unnoticed
Their jihadi babies
Will grow up devoted
This is not a war! This is just evil! Why does the world ignore those poor Yazidi people?
I’m broken and scared
I’m battered and beaten
I plead with my captors
But they can’t see reason
They cover my face
My beauty is hidden
And I hope one day I’ll
Escape from this prison
This is not a war! This is just evil! Why does the world ignore those poor Yazidi people?
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6. |
Anna's Song
03:52
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Too kind to be out fighting in a war
Too bold to turn the other cheek and pretend to ignore
the difference she could make to the cause
When she left her home behind she knew what she did it for
And Anna was her name
Too smart to believe the lies they like to tell
Too caring and compassionate to let those thugs raise hell
She saw the revolution for what it was
When they held her back, she died her hair and said “I don’t think so boss”
And Anna was her name
And on that day when the Turkish planes rolled in
We lost and angel in Afrin
And that’s where her body still lies
Despite everyone’s cries
She is cold and alone
So bring Anna home x4
Too kind to be out fighting in a war
Too bold to turn the other cheek and pretend to ignore
The difference she could make to the cause
When she left her home behind she knew what she did it for
And Anna was her name
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7. |
The Volunteers
02:38
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This one goes out to Erik, Luke, Dean and Jack
And all the other volunteers who didn’t make it back
May the world always remember the selfless things they did
Light a candle in their honor, launch campaigns and never quit
But no matter what the papers say, don’t believe a word
To call these boys anything by heroes in absurd
They could have stayed at home and been sat here today
But they followed in the footsteps of the International Brigades
When the government fell silent, the politicians hid away
And our boys saw on Facebook how Syria decayed
Each one had his reasons for joining in the fight
For standing by the Kurds and going straight to the front line
So no matter what the papers say, don’t believe a word
To call these boys anything by heroes in absurd
They could have stayed at home and been sat here today
But they followed in the footsteps of the International Brigades
And history will show how they tried to right the wrongs
So all that I can do is say “thank you” in a song
This one's for the martyrs, the ones who feel shahid
For everyone who knew them and all their families
Be strong and be proud of what your loved ones achieved
They faced off with the devil and cut him down to his knees
So no matter what the papers say, don’t believe a word
To call these boys anything by heroes in absurd
They could have stayed at home and been sat here today
But they followed in the footsteps of the International Brigades
They followed in the footsteps of the International Brigades
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8. |
I Will Never Forget
01:48
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I’ve lost many good friends
Faces I’ll never see again
But no amount of artillery can take my memories
I will never forget
The brave souls I met
We stood as comrades in arms
With justice and love in our hearts
When we saw what they did to the women and kids
We were all duty-bound to take part
To give the people a brand new start
In Kobani I saw hundreds fall
All the darkness and the evil of war
My friends started dying but instead of crying
I dug my heels in the floor
Determined to take it no more
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9. |
A Zero's Welcome
03:19
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He stepped onto that aeroplane after spending six long months at war
He touched down and got put in chains, you’d think that they don’t want him here no more.
He was treated like a hero overseas
The one who answered to the call and joined the YPG
And they’re gonna throw him in a courtroom
And tell the world that he’s a bad, bad, man for
Saving thousands from certain doom
And chasing Isis out of Kurdistan
When the whole world chose to look the other way
When Raqqa was enslaved by the Islamic State
He fought against their fascist caliphate
And now his prison cell awaits
They left him with no bank account
No passport, no chance of finding work
They’re trying to send a message out
For two years they’ve dragged his name through the dirt
They did all they could to bring him to his knees
The one who answered to the call and joined the YPG
And they’re gonna throw him in a courtroom
And tell the world that he’s a bad, bad, man for
Saving thousands from certain doom
And chasing Isis out of Kurdistan
When the whole world chose to look the other way
When Raqqa was enslaved by the Islamic State
He fought against their fascist caliphate
And now his prison cell awaits
So now I must ask the government
Tell me which side are you on?
Are you trying to stop the terrorists
Or were you behind it all along?
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10. |
Ocalan
03:39
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Locked away on an island, not allowed to see the world
Guarded by a thousand rifles in a prison lined with dirt
There's a man who inspires millions to live like they are free
He's a guerrilla in the greatest sense, A revolutionary
He took up arms in '84 to fight the Turkish state
and protect the Kurdish people from another deadly fate
Some may call him a terrorist but you know it's not that way
And when politicians didn't care he formed the PKK
Ocalan
He built camps up in the mountains, launched attacks against the state
For the years of persecution and their policies of hate
On a mission for the freedom of the people of his land
He's the life and blood and heart and soul of all of Kurdistan
He liberated women, helped them shed religion's chains
Built a path for every person from the cradle to the grave
An intellect and passion like the world has rarely seen
He's a leader without privilege and I think that we should free
Ocalan
They arrested him in Italy then sent him on his way
No other European state would sign off on his plane
So he ended up in Kenya where he was finally betrayed
by the hidden hand of the secret service and the CIA
They shipped him back to Turkey in a big public display
Called the media and film crews before they locked him away
Held a puppet trial then had their death sentence overturned
If they'd only take another look I think that they could learn from
Ocalan
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Lee Brickley Birmingham, UK
Lee Brickley is a political songwriter from the UK. Please download a song or two and help support independent music!
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