Jesse Welles Sings the News

 

by Pa Rock

Music Appreciator

There was a time several years ago when I would dedicate Mondays in this blog to publishing and discussing selected poems or song lyrics, and I referred to those weekly events as "Poetry Mondays."  I was feeling overwhelmed, and sometimes bored, with trying to come up with something interesting to write about every single day, so dedicating one day a week to talking about someone else's creative work provided a much needed break from the constant pressure to do research and be constantly writing at the keyboard.

But, for the most part, Poetry Mondays were consigned to the dustbin of Ramble history and are only rarely resurrected.  Today marks one of those infrequent occasions - even if it is a Tuesday.

I am not on Facebook, though I do have an account which I never use.   My primary two avenues onto the web are Blogger.com where I post this blog, and Bluesky where I promote the blog.  Occasionally, however, friends will come across something so good on their own social media sites that they share it with their reclusive hillbilly friend.    That happened last week when a good friend of several decades shared a clip that she had come across of Facebook.  The clip featured a song being sung by a young man with a guitar who was singing alone in an outdoor setting.  The song was called "Join ICE."  The singer was not identified in the clip.

It took a bit of research, but I soon learned that the singer was a young man from northwest Arkansas named Jesse Welles, and the song was one of his many personal compositions - songs which often deal with social issues and trending internet topics.   The fellow had shoulder-length brown hair that was badly in need of a severe combing, and looked to be about nineteen.   The internet, however, revealed him to be a thirty-two-year-old man from Ozark, Arkansas, who received a college degree in music theory and has been performing professionally for over a decade.

When Dave Matthews introduced Jesse Welles at "Farm Aid" in 2024, he declared him to be "one of the best songwriters I've ever heard in my life."  In the view of this tired old typist, young Mr Welles sounds a lot like Dylan and his songs resonate as if from the pen of Woody Guthrie.  Young Mr. Welles is all over the internet.  Give him a listen.

Here are the lyrics of his song which he was performing on the clip that my friend sent.  It is called "Join ICE" and deals with recruitment for Trump's new national militia - and the descriptions remind me strongly of the young men who rush to populate America's small town police departments.

"Join ICE"

by Jesse Welles

Well, if you're looking for purpose

In the current circus

If you're seeking respect and attention

If you're in need of a gig

That'll help you feel big

Come with me and put some folks in detention

Just last week was kind of rough

I put a kid in cuffs and zip-tied a woman to a van

We can sneak around town

Hunting working folks down

I hear they get a great benefit plan

Join ICE

Boy, ain't it nice?

Join ICE

Take my advice

If you're lacking control and authority

Come with me and hunt down minorities

Join ICE

Well, I failed the academy

The cops they weren't having me

The army didn't sound fun

So, I found me a paramilitary operation

That was keen to hand me a gun

See:  I got picked on at school

I never felt that cool

There's a hole in my soul that just rages

All the women turned me down

They told me I was a clown

Well won't ou look at me now

I'm putting folks in cages at ICE

They got great hours

Join ICE

For respect and power

They got a sign-on bonus of 50 grand

They're in need of you needing to feel like a man

Join ICE

Join ICE

Find it on the internet.  You have to hear Jesse Welles singing his own work to truly appreciate the talent that this young folksinger and songwriter possesses.  Some of his other works include: Cancer, Whistle Boeing, United Health Care, Walmart, The Olympics, Blood on the Bleachers, Coedine, Boot Straps, Fentanyl, and  . . . well, you get the idea.

Jesse Welles is an exciting new voice - well worth checking out!