Armed with his weapon of choice, a guitar that bore the sticker, “This Machine Kills Fascists”, Woody Guthrie was a pivotal contributor to the canon of protest tunes. During his lifetime, he composed nearly 3,000 lyrics, many of which remained unpublished. This has allowed a new generation of musicians to set these unused lyrics to music and create anthems that still resonate in modern society.
One of these artists is the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. The first time they made use of unused Guthrie lyrics was “Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight” from their 2003 album Blackout. This was followed by the band’s most well-known song “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” which appeared on their 2005 album The Warrior’s Code.
After discussions with Woody’s daughter Nora, the band recorded an entire album of Guthrie lyrics, 2022’s This Machine Still Kills Fascists. During the same session, they also recorded a 2nd album of Guthrie-penned lyrics, Okemah Rising, which will be released on May 12, 2023.
“Every night, when the audience is singing along with Woody’s words, his steadfast defense of the working class, and his fight against social injustice and the abuse of political power comes across loud and clear,” said the band’s founder and vocalist Ken Casey in a press release. “So as long as Dropkick Murphys are involved, Woody’s message will always be heard.”
The first video and single from the upcoming album was “I Know How It Feels”. Lyrics like “And I know how it feels to work ’til you drop. And it’s 10,000 bills that you owe” and “Know how it feels when you got calloused hands. And blisters on both of your feet. You can’t pay the rent, so the men take your things. And throw you right out on the street” sadly remain relevant.
The song also resonates in light of ongoing labor actions taking place across the globe.
“I know how it feels to join a union
Speak up like a man and fight
I know how it feels to march and sing
When you know that your fight is right”