With the Patriots winning the Superbowl, Boston is rife with patriotism once again. As rowdy as football fans after a big win, there’s something at the core of sport celebration that mirrors events like The Boston Tea Party or Paul Revere’s wild ride. Rebellion! Defiance! Another synonym for dissent! Since the OGW (Original George Washington) kickstarted the United States government in 1789, there has been as much political pride as unrest. And with that unrest comes the core of American music—from folk greats, to New Jersey punks, to our favorite Riot Grrrl act. With millions of Americans flooding the streets to celebrate our nation’s most significant holiday, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite protest jams to say, “We like our Presidents, but sometimes they kind of suck.”

“This Land Is Your Land” -Woody Guthrie

You’ve heard this song done a thousand times over, and by twice as many artists. It’s pretty much the epitome of the American protest song. And while protest songs far pre-date Guthrie, he certainly was a  pioneer for the classic bleeding-heart style commonly attached to protest songs. Hailing from Okemah, Oklahoma, Woody Guthrie was a true all-American boy. Picking up his famously inscribed guitar, he crafted this tune in response to the uncomfortably non-secular “God Bless America.” Woody used his fascist-killing axe to declare each coast and everything in between as something belonging to the people, separate from governments and deities alike. This song is your song, this song is my song.

“Born In The U.S.A.” -Bruce Springsteen

Massachusetts is located close enough to New Jersey that people can appreciate The Boss for his mastery of simple, rugged lyrics and anthemic guitar riffs. Though guised as a patriotic sort of song, “Born In The U.S.A.” is actually quite the contrary. With rippling anti-war lyrics, Bruce laments that he was, indeed, born in the U.S.A. Though not explicitly a protest song, Bruce is known for his political stances in his music, and place as a hero of the working class. “Born In The U.S.A” makes remorse at where you’re from an alright thing to feel.

“Self Evident” -Ani DiFranco

It seems a little cliche to include something 9/11-related in this piece, but after some deliberation I decided that “Self Evident” is way too important not to include. While 10 year old me was enthralled by Green Day’s American Idiot– arguably, whether you dig Green Day or not, the most pivotal, iconic post 9/11 and anti-Bush rock opera of its time, 19 year old me finds Ani DiFranco‘s piece much more eloquent, and delightfully more reserved. DiFranco is a wordsmith, wrapping metaphors into one another to create resonant, heartfelt pieces attached to a political connotation. “Self Evident” is actually a spoken word poem, but her spoken word contains cadences that mimic musicality, and her words strike so swiftly and powerfully that you hardly even notice there’s no sound beyond her voice.