Throughout history protest songs have brought people together and inspired action for social change. One such song is Back of the Bus. It is a song which lots of Woodcraft Folk groups sing around their campfires.
What to do
Start by getting the group together to listen to Back of the Bus (If your group knows the song you can sing along too):
Ask the group to think about what the song means? Do they know what story they are telling?
The song tells the story of the fight for civil rights for African Americans in the 1960s. A time when people were not allowed to go to swimming pools, or vote in elections or even choose which part of the bus they sat on because of the colour of their skin.
Allow the group to see the lyrics to the song, either in a Woodcraft Folk song book or print the lyrics below. Ask the group to think about:
- How do we continue to tell that story?
- Does it relate to anything that is happening in the world now?
- Does this song help people understand the story?
Back of the Bus
If you miss me at the back of the bus
And you can’t find me nowhere
Come on over to the front of the bus
I’ll be riding up there
If you miss me in the Mississippi Mud
And you can’t find me nowhere
Come on over to the swimming pool
I’ll be swimming right there
If you miss me in the cotton fields
And you can’t find me nowhere
Come on over to the courthouse
I’ll be voting right there
If you miss me on the picket line
And you can’t find me nowhere
Come on over to the jailhouse
I’ll be rooming right there
If you miss me at the back of the bus
And you can’t find me nowhere
Come on over to the front of the bus
I’ll be riding up there
Get into smaller groups and ask the young people to write a new verse for this song to express the struggle for equal rights as it goes on today.
Finish the session by coming back together to perform your new verses
Discussion Questions
- What was your verse about?
- What did you like about another group’s verse?
- Are there any other protest songs we could add to?