Neil Young News: 1-20-09: A Sea Change Begins

Sunday, February 01, 2009

1-20-09: A Sea Change Begins

1.20.09 - Inauguration Day

There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue

People shufflin' their feet (on the human highway)

People sleepin' in their shoes

But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead

Keep on rockin' in the free world

A Crowd of People Stood and Stared

Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

On 1.20.09 we were part of history. It was a be the rain, be the change, sea change moment.

Almost 2 weeks later, we still feel the emotion of the moment. Imagine being in Times Square on New Year's eve. Multiply that by 1,000. Imagine your best Neil Young concert. Multiply that by 100.

It was our generation's Woodstock on the Potomac. 3 days of peace, love and music. Our helicopter day.

By the time we got to Washington we were nearly 2 million strong.

And everywhere there was song and celebration. And I dreamed I saw the bombers, riding shotgun in the sky. And they were turning into butterflies, above our nation.

Although we were nearly a mile away watching the Jumbotron when we heard "I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution" we could instantly feel a surge of electricity jolting down the Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument back to the Lincoln Memorial. All around us people hugged and cried and cheered.

It was truly a moment we'll never forget and we were honored to be there doing our small part in the name of freedom.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

Yes You Can!

Be the rain, be the change, be the wheat.

Thanks Kait, Kevin "Union Man", Brian "Keys Left Hangin'" & Thrashette!!!

The Original Linc-Volt

More photo galleries of the "We Are One" Inaugural Concert and Inauguration Day in Washington, DC.

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18 Comments:

At 2/01/2009 11:21:00 PM, keys left hanging said...: It was a remarkable Inauguration Day on the Mall with 1.8 million of our closest friends. By the look of Union Man's pics , we were all within shouting distance but those danged cell phone towers couldn't handle the load. I have no parallel experience with so much positive energy, excitement and pride in the faces of so many fellow citizens. After we finished yukking with our close neighbors comparing the Jumbotron image of Cheney in a wheelchair to Mr. Potter, the Big Lebowski, and Dr. Strangelove, things turned more reflective. After all, we were standing by the WWII Memorial and thoughts of the heroic sacrifices of our forefathers were inescapable. I felt the tear in my eyes when Aretha sang of the "land where our fathers died" and I remembered how my Dad taught us kids that America was not only a place but a profound idea to be cherished and protected. Then at the moment after the Oath, as I hugged my wife and daughter, I felt the hope and prayer that the American idea may be renewed though the principles of our new leaders and that perhaps my daughter's generation may realize their dreams in whole new ways. At least, it's very cool to have that hope again.
Here's a cyber-high five to you Thrasher and Thrashette as we begin the begin! -keys left hanging
At 2/02/2009 12:36:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I have had enough of BHO!I came here to see what Neil is up to and more Obama!Read the novel that is the bailout bill.In a year the President will not be at the top of this great website.

Lauren
At 2/02/2009 09:04:00 AM, Anonymous said...: ....meanwhile back on earth, 42 people have died, including 11 in Kentucky, from the recent ice storm. Where's Obama's version of F.E.M.A.? At the rainbow ball?

IMO he's as bad as Bush. Only in a different way. At some point he'll realize that community organizing and rhetoric will only go so far (not very). Does he even know how to govern beyond appointing tax cheats and leftovers from the Clinton Admn?
At 2/02/2009 10:02:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm confused..how can 2 million people get into Washington DC in sub zero temps in 1 day when 200,000
couldn't get out of New Orleans at 85 degrees with four days notice?

Sun Green
At 2/02/2009 10:28:00 AM, Anonymous said...: When you get weak, and you need to test your will
When life's complete, but there's something missing still
Distracting you from this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Don't let another day go by without the magic touch

Distracting you (change your mind)
Supporting you (change your mind)
Embracing you (change your mind)
Convincing you (change your mind)

When you're confused and the world has got you down
When you feel used and you just can't play the clown
Protecting you from this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Don't let another day go by without the magic touch

Protecting you (change your mind)
Restoring you (change your mind)
Revealing you (change your mind)
Soothing you (change your mind)

You hear the sound, you wait around and get the word
You see the picture changing everything you've heard
Destroying you with this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Don't let another day go by without the magic touch

Destroying you (change your mind)
Embracing you (change your mind)
Protecting you (change your mind)
Confining you (change your mind)
Distracting you (change your mind)
Supporting you (change your mind)
Distorting you (change your mind)
Controlling you (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)

The morning comes and there's an odor in the room
The scent of love, more than a million roses bloom
Embracing you with this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Don't let another day go by without the magic touch

Embracing you (change your mind)
Concealing you (change your mind)
Protecting you (change your mind)
Revealing you (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind

Obama and the USA can only go as far as WE take it. Let's Go!
At 2/02/2009 10:40:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The only change for the working man will be the change he has left in his pocket after this great government grower Obama gets done fleecing us and future generations. By the way, when did Neil get involved in (on) the Obama band wagon. Just because he knew what Bush was up to it does not mean he drank the Obama kool-aid. Note to you-no man can get you out of or into anything, you must do it yourself.
At 2/02/2009 11:35:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Lauren - You sound like Rush limbaugh hoping Obama fails.

