Music
Working People Gonna Rise —
Human Condition with Bev Grant
The Human Condition was founded in 1972 by Bev Grant (vocals and guitar) and Jerry Mitnick. It began on Garfield Place, where Gene Hicks (keyboards, fiddle and background vocals), Jerry Mitnick (electric bass and vocals) and Mario Giacalone (guitar and vocals) were living, in Park Slope Brooklyn. The band spent many years playing in support of the anti-war, anti-imperialist, social justice movement, performing songs reflecting a strong feminist and class consciousness provided by the songwriting of Bev Grant as well as other members in the band. The band played numerous benefits for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), toured college campuses in the Northeast, played at demonstrations and performed at the End of the War concert in Central Park. They recorded "The Working People Gonna Rise" in 1975 on the Paredon label and one of their songs, "Inez," written by Bev Grant was included in the recently released, Emmy nominated, "Best of Broadside" CD collection produced by Smithsonian Folkways Recording.
Song list — Working People Gonna Rise
- Things Ain't What They Used To Be — Mario Giacalone
- Janie’s Janie — Beverly Grant and Laura Liben
- Charlie’s Song — Beverly Grant
- Chain Reaction — Beverly Grant
- Feel Good — Beverly Grant
- Father — Karen and Jerry Mitnick
- Mama, I Remember — Beverly Grant
- Uncle Sam — Beverly Grant and Gene Hicks
- Clifford Glover — Beverly Grant
- Working People Gonna Rise — Mario Giacalone
- Hard Times — Bev Grant
- Gots to Pay the Cost — Bev Grant
- Default — Bev Grant and Jerry Mitnick
- Together We Can Move Mountains — Bev Grant
Listen online - Together We Can Move Mountains
Lyrics - Together We Can Move Mountains
by Bev Grant
Together we can move mountains
Alone we can’t move at all (2X)
People, sometimes we despair
When we think we’re alone and nothin’s gonna change
We get stepped on, abused, ignored and confused
Made to suffer and told we’re to blame, but together...
The ones who get rich while we scrape to get by
Know our unity means their defeat
So they set us against one another, sister and brother, color 'gainst color
Keeping us weak. They’re keeping us weak, but together...
From the smallest seed a mighty tree can grow
With its roots planted firmly in the ground
Reach for the sun. Only then will we know
All the love and the beauty and the life to be found, because together...