We, The Mighty Tardigrade
We are the many. We are the strong. We are not afraid.
UPDATE: YouTube removed my channel with all my songs on it. No warning about anything I may have done wrong. They just deleted it. So, I’m making this song free to download directly here:
One of my favorite animals is the tardigrade. They are tiny, eight-legged animals (most under a millimeter long) found pretty much everywhere, from mountaintops, to tropical rain forests, to the deep sea and the antartic. They are among the most resilient creatures on earth and able to survive extreme conditions.
That’s why I think they are the perfect symbol of democratic resistance to authoritarianism.
They small, everywhere and underestimated. Just like We, The People. They withstand and survive extreme conditions, just like we are doing now.
They’re a symbol of ordinary citizens’ democratic resilience: Small but many, underestimated yet unbreakable.
Lyrics
They call truth the enemy and flood our feeds with lies,
Ban books our children read, redraw lines to shrink our size;
Trumpist rallies, strongman pomp, a counterfeit parade;
We link our arms, we meet the dawn, still here, undismayed.
No crown above the law, no bully on the stage;
Throw your storms at us, we answer with a wave.
We are the many.
We are the strong.
We are not afraid.
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
The mighty tardigrade.
Smash our norms and jeer the courts, they menace counting sites,
Crave power over all, excuse the trespass, bless the spite;
MAGA ignores every rule, guardrails smashed and frayed,
We hold the line and raise our voice: we won’t be unmade.
Try to suppress the vote and muzzle who has a say;
We organize, we show up, we will not go away.
We are the many.
We are the strong.
We are not afraid.
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
The mighty tardigrade.
They’d police our bodies, closets, marriages, our names,
Stack the bench, strike the match, and fuel the flames;
Rights Americans bled to win will not be trespassed,
We defend them daily, from street to ballot cast.
No crown above the law, no bully on the stage;
Throw your storms at us, we answer just the same.
Freedom! (say it loud)
Liberty! (pass it ’round)
Equality! (all around)
Democracy! (hold the ground)
We are the many.
We are the strong.
We are not afraid.
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
We are the mighty tardigrade,
The mighty tardigrade.
Absolutely love this, and all your other songs. Your work is on a par with classic protest songwriters like Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez.
A new rally song! Thanks David 🥰