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At 1am on June 22, Vance Gilbert received his invitation from Peter to write a verse. By 2:45am, Vance contributed a verse that took a different direction – a verse that addresses the shooter and what contributed to his actions.

As of Sunday evening on June 28, nearly 100 videos have been posted and shared. Some are by artists we know from the folk community but many are from average people who found a verse in the hearts and shared it the rest of the community. Most are recorded in homes in front of computer screens and cameras. Some reflect the skills of the performer and writers, and all reflect the emotion people are dealing with as this story continues to unfold. All nine victims have been memorialized in verses  – Clementa Pinckney, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel L. Simmons Sr., Myra Thompson.

Cynics might say that artists like Peter are using the tragedy to promote their own work – but nothing could be further from the truth.  Art has always been an expression of feelings, and folk songs have a long history of being used by communities to remember events, share news, and to protest. In the past, it may have been an oral tradition, but in 2015 we have different tools at our disposal, and our community is no longer isolated rural enclaves. Peter and the others are not making any money on this, nor are they doing it to further their careers.  They are using their skills and the spirit of the folk community to share and create a song. This is not a commercial song. I submit this is a folk tradition at work.

There are also some that will claim that songs like this, and other protest songs, merely preach to the choir. While there is some truth to that, you must remember that the choir needs inspiration. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, “We Shall Overcome” helped keep the spirits up for those involved in the struggle. From the strength gained, the movement helped create significant changes. As we can see from reading a newspaper or watching TV, or simply surfing the Internet (for better or worse, the most common source of information these days), we still have much work to do in 2015 to eliminate racism and bring equal rights to all. “Take Down Your Flag” has an important message to share.

No one will make claims that this song has led to some of the changes that have followed in recent days – politicians finally coming around to protesting the use of the Confederate flag, companies like Amazon, Walmart and Sears refusing to sell items with the divisive flag. Around 5:30am on Saturday June 27, Bree Newsome, a 30 year old activist and film maker, climbed the pole of the South Carolina State House and removed the Confederate flag, and act for which she was arrested. Her symbolic action is quickly becoming another rallying call. (Peter also added a new verse to the song in her honor.)

It is too early to tell if “Take Down Your Flag” will stand the test of time that the musicologists use to consider if it will fit the academic definition of “folk song”, but it is a song that many of need as we continue to fight for what is right. If you study folk music, you will find many songs dealing with tragic events of the past. Folk songs preserve history and give us a clue as to the thoughts and actions of the communities where they were found. Even Woody Guthrie followed this tradition, writing “The Sinking of the Reuben James” in response to the 1941 sinking of the destroyer by a torpedo from a German submarine. (Guthrie intended to mention the names of all 114 crew members who perished until Pete Seeger and the other Almanac Singers advised him otherwise.) For Peter Mulvey, and others, to write songs about this current tragedy should come as no surprise- it is the contemporary folk process at work.

Used by permission, here is a note from Peter Mulvey’s Facebook page describing the song:

TAKE DOWN YOUR FLAG
OPEN INVITATION:
PLEASE TAKE THIS SONG AND RUN WITH IT

Here’s what’s happening: I wrote this song, “Take Down Your Flag” on Friday night and played it opening for Ani DiFranco in Northampton. I posted it to YouTube late that night. The next day my friend Pamela Means played it in Providence while I played it in Lowell. The next day Ani played it.

When someone suggested I write eight more verses for the other victims (my version mentioned only Susie Jackson) I asked my friends to write those verses. And other people did so on their own, and I am grateful and overwhelmed. I started fanning the flames and trying to manage a social media campaign and got a little wound up. Now I’m finishing a 14-hour drive to West Virginia, where I’ll be in a cave for a while, out of range of this.

Please sing this song. Please write your own second verse. I’ll collect some versions here as I’m able.

Please search for and share all the videos in this series. One helpful thing is to go to the original post of a video, and share other videos as comments on the comment thread. It will give people an immediate sense of what’s going on.

Here’s the original song, just hours old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=risegdmMVlg

Here’s the version that’s been shared the most, by Ani D:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWfogzcBL5M

There are many more out there.

And please, if you’re moved to do so, donate to the fund for the victims at Mother Emanuel Church.

http://www.emanuelamechurch.org/
MOTHER EMANUEL HOPE FUND
C/O CITY OF CHARLESTON
PO BOX 304
CHARLESTON SC 29402
OR TEXT “PRAYFORCHARLESTON” TO 843-606-5995
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN: #‎CHARLESTONSYLLABUS

Here is a link to a playlist of some of the versions of “Take Down Your Flag” that are circulating:

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