15 Greatest Protest Songs Of The 21st Century
11. Dar Williams - "Empire"
Key Lyrics: "There's no time for doubt right now // And less time to explain // So get back on your horses // Kiss my ring, join our next campaign"
Like so many of the greatest protest songs to come out of the 2000s, Dar Williams' "Empire" rails again the Bush Administration and the supposed "holy war" he started as a result of 9/11. Unlike most of those other songs, Williams takes a somewhat restrained tact and delivers her critique of the government with a mellowness that belies the cutting of her words.
"We'll kill the terrorizers and a million of their races, but when our people torture you that's a few random cases," she croons over a gentle-but-somber melody.
In discussing the meaning behind "Empire", Williams said "It's a cautionary song, because empires are doomed." Comparing his presidency to the Roman and British Empires may have been a slight stretch, but her overarching point was spot on.
A lot of artists tried to pin down the frightful demagoguery of the Bush Administration, but none of them hit the nail on the head quite so effectively as Williams.