Songs of Protest, Songs of Love

by Ross Thorn

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1.
Now, Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor Oh now, Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor No, he’d fill them up a plate, ask if they wanted any more Aw Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor Oh now, I ain’t no necromantic mage I said I ain’t no necromantic mage But it’s easier to raise the dead than raise the living wage And I ain’t even no necromantic mage Oh now, Jesus don’t care if you’re queer I said Jesus don’t care if you’re queer No, he’d look you in the eyes and say “I’m so glad that you’re here” Aw Jesus don’t care if you’re queer Oh now, jailbird why don’t you sing? I said jailbird why don’t you sing? Well these prisons built for profit, they don’t fix a goddamn thing They’re just fixed to bring the jailbird right back in Oh now, Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor Oh now, Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor And he sure as hell wouldn’t send out bombs in a genocidal war Oh Jesus, oh Jesus Aw Jesus wouldn’t drug test the poor
2.
I don't want your millions, Mister I don't want your diamond ring All I want is the right to live, Mister Give me back my job again Now, I don't want your Tesla, Mister I don't want to go to Mars All I want's food for my babies Not foreign wars or flying cars I don't want your millions, Mister I don't want your diamond ring All I want is the right to live, Mister Give me back my job again We worked to build this country, Mister While you enjoyed a life of ease You've stolen all that we built, Mister Now our children starve and freeze I don't want your millions, Mister I don't want your diamond ring All I want is the right to live, Mister Give me back my job again Think me dumb if you wish, Mister Call me an enemy within This one thing I sure know, Mister In the end you will not win So, I don't want your millions, Mister Can’t buy my vote with your greenbacks All I want is democracy, Mister Give to me my country back Give to me my country back
3.
Less than ten years from right now, we tried to warn ya They just sold water rights to California A billion dollar deal and it feels so slight Least we still have dynamite Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm They want a mine outside the waters They're bettin' on that you forgot her But ol' mother earth she's got the people in her corner From Duluth to Kettle Falls And the world is on the brink And the ship's about to sink There's nothing I love more than you Somehow we'll see it all through And if the whole thing goes ka-bloo-ie Well, I'll meet you in Saint Louie It's twenty years from now and all the kids are grown They're reaping everything their grandparents had sown Longer summers and the winters without snow We're not the only ones to blame Oh no We didn't do everything right My god, we're giving them a fight For cleaner water, sacred land and stone 'neath the hum of unmanned drones And the world is past the brink And the ship's starting to sink But there's so much left to love And when push comes to shove 'less that war machine tears through me I'll meet you in Saint Louie It's fifty years from now and I am dead and gone The earth holds onto everyone she ever loved Blood, sweat, and tears were shed but not in vain For the waters, they remain A sanctuary in the woods For all that's right and all that's good thanks to the brave souls just like yours she's preserved forevermore And the world's still past the brink And that ship's already sank All we've got is all we are And despite all of our scars We somehow found our way through this So meet me in Saint Louis County, that is In beautiful Minnesota Where another world is possible Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhhhhh Ohhhhhhh

about

100% of proceeds from this album go towards Save the Boundary Waters, to help advocate for and protect Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

credits

released June 20, 2025

Ross Thorn - Songwriting, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
Clark Singleton - Percussion
Clif Nesseth - Fiddle
Jen Krussow - Bass, Vocals
Nick Tveitbakk - Recording Engineer
Ryan Mach, Ross Thorn - Mixing Engineers

Recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, MN and a home studio in Duluth, MN

Mastered by Ed Woods in London, UK

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Ross Thorn Duluth, Minnesota

With a pastoral upbringing in northern Wisconsin, Ross Thorn’s music emanates as a warm and soulful hymn, waking up optimistically beside a snow covered window. His sharply crafted lyrics – distinctly reminiscent to the likes of John Prine – reveal internal struggles of empathy, questions of human character and virtue, and a search for hope – often finding solace in some unanticipated truth. ... more

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