Why do you hate Amrica?
throw your hatred down.

- Look in the Mirror Ball
At 2/02/2009 01:39:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Now all we need is some Obama like leaders in the Congress and Senate ... throw out Pelosi, Reid, and all their Republican counterparts ... Obama is for real but its tough being a quarterback when the rest of the team is doing things the old way ... I wanted McCain but now am 100% for Obama hoping that the man of the people can help Washington truly change its ways!
At 2/02/2009 06:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I don't think Lauren 'hates' anybody.

I do find it interesting that Neil is so opiniated yet won't become an American Citizen.

It's disconcerting that if one doesn't fall lockstep into the Obama cult and endeavor to 'be the change (whatever that means) they're perceived as uptight Republicans. Guess what, some of us think on a deeper level than Neil's kindergarten slogans and idealological talking points.

Look - as a small businessman I'm dealing with an incomprehensible tax code that two accountants
can't even decipher. And our tax dollars continue to flow into the Cayman Island and Bamaha tax shelters. How are things any different than under Bush. Wake up! It's more of the same. The day B.O. demands he and Congress have comparable health care to that of most Americans, and the tax code is profoundly simplified from its current tangled nest of special interests, is the day I can beleive. Hell, I'd even 'be the change'. Right now, I can't afford these adolescent fantasies.
At 2/02/2009 07:06:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Hey, here's a deal for Neil. He releases the Archives, and in return I'll "be the change we were waiting for" or whatever. Fair enough?

Seems like it'd be easier to release the Archives, since they're already 'complete' and this paradigm-shifting change has yet to be... conceptualized, exactly. Maybe he can throw in Obama's birth certificate on a bonus dvd. You know, just to prove that the Messiah was actually born of humans.
At 2/02/2009 07:11:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Oh Yeah - Obama's right behind Daschle as HHS Secretary, even though he's made 2 Million last year from entities he'd ostenibly be regulating.

Yep, that's 'change (in Daschle's pocket) we can all beleive in.

Rust never sleeps, and trust is in a coma.
At 2/02/2009 07:19:00 PM, Lauren said...: i don't hate the president and don't hope he fails our country.so I oppose these absurd policy's and im a hater? I happen to love Neil and its not for his political views (music?)but i accept that he feels that way and the love continues,its very easy for me to separate the two.Sorry to disappoint.

Lauren
At 2/03/2009 02:07:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Did Neil ever come out and say he was for Obama? If so, would someone clue me in as to what he said.
At 2/03/2009 02:18:00 PM, Thrasher said...: Look closely at this picture:

Neil Young Concert Review of the Moment: Auckland, New Zealand: 1/16/09

It says more than any words.
At 2/04/2009 12:45:00 PM, A K said...: "Look closely at this picture:

Neil Young Concert Review of the Moment: Auckland, New Zealand: 1/16/09

It says more than any words."

so does that picture of a piece of trash on the ground that reads "yes you can".
At 2/04/2009 05:50:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Although Thrasher has the right to include whatever content he wishes on this site, political or otherwise, it's disheartening that anyone who questions the excessive Obama content is immediately assumed by some readers to be right-wing Bush supporters who are unwilling to embrace change. Many who criticize Obama do so because they believe, as I do, that no amount of good intentions are going to fundamentally alter U.S. policy and that Obama has already demonstrated by his words and his appointments that the world is in for more of the same, albeit with a nicer face.

As someone from a country outside the U.S., I can safely say that by world standards Obama is certainly not left of centre in his policies. But rather than write a long diatribe, I will just recommend that readers check out William Blum's blog at killinghope.org. Every month he releases what he calls an Anti-Empire Report, the latest of which should be required reading for all U.S. citizens (http://www.killinghope.org/bblum6/aer66.html).

One last thing: I can't help but agree with the comment above that referred to "Neil's kindergarten slogans." Despite Neil's good intentions, one thing that always bothered me about 'Living With War' is how little mention he made of Iraq or Iraqis in any of his songs. On his LWW site he has a tally of the number of U.S. soldiers who have died. What about the million+ Iraqis who have died, why is no attention paid to them? I know Neil's heart is in the right place, but it seems he so embraces the American view of the world that all his attention is focused on repairing the damage done to the U.S. Interestingly, the desire to "reclaim" their country that so many Americans are now expressing mirrors the Christian notion of redemption: as long as you repent your sins, everything will be okay. Unfortunately in the real world lost lives can never be reclaimed.

Peace to all!

Roger
At 2/07/2009 06:22:00 PM, dr dip said...: Dr Dip said,
Dear Americans..pardon my ignorance,
but what movies did Barack star in? I've seen all the Arnie movies and a few of the Ronnie Reagan movies. How can he head the country if he hasn't been in a movie?..wait a minute..was he the dude in Terminator 2 that arnie had to "sacrifice" because of the bionic arm ..or.. Was he the dude in "diff'rent Strokes"I don't know ..I'm dazed and confused!
At 2/08/2009 09:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Sun Green (although I have to question that could really be you),

That comment was the most disgusting racist comment I've ever seen on a Neil list.
sad.

Earth Brown