The Daily Show and the cast of Zack Snyder’s upcoming Justice League aren’t the only celebrities who’ve come out in support of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota. Singer and songwriter Neil Young, whose long career is rife with music composed and released to counter numerous controversial issues of national concern, released a new video for his latest protest song, “Indian Givers,” on Friday.
According to Rolling Stone, Young wrote the song sometime during the past two weeks when the largely Native American protests turned viral. That’s because the “Rockin’ in the Free World” musician refers to Dale “Happy” American Horse Jr., the Native American pastor who made headlines for chaining himself to construction equipment, in a later verse:
Saw Happy locked to the big machine
They had to cut him loose and you know what that means
That’s when Happy went to jail
Behind big money justice always fails
Like “Who’s Gonna Stand Up,” Young’s 2014 song protesting the Keystone XL pipeline, “Indian Givers” consists mostly of detailed lyrics narrating the issue in question. Otherwise the main thrust of the tune is broken up by a one-line chorus through which Young complains, “I wish somebody would share the news.”
The song’s arrival comes as, despite U.S. District Judge James Boesberg’s denial of a temporary injunction last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its intent to halt construction in order to further assess the project.
(Via Rolling Stone)
