Nash was born in Blackpool, England, during World War II. His mother was evacuated from the Nashes' hometown of Salford (now in Greater Manchester ), where Graham grew up. In the early 1960s he was a leading member of The Hollies, one of the UK's most successful pop groups ever. Although recognised as a key member of the group, he seldom sang lead vocals, although he did write many of the band's songs, most often in collaboration with Allan Clarke. Best known in the US for their 1965 hit "Bus Stop", the Hollies also scored with "Look Through Any Window" in 1965, "Stop, Stop, Stop" in 1966, "Carrianne", and "On a Carousel " in 1967, among others. Nash was pivotal in the forging of a sound and lyrics showing an obvious hippie influence on The Hollies' album Butterfly, a collection that brought differing opinions on the band's musical direction to the fore.
In 1968, after a visit to the US during which he met David Crosby in Laurel Canyon and began recreational drug use, Nash left The Hollies at the height of their fame to form a new group with Crosby and Stephen Stills. A threesome at first, Crosby, Stills & Nash later became a foursome with Neil Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). With them, Nash went on to even greater worldwide success. Nash, nicknamed "Willy" by his band mates in CSNY, has been described as the glue that keeps their often fragile alliances together. A mark of this is the loyalty and support Nash showed to his best friend, Crosby, during Crosby's well-documented period of drug addiction ending in the mid 1980s. Nash's solo career has often been shelved in favour of reunions on stage and in the studio with either Crosby and Stills or Crosby, Stills and Young. His own solo work shows a love of melody and ballads. His solo recordings have experimented with jazz and electronic percussion but tend not to stray too far from a pop format with well-defined hook lines.
Nash became very politically active after moving to California to join with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, as reflected such in Nash songs as "Military Madness" and "Chicago (We Can Change the World)". His song "Immigration Man", Crosby and Nash's biggest hit as a duo (see below), arose from a tiff he had with a US Customs official while trying to enter the country. Nash became an American citizen on August 14, 1978.
Starting in 1972, Nash teamed with Crosby, the two continuing as a successful recording and performing duo until the more or less permanent reformation with Stills for the CSN album of 1977. The pair reunited for another Crosby & Nash studio album in 2004, and a legitimate release of music from a 1970s Crosby-Nash tour as on a widely circulated bootleg appeared in 1998.
In 1979, Nash co-founded Musicians United for Safe Energy.
In 2005, Nash collaborated with Norwegian musicians a-ha on the songs "Over the Treetops" (penned by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) and "Cosy Prisons" (penned by Magne Furuholmen) for the Analogue recording.
In 2006, Nash worked with David Gilmour and David Crosby on the title track of David Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island. In March of 2006, the album was released and quickly reached #1 on the UK charts. Nash and Crosby subsequently toured the UK with Gilmour, singing backup on "On an Island", "The Blue", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and "Find the Cost of Freedom".
Nash is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".
Graham Nash has been putting the finishing touches on a 65-song career-retrospective box set, Reflection, due in February 2008.
Nash became an early collector of photographs beginning in the 1970s. The sale of his collection in 1990 by Sotheby's became an important milestone in establishing the market for fine-art photography. Proceeds of the sale funded charitable causes and provide the means for Nash to co-found Nash Editions, a digital fine-arts printmaking firm that used some of the most advanced scanning and printing equipment in early days. The company continues to operate today. Starting with an IRIS printer, a device initially designed for color-proofing for commercial printing, Nash experimented in the late 1980s with creating large-scale digital photos. Using image management software written by Nash and Holbert, a hand-built scanner, and an IRIS Graphics IRIS 3047 printer, they developed methods to adapt the printer's output to the fine-arts printing of black-and-white photographs on archival-paper substrates. In August 2005, Nash and colleague Mac Holbert donated that IRIS 3047 printer to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
Nash has also exhibited a collection of his photographs at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego and elsewhere. In 2004, he released a catalog of his photography as a book entitled Eye to Eye.
Dirty Little Secret
Graham Nash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone set the night on fire
Lost a lot of people as the day begun
Who lit the funeral pyre?
On an elevator in the heart of town
Someone make somebody scream
Black and white, going up and down
Dirty little secret
Headlines printed in the daily news
Awake the sleeping rage inside
Disarm the people, keep ?em all confused
Kill before they turn the tide
Dirty little secrets going round
Whispering from ear to ear
Burning down the very heart of town
Nobody shed a tear
Dirty little secret, dirty little secret
Look up to the sky, your tears fall from the clouds
But Greenwood don't you cry, just shout it right out loud
It?s such a dirty little secret
Getting so much darker every day
It's hard to rise above it all
'Can't we get along?' I heard somebody say
Who's gonna make the call?
'Cause all the walking wounded pay the price
For living in the promised land
Take care of your neighbor would be my advice
'Cause nothing ever goes as planned
It's such a dirty little secret
Dirty little secret, dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Dirty little secret, dirty little secret
Dirty little secret, dirty little secret
The song Dirty Little Secret by Graham Nash is a powerful commentary on the racial violence and injustice that has plagued America for over a century. The song opens with a reference to the Greenwood Massacre of 1921, also known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked Black residents and businesses in the Greenwood District, killing an estimated 300 people and destroying over 35 blocks. The line "Someone set the night on fire" refers to the fact that the white mob set fire to Black-owned businesses and homes during the attack.
The chorus of the song, "Dirty little secret," is a reference to the systemic racism and injustice that has been swept under the rug by those in power. The second verse refers to the tactics used by those in power to maintain their control, including disarming the people and keeping them confused. The line "Kill before they turn the tide" suggests that those in power are willing to resort to violence to maintain their position.
