Times are shifting indeed, all across the world.

There are many ways music can come into such changing circumstances. That is an idea we’ve continued to explore through the years in this ongoing series.

Perhaps you feel the need of songs to rally around, to sing together?

Here are two. They are songs which speak of love, of justice, of hope, of community—views that such songs, especially ones that take in themes of justice and hard times do not always contain.

In Bandera del Sol, Tish Hinojosa sings in two languages of the power of joining together to work toward peace. Hinojosa’s parents came from Mexico to Texas, where she was born and grew up. You will find Bandera del Sol on her album Culture Swing.

If I Had a Hammer may be familiar to you. In this moment of shifting times, it’s a good idea to think about the words of the song again.

It was written and first performed by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949. When Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded it in the 1960s, they chose to make a small but powerful change to the lyrics: rather than addressing brothers to include all people as the language of earlier years would have it, they chose to replace that with 'brothers and sisters' throughout the song.

If I Had a Hammer shows up on many collections and has often been recorded. I still like Peter, Paul, and Mary’s version best myself, though. You will find it, among other places, on their debut self-titled album called Peter, Paul, and Mary.

This is a recording of a performance from the early 1960s.

Wisdom, advice, suggestions on living in shifting times: here are two songs with a bit of that advice, along with ideas on which to reflect.

Fiddle player and singer Rani Arbo and the men who make up the trio daisy mayhem—Scott Kessel on percussion, Andrew Kinsey on bass, Anand Nayak on guitars—frequently offer songs which blend hope with clear-eyed recognition of challenge. Shine On is one such song from the New England-based musicians. You will find it on Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem’s album called Big Old Life.

Thrift is another name for sea pink, a plant which grows along the shores of Scotland. The plant’s gift for hanging on inspired Karine Polwart to write the song she called Thrift, which as you will hear is about resilience.

Karine created this arrangement of the song as part of the Spell Songs Singers, a group of musicians  based in Scotland and in England who make music to bring lesser known aspects of nature back to light. The other Spell Songs artists (you will see them in the video) are Jim Molyneux, Kris Drever, Beth Porter, Julie Fowlis, Rachel Newton, Seckou Keita, and producer/engineer Andy Bell. You will find Thrift recorded on the album Spell Songs II: Let the Light In.

Perhaps it is time for a bit of reflection through music without words. 

Nashville-based banjo and guitar player Alison Brown has spent quite a bit of time in Ireland. One of those times, Alison was at the ancient site of Carrowkeel near Lough Arrow in Sligo. Time spent there inspired her to compose this tune, which she named after the place. You will find it on her album Stolen Moments. You may also want to look out for Alison Brown's recent album called On Banjo.

There are songs which remind of good questions, too.

Questions can be a way to focus attention and reflection in these shifting times. Indiana-based songwriter Carrie Newcomer’s song If Not Now is one such piece to consider. You will find it recorded on two of her albums: A Permeable Life and Live at the Buskirk Chumley Theater with Friends.

May these songs and the creativity of these artists be good companions as you travel through these shifting times.

Thank you for staying with us through this journey. Below, you'll find a link that will take you to an article which has a bit more backstory on the series. It also has links to a number of the stories, including ones called Listening for Community, Music for Winter's Changes, and The Geography of Hope.

Music for Shifting Times

Kerry Dexter is Music Editor at Wandering Educators. 

You may find more of Kerry's work in National Geographic Traveler, Strings, Perceptive Travel, Journey to Scotland, Irish Fireside, and other places, as well as at her own site, Music Road. You can also read her work at Along the Music Road on Substack.