14 Songs About The Refugee Experience To Listen To This World Refugee Day

 

To commemorate World Refugee Day, we compiled 14 songs from around the world that capture the unique experiences of refugees and migrants. Whether it’s about making the decision to leave home, the journey across a sea, or the strangeness of settling in a new country, these songs capture the emotions of normal humans faced with abnormal circumstances.

To listen to these songs as a playlist, head over to our Youtube channel.

 

Songs About Leaving Home

1. A Safe Place To Land - Sara Bareilles & John Legend

Songwriting genius Sara Bareilles takes us on the perilous journey that many refugee families embark on in search of safety. Together with John Legend, the duo deliver a masterpiece that captures the desperation of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Despite the desolate imagery - "The ocean is wild and the boat beneath you is sinking"- the song expresses hope that someone on the other side will reach out and "show you a safe place to land".

 

2. Running (Refugee Song) - Gregory Porter, Common & Keyon Harrold

 
 

"Can you see strength in my eyes?" Grammy winner Gregory Porter asks on behalf of a young refugee who stares into the camera at the start of the song's music video. Written to raise funds for organizations helping refugees, this jazz-rap collaboration features jazz singer Gregory Porter, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and Oscar-winning hip-hop artist Common. The lyrics remind us that refugees don't just need protection but also opportunities to pursue their dreams.

 

3. The Land That I Love - Scott Ainslee

 
 

Surprise! The beloved land referenced in this song is not America but Mexico. With accordions adding a Mexican flair to this tune, American country singer-songwriter Scott Ainslee reflects on the push and pull factors that force migrants to leave their beloved homes and families.

 

4. Alien - Coldplay

 
 

Aliens may seem like an unexpected song topic of choice for alternative rock band Coldplay, but this song tells a surprisingly tender story. Chris Martin explores the plight of both sci-fi and human aliens who “just want to get home again”. (Fun fact: Alien is the legal term for any non-citizen living in the U.S.) The lyric video shows an animated alien family fleeing their home planet and wandering the galaxy in search of refuge.

 

5. Follow me by Moxie Raia and Wyclef Jean

 
 

Produced to mark World Refugee Day 2016, "Follow me" tells the story of someone deciding to leave home - “Mama says there’s a war outside / Only the strong will survive”. The music video features interviews with actual refugees of all ages, projected onto a wall behind Moxie Jaia and Wyclef Jean. The song never achieved huge popularity, but who knows? Maybe it will make a comeback.

 

Songs About The Journey

6. To Be Free - Passengers

 
 

Passengers frontman Michael Rosenberg tells the autobiographical story of his grandparents and father who left Germany as a result of the Holocaust. In this music video, the English coast provides the perfect backdrop for a story of multi-generational voyages across three continents. Unlike most songs on this list, this song draws inspiration from the migration of post-WWII refugees and migrants out of Europe.

 

7. Many Rivers To Cross - Jimmy Cliff

 
 

No, Jimmy Cliff wasn't a refugee. He was an immigrant from Jamaica who moved to the UK in search of better opportunities. However his struggle to find success in the UK is reminiscent of many refugees who struggle to rebuild a new life in a place where their skills and qualifications are not recognized.

In an interview, Jimmy Cliff once explained the meaning behind the line Wandering I am lost, as I travel along the White Cliffs of Dover - “That came from the number of times I crossed the channel to the continent. Most of the time it was France but sometimes it was Germany. It was a very frustrating time. I came to England with very big hopes and I saw my hopes fading. And that song came out of that experience."

 

8. Émigré by Alela Diane

 
 

This haunting song, written and performed by virtuoso guitarist Alela Diane tells the dangerous boat journey of many refugees across the Mediterranean through the eyes and ears of a mother. Here, seabirds are the symbol of freedom, crossing freely over the sea - "Can we go, as they go, across the borderline?" Alela's vocals and guitar effects recreate the chaos and tragedy of too many journeys that never reached their destination. 

 

9. 1x1 - Cold War Kids

 
 

This duet by Nathan Willett and The Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz is an anthem-like number inspired by the stories of child migrants separated from their families at the U.S. Mexico border. Its lyrics describe the experiences of migrants caught in legal limbo - “Counting my mistakes / one by one / you make me wait” and the rejection encountered after they have “walked a thousand miles to this promised land”.

 

10. Poor Wayfaring Stranger - American Folk Song 

 
 

It is pretty mind-bending to think that traveling across the United States in the early 1800s was a lot like international travel! Each state had its own laws, so much so that runaway slaves would cross state borders just to find freedom. This folk song, first known to be popular during the Civil War, has been covered by countless artistes including Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, and yes, Ed Sheeran. It has been sung by many a traveller drifting through life, searching for a home that is always beyond reach.

 

Songs About Life In A Foreign Land

11. Vayan Al Norte by Eliza Gilkyson

 
 

Folk music icon Eliza Gilkyson weaves Spanish and English lyrics together into a bilingual song that depicts the difficult life of migrants. The gentle rocking strums of the guitar may lull you into thinking you’re hearing a lullaby, but the lyrics are sharp and pull no punches. 

We never ask for a handout
Or more than our fair share of pay
Downtown you all know where we stand
Out looking for work by the day
You don't ask why our farms were abandoned
Or of our choice between vida y muerte
Or why we would take such a gamble
Por las esperanzas del Norte

 

12. Uphill (American Dream) by Chuck Cheesman

 
 

It's sometimes easy to forget that so much of our life is determined by our nationality and where we are born. Country artiste Chuck Cheesman tackles these issues and more in his song about an 20-year-old undocumented man living in Chicago who sends money, rolled up in paintings, to his family. It's a reminder that while some of us are born near the top, there are others for whom life is a never-ending uphill climb.

 

Songs By Refugee Musicians

Surely this list would be incomplete without the voices of actual refugee musicians who have lived through these experiences themselves. Here are some folks who have channeled their painful experiences into art, and are still making music!

13. Bombs Turn Into Roses by Maya Youssef

 
 

Maya Youssef began writing music after she fled Syria as a result of the Syrian Civil War. Since then she has traveled the world sharing her music, which she performs on the qanun, a traditonal Middle Eastern instrument. In this instrumental piece, the rhythmic riffs of the qanun echo the internal chaos of a nation breaking apart and the healing peace that is yet to come.

 

14. Coming to America - K’naan

Warning: This music video contains expletives

 
 

Rapper K'naan fled his native Somalia as a child and was resettled with his family in the U.S. This single is at once serious and light-hearted - he references the violence of his home city Mogadishu and pokes fun at the lengths people will go to for a green card. However, arriving in America doesn't mean an instant end to poverty and insecurity. The U.S. has its own problems too, as K'naan points out - "Even the hoods need a ticket out".

To every person who is still finding their way “home”, our hearts are with you. We will never stop working towards a better world where every displaced person finds a “safe place to land”.

 

We hope these songs took you on a journey!

Are there any other songs that you think should be on this list? Tell us in the comments below!

 
 

Eunice Wong is Misión de Caridad’s blog manager and content developer. Her love for refugee stories comes from years she spent working for UNHCR, Christian Aid UK, & PichaEats. When not writing, she can usually be found singing or enjoying a cup of dark roast coffee.

 
Jean SicurellaMusic, Migration, Refugee Stories4 Comments