Over the past few years working on the issue of public preparedness and engagement, I have found myself noting songs and lyrics I’ve heard that I think touch on related themes. Last year, I posted videos from YouTube (along with some selected lyrics) of four songs that I find particularly resonant and representative of the ideas raised in this blog. (These songs also provided me with inspiration during the past eight months as I deal with leukemia.)

I am pretty sure that none of these songs were written about civilian preparedness, but I think each relates in some way to the need for citizens to be ready to react and respond to whatever emergencies we face individually, as a nation and as a planet. After I listen to these songs, I find myself getting charged up about doing something. When I initially wrote this post, the Utah Commission on Volunteers’ Lani Nisbet and the Oregon Red Cross’ Robin Parker offered their own songs which I have added at the bottom of this post.

If you have suggestions for other songs that you think also relate to citizen preparedness, please write them in the Comments section or email me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com and I will post them:

1) Five For Fighting, “World” – ”What kind of world do you want/ Think anything/Let’s start at the start/Build a masterpiece/Be careful what you wish for/History starts now.”

Five For Fighting, “World”

2) Patti Smith, “People Have The Power” –”The people have the power/The people have the power/The power to dream /to rule/to wrestle the world from fools/it’s decreed the people rule/it’s decreed the people rule/I believe everything we dream/can come to pass through our union/we can turn the world around/we can turn the earth’s revolution/we have the power/People have the power.”

Patti Smith, “People Have The Power”

3) The Eagles, “New York Minute” – “In a New York minute/Everything can change/In a New York minute things can get a little strange…And in these days/When darkness falls early/And people rush home/To the ones they love/You better take a fool’s advice/And take care of your own/One day they’re here/Next day they’re gone.”

Don Henley, “New York Minute”

4) Foo Fighters, “Times Like These” — “It’s times like these you learn to live again/it’s times like these you give and give again/it’s times like these you learn to love again/it’s times like these time and time again.”

Foo Fighters, “Times Like These”

First, Lani Nisbet, Utah Citizen Corps Program Manager, Utah Commission on Volunteers, recommends Ben Harper and Jack Johnson – With My Own Two Hands (Now I can change the world/With my own two hands/Make it a better place/With my own two hands/Make it a kinder place.)

BEN JOHNSON & JACK JOHNSON — WITH MY TWO HANDS

And, second, Robin Parker, from the award-winning Cross Blog in Portland, Oregon suggests Andrew Bird’s “Fiery Crash”. (“To save all our lives you’ve got to envision the fiery crash before you get on the plane.”)

ANDREW BIRD, “FIERY CRASH”

Keep the suggestions coming to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com and I will continue to post them.

I am pretty sure that none of these songs were written about civilian preparedness, but I think each relates in some way to the need for citizens to be ready to react and respond to whatever emergencies we face individually, as a nation and as a planet. After I listen to these songs, I find myself getting charged up about doing something. If you have suggestions for other songs that you think also relate to citizen preparedness, please email me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com and I will post them:

1) Five For Fighting, “World” – ”What kind of world do you want/ Think anything/Let’s start at the start/Build a masterpiece/Be careful what you wish for/History starts now.”

 

Five For Fighting, “World”

2) Patti Smith, “People Have The Power” –”The people have the power/The people have the power/The power to dream /to rule/to wrestle the world from fools/it’s decreed the people rule/it’s decreed the people rule/I believe everything we dream/can come to pass through our union/we can turn the world around/we can turn the earth’s revolution/we have the power/People have the power.”

Patti Smith, “People Have The Power” 

3) The Eagles, “New York Minute” – “In a New York minute/Everything can change/In a New York minute things can get a little strange…And in these days/When darkness falls early/And people rush home/To the ones they love/You better take a fool’s advice/And take care of your own/One day they’re here/Next day they’re gone.”

 

Don Henley, “New York Minute” 

 

4) Foo Fighters, “Times Like These” — “It’s times like these you learn to live again/it’s times like these you give and give again/it’s times like these you learn to love again/it’s times like these time and time again.”

 

Foo Fighters, “Times Like These”