The final verse of the song calls for unity and caring for one's neighbor. The line "nothing ever goes as planned" suggests that even with good intentions, progress will be difficult and setbacks will occur. The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "dirty little secret," driving home the point that the racial violence and injustice in America is not a secret, but rather a well-known reality that has not been adequately addressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Greenwood Oklahoma, June of '21
Refers to the location and time of the race massacre in Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 1, 1921.
Someone set the night on fire
Describes the violence and destruction that occurred during the massacre.
Lost a lot of people as the day begun
Indicates the high number of people killed during the massacre, which started in the early morning hours.
Who lit the funeral pyre?
Asks who was responsible for the massacre, which destroyed many homes, businesses, and lives.
On an elevator in the heart of town
Describes a scene of everyday life that contrasts with the violence and chaos of the massacre.
Someone make somebody scream
Suggests the fear, pain, and terror caused by the violent events in Greenwood, Tulsa.
Black and white, going up and down
Refers to the segregated nature of the society at the time, with black and white people sharing the same physical space but separated by social and cultural norms.
Who's gonna lose a dream?
Asks who will suffer the most from the loss of lives, homes, and dreams caused by the massacre.
Dirty little secret
Summarizes the theme of the song, which deals with the hidden, suppressed, and forgotten history of racial violence and injustice in America.
Headlines printed in the daily news
Refers to the way in which the media covers the events of the day, often sensationalizing or distorting the truth.
Awake the sleeping rage inside
Indicates the powerful emotions and reactions that the news can provoke in people who are upset or outraged by the injustices they see.
Disarm the people, keep ?em all confused
Suggests that the elites, politicians, and authorities want to control the narrative, suppress dissent, and maintain power by dividing and distracting people.
Kill before they turn the tide
Refers to the way in which those in power use violence and intimidation to prevent opposition, rebellion, or revolution from gaining momentum.
Dirty little secrets going round
Refers to the way in which rumors, gossip, and innuendo can be used to spread false, harmful, or stigmatizing information about people or groups.
Whispering from ear to ear
Suggests the clandestine, secretive, and conspiratorial nature of the rumors, gossip, and innuendo that circulate among people who may not trust each other.
Burning down the very heart of town
Indicates the way in which the hidden, suppressed, and forgotten history of racial violence and oppression has damaged and destroyed the social, economic, and cultural fabric of American cities and communities.
Nobody shed a tear
Suggests the way in which the perpetrators, enablers, and beneficiaries of racial violence and oppression often ignore, deny, or justify the harm they cause to others.
Look up to the sky, your tears fall from the clouds
Symbolizes the pain, sorrow, and grief that the victims and their families have experienced as a result of racial violence and oppression, and the way in which these emotions are often repressed or silenced.
But Greenwood don't you cry, just shout it right out loud
Encourages people to remember, acknowledge, and speak out against the hidden, suppressed, and forgotten history of racial violence and oppression that has affected their communities, families, and lives.
Getting so much darker every day
Suggests the way in which the current political, social, and economic climate in America is marked by polarization, division, and conflict, and the future looks uncertain and bleak.
It's hard to rise above it all
Indicates the way in which people may feel helpless, powerless, or overwhelmed in the face of the many challenges, problems, and injustices they face in their lives.
'Can't we get along?' I heard somebody say
Refers to the way in which some people may try to resolve conflicts, bridge differences, or build bridges between different groups, but their efforts may be met with skepticism, resistance, or hostility from others.
Who's gonna make the call?
Asks who will take the lead, make the tough decisions, and act on behalf of the common good, in order to create a more just, equitable, and peaceful society.
'Cause all the walking wounded pay the price
Refers to the way in which the victims of racial violence and oppression, as well as the survivors of trauma, loss, and grief, often bear the burden, the scars, and the consequences of these experiences for the rest of their lives.
For living in the promised land
Suggests the way in which the American dream, the ideal of freedom, opportunity, and equality, is often contradicted, undermined, or denied by the reality of racial violence and oppression that many people face.
Take care of your neighbor would be my advice
Encourages people to practice empathy, compassion, and solidarity with each other, in order to build stronger, more resilient, and more cohesive communities where everyone can thrive.
'Cause nothing ever goes as planned
Indicates the way in which life is unpredictable, uncertain, and full of surprises, and we have to be adaptable, flexible, and creative in order to cope with the challenges, setbacks, and opportunities that arise.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KUNKEL, NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Captain Fantastic
Thanks, Graham, for speaking your voice just as you did over fifty years ago with Crosby, Stills, and Young. A shame, though, that in those fifty-plus years, the same sh*t goes down, minorities are marginalized and slaughtered, and not enough of the right people are held accountable for it. I know you can't totally erase evil, but as long as we point it out and TRY to hold people accountable, that's SOMETHING.
REMEMBER ALL THOSE NAMES.
Brooksenhower Schwartzaburger
Seen CSN do this song live when I was 13. Blew me away. Never forgot this song
Kevin McLogan
100 years ago today. We are still keeping secrets.
beatles646464
I had never heard of the Greenwood massacre until this song's release in 2002. I grew up in OKC and It was never taught in schools. Thank you, Graham.
cindy Hoyt
Excellent song. The vocal hit me as kind of early-Genesis.
IanCompetent77
I can hear that, actually. Good call.
adz693
Best song Nash has written in 20 Years. Shame this was on a small Indie Label (Artemis) Should have been pushed as a single big time. Got great lyrics and a contemporary sound. Try and track down the 5.1 DVD Audio if you have a Home Cinema Set Up. It will scramble your eardrums!
daniel axman
Nash deserves playing - this isn't "Our House", but still has a message that's revealant.
Jai Winding
Please post the player personnel and the producer/engineers