For Big Floyd, by Jim McHugh

For Big Floyd

by Jim McHugh

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1.	Vigilante Man / George Floyd 03:42	lyrics
Have you seen the vigilante man Dressed in blue with a gun and club in his hand Kills the black, the brown, the poor of this land There's blood all over his white hands George Floyd was a strong black working man Speaking out to power any way he can Knelt on his neck and killed him Because he wasn't afraid of him We've got to tear this racist system down Is that the vigilante man Over there in blue with a gun and a shotgun in his hand Yes, I know his work. I've seen it all over this land He does shoot our brothers and sisters down Big Floyd was a strong black man Speaking out to power any way he can Knelt on his neck and killed him Because he wasn't afraid of him Got to tear this capitalist army down We've got to tear this racist system down We've got to tear this racist system down Everybody just might be one big soul It looks that way to me Everywhere that you look in the day or the night That's where I'm a gonna be That's where I'm a gonna be That's where I'm a gonna be That's where I'm a gonna be Everywhere little children are hungry and crying Everywhere that people ain't free Everywhere people get killed for the color of their skin, man That's where I'm a gonna be, lord That's where I'm a gonna be That's where I'm a gonna be That's where I'm a gonna be That's where we're gonna be That's where we're gonna be
2.	Resist Control 01:09 video	lyrics
War waged on the people Government lies fueled by fear Trust the unity of Money and machine gun A bullet in the head for my indiscretions How much oppression can you take Rise above It's time to fight back Cease and desist Orders the police force Rise above Resist control

about

Centripetal Force, in collaboration with Sunwatchers guitarist Jim McHugh, announce For Big Floyd, a two song release put out in response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th, 2020. All money raised from this release will be donated to Reclaim the Block, a Minneapolis community coalition representing activists, organizers, faith and community leaders united by the demand that Minneapolis divest from policing and invest in long-term alternatives that promote healthier, safer, more diverse communities. www.reclaimtheblock.org

JUNE 18TH UPDATE: RECLAIM THE BLOCK'S FUNDING GOALS HAVE BEEN MET FOR THE TIME BEING. MOVING AHEAD, PROCEEDS WILL BE DIRECTED TO SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND. JIM AND I DECIDED THAT IN LIGHT OF RECENT EVENTS IN ATLANTA, AS WELL AS OUR CURRENT AND FORMER CONNECTIONS TO THE SOUTH, THIS KIND OF EFFORT IS CRUCIAL IN THIS FIGHT AGAINST STOLEN LIVES. southernersonnewground.org

On this recording, McHugh takes a page from Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads and revisits the melody of “Vigilante Man” and repurposes the well known “Tom Joad,” transforming it into “George Floyd.” McHugh, in the same fine folk tradition Guthrie loved so much, has updated the lyrics of these songs to fit modern specifics and themes - the circumstances surrounding the killing of Big Floyd.

The second song, “Resist Control,” was originally written by New York hardcore band Life's Blood and was later covered by Born Against. There are subtle differences between the two in lyrical content, with McHugh opting for the Born Against version.

More song information is on the individual track pages.

credits

released June 2, 2020

Mural art by Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrera, Greta McLain, Niko Alexander and Pablo Hernandez. It is located on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis.

Mural photos by Raewyn Kelley

Home recorded in BK, NY

Mastered by Jon Erickson

"Vigilante Man"

Have you seen the vigilante man
Dressed in blue with a gun and club in his hand
Kills the black, the brown, the poor of this land
There's blood all over his white hands
George Floyd was a strong black working man
Speaking out to power any way he can
Knelt on his neck and killed him
Because he wasn't afraid of them
We've got to tear this racist system down

Is that the vigilante man
Over there in blue with a gun and a shotgun in his hand
Yes, I know his work. I've seen it all over this land
He does shoot our brothers and sisters down
Big Floyd was a strong black man
Speaking out to power any way he can
Knelt on his neck and killed him
Because he wasn't afraid of them
Got to tear this capitalist army down
We've got to tear this racist system down
We've got to tear this racist system down

Everybody just might be one big soul
It looks that way to me
Everywhere that you look in the day or the night
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where I'm a gonna be

Everywhere little children are hungry and crying
Everywhere that people ain't free
Everywhere people get killed for the color of their skin, man
That's where I'm a gonna be, lord
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where I'm a gonna be
That's where we're gonna be
That's where we're gonna be

license

about

Jim McHugh Brooklyn, New York

Guitar, electric phin, saz. Alliances include:
Sunwatchers; Eugene Chadbourne;
Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network;
Drunken Foreigner Band;
Jonathan Kane/February; Drunken Foreigner Band; KATIEE & Poor Historian.
THE FUTURE IS OPEN. ... more

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