This old Black spiritual was adapted on the road and in the camps, defending the water against the DAPL pipeline with Mississippi Stand, a project that attempted to disrupt attempts to drill a bore hole under the Mississippi River for the pipeline. After the borehole was drilled, the Mississippi Stand crew adopted the tactic of the mobile caravan, traveling up and down the length of DAPL to disrupt the project. These tactics can be read about in the zine “Swarm”.
lyrics
Wade in the water, wade in the water
Wade in the water, protectors gonna defend the waters
See those pipelines comin' 'round,
protectors gonna defend the waters
We're turning their plans upside down
protectors gonna defend the waters
The water's sacred like me and you
protectors gonna defend the waters
and those who pollute the waters are damn fools,
protectors gonna defend the waters
Wade in the water, wade in the water
Wade in the water, protectors gonna defend the waters
See those pipelines comin' 'round,
protectors gonna defend the waters
We're turning their plans upside down
protectors gonna defend the waters
The water's sacred like me and you
protectors gonna defend the waters
and those who pollute the waters are damn fools,
protectors gonna defend the waters
Wade in the water, wade in the water
Wade in the water, protectors gonna defend the waters
credits
from In The Ruins They've Left Us, We'll Plant Gardens Still,
released December 23, 2020
Vocals: Jessica Garraway
Songwriting: Traditional, adapted by Jessica Garraway
Guitar: Emmett Doyle
Bass: R Young
Accordion: Sam Adams
supported by 6 fans who also own “Wade in the Water”
This album has been a powerful mix of hitting home and expanding my horizons. This is great music, both from and for the ongoing fight for universal human dignity. I don't know how he does it, but Emmett has a way of saturating each story he tells - even the ones far removed from his own experience - with a rich feeling of authenticity. Two thumbs up! jwberns
This album speaks to the continuum of African diasporic culture that is central to the vibrant canon of Americana folk music. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 29, 2020
Bright and skipping songs that foreground the sound of the banjo and fingerstyle guitar in music that feels timeless. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 5, 2020
Proceeds from this excellent new darkambient/neofolk comp from LEFT/FOLK goes to benefit American Near East Refugee Aid. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 10, 2024