Hailing from the isle of O’ahu, Makana—whose name means “a gift given freely”—began singing when he was 7 years old, took up ‘ukulele at 9 and began learning the ancient art of slack key at 11. By 14, he was already performing professionally, and before long playing four nights a week. His reputation as the youngest master of slack key spread like molten volcanic lava throughout the islands. With each successive year, more and more music fans—both on and outside of the islands—are experiencing the Makana phenomenon. In addition to his own headlining tours, Makana has opened shows for the likes of Sting, Santana, Elvis Costello, Paul Rodgers, Chris Isaak, No Doubt, Jason Mraz, and Jack Johnson, and in 2008 he won 2nd runner-up in Guitar Player Magazine’s National "Guitar Superstar" Competition.
We Are The Many
Makana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The time has come for us to voice our rage
Against the ones who’ve trapped us in a cage
To steal from us the value of our wage
From underneath the vestiture of law
The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw
At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw
We’ll occupy the streets
We’ll occupy the courts
We’ll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few
Our nation was built upon the right
Of every person to improve their plight
But laws of this Republic they rewrite
And now a few own everything in sight
They own it free of liability
They own, but they are not like you and me
Their influence dictates legality
And until they are stopped we are not free
We’ll occupy the streets
We’ll occupy the courts
We’ll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few
You enforce your monopolies with guns
While sacrificing our daughters and sons
But certain things belong to everyone
Your thievery has left the people none
So take heed of our notice to redress
We have little to lose, we must confess
Your empty words do leave us unimpressed
A growing number join us in protest
We occupy the streets
We occupy the courts
We occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few
You can’t divide us into sides
And from our gaze, you cannot hide
Denial serves to amplify
And our allegiance you can’t buy
Our government is not for sale
The banks do not deserve a bail
We will not reward those who fail
We will not move till we prevail
We’ll occupy the streets
We’ll occupy the courts
We’ll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few
We’ll occupy the streets
We’ll occupy the courts
We’ll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few
We are the many
You are the few
Makana’s “We Are The Many” is a powerful protest song advocating for political change. The song’s lyrics discuss the frustration and anger felt by many people who believe that a few powerful individuals have controlled their country for too long. The song opens with a call to action, urging people to come together and voice their collective outrage against those who have trapped them in a metaphorical cage and stolen the value of their wages. The lyrics suggest that those in power are not acting in the best interests of the many people; instead, they serve only their own interests and the interests of a select few.
The chorus of “We Are The Many” serves as an anthem for those protesting, promising to occupy the streets, courts, and offices until the powers that be start listening to the voices of the people. These lines suggest that the only way that change will come is if people actively protest and take over the places where those in power are making decisions. The song advocates for the idea that the government must be for the many, not just the few, and that everyone should be able to have equal access to achieving the American dream. Makana’s powerful lyrics highlight the growing anger and frustration among many Americans who believe that their country has been taken over by corporate interests and political elites.
Line by Line Meaning
Ye come here, gather ’round the stage
Gather with us and listen closely
The time has come for us to voice our rage
Now is the time for us to express our anger
Against the ones who’ve trapped us in a cage
We are protesting those who have confined us
To steal from us the value of our wage
Taking away the fair payment for our labor
From underneath the vestiture of law
The law can be manipulated for selfish purposes
The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw
Influence peddlers eat away at our freedoms
At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw
The bureaucrats laugh at our lack of liberty
And until they are purged, we won’t withdraw
We will keep protesting until they are removed
We’ll occupy the streets
Protest on the streets
We’ll occupy the courts
Protest in the courts
We’ll occupy the offices of you
Protest in the offices of our oppressors
Till you do
Until our demands are met
The bidding of the many, not the few
Agree to the will of the majority
Our nation was built upon the right
The USA was founded on the principle
Of every person to improve their plight
That every individual can improve their situation
But laws of this Republic they rewrite
But the laws are being changed to benefit the elite
And now a few own everything in sight
A small group owns and controls everything
They own it free of liability
They own it without being held accountable
They own, but they are not like you and me
The elite does not share the same experiences as us
Their influence dictates legality
Their power determines what is considered legal
And until they are stopped we are not free
We cannot be truly free until their power is removed
You enforce your monopolies with guns
You use force to maintain your monopoly
While sacrificing our daughters and sons
At the cost of our children's lives
But certain things belong to everyone
There are fundamental rights that all should have
Your thievery has left the people none
Your actions have left us with nothing
So take heed of our notice to redress
Listen to our call for action
We have little to lose, we must confess
We are willing to risk everything
Your empty words do leave us unimpressed
Your promises of change are not enough
A growing number join us in protest
Our movement is gaining more supporters
You can’t divide us into sides
You cannot separate us into opposing groups
And from our gaze, you cannot hide
You cannot escape our attention and scrutiny
Denial serves to amplify
Denying our concerns only makes them stronger
And our allegiance you can’t buy
Our loyalty cannot be bought
Our government is not for sale
Our government should not be influenced by money
The banks do not deserve a bail
Banks should not be rewarded for their failures
We will not reward those who fail
We refuse to give special treatment to those who do not deserve it
We will not move till we prevail
We will not stop until we succeed
We are the many
We are the majority
You are the few
You are the minority
Contributed by Brooklyn L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rogb rogb
I think our best chance is to make a TRULY democratic revolution in this country.
That means we also democratize control of the economy. (That means socialism-
Don't panic! Einstein was a socialist. Helen Keller, George Bernard Shaw, George
Orwell, Martin Luther King...)
While most Americans are not socialists (yet !), we may be at a point now (after the
"Democrats" got snubbed by working class people in the 2014 elections) where the
Green Party (They REFUSE corporate money!) could win win more support than the
2 corporate parties. Gathered in the Green Party, we can hash out philosophies, tactics, and strategies without the control of the corporations. (Watch out for their agents-provocateurs and co-opters!)
It isn't just a problem of a relatively few .001% disgusting, vicious sociopaths. It is the
dynamics of the capitalist system- that advances those who are without conscience,
and turns scruples into millstone around the neck. Institutionalized greed and violence could be the definition of capitalism.
The system has to go. As non-violently as possible, but it HAS to go! Or we head
into more poverty, repression to the point of fascism, and even extinction, because
after all, under capitalism, even our biosphere is less important than corporate profit.
I'll look for that book. (What is the GFC?) I talk about a GCE- Global Corporate Empire.
Thanks! They sure are psychopaths! Nice to see people like Makana!
Makana Music
We are looking forward to some alternate genre interpretations of these lyrics and melody. This style was crafted as an homage to the history of public protest from Woodie Guthrie, Dylan and all the great folk singers. Creativity should have no bounds...
Abi Foster Music
can you post the chords please?
Donald Turner
this beautiful piece of audio art, remains more relevant with each day that passes <3
Courtney Train
Whenever I feel like giving up, I listen to this. Thank you.
Amy Craig
I hate that I am just now becoming aware of you- but I love your music! And the way you use it as a platform to discuss important issues. <3
Rick V
Time for a revolution!
TheTrueRae Smile
A STANDING OVATION!!! YES!!! Absolutely YES!
Thank you so much for sharing this with me!! I share this forward with a huge smile on my face. GLADLY!
BRAVO!!
Troy Turton
This song was actually written during OWS ( Occupy ) But a new song of his, called Fire is Ours, is written specifically for Bernie :) - Look for it on here!
SuzRa1
Thank you. 2020 Berner
blissfulbaboon
Thank you Makana.Love your brave,true ,inspiring music.