Connection Information

To perform the requested action, WordPress needs to access your web server. Please enter your FTP credentials to proceed. If you do not remember your credentials, you should contact your web host.

Connection Type

Top 15 Burmese Human Rights Songs – Global Human Rights Direct
skip to Main Content

Top 15 Burmese Human Rights Songs

Burma/Myanmar 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is home to diverse ethnic groups and abundant natural resources in Southeast Asia. The country gained independence in 1948. Despite the national anthem’s assurance of basic human rights for its citizens, Myanmar has endured the world’s longest civil war and frequent military coups, with the most recent occurring in 2021. Music has emerged as a powerful voice for the people, calling for democracy, peace, and public participation in revolutions. As a result, songs advocating for human rights have proliferated. 

Link to Spotify playlist- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1DqWH4WL1UsrdFvYkdj1Lz?si=o9vfGHViT5yqlIgII2jSGA

   1.“Thway Thitsar”(Blood Oath)

            a. Theme: anti-military rule and pro-democracy marches
            b.The well-respected singer-songwriter Htoo Eain Thin wrote the song while in hiding 
              after the 1988 uprising. It was subsequently recorded in a studio in Bangkok. Since
              then,it has been used in public street protests.
            cLyrics:
              “It’s a crucial time, brothers,
              Let’s unite and march together.
              We wrote our new history with our blood,
              Here we keep blood oath.”
              “We give our lives for the nation,
              We will march together with the peacock’s blood,
              For our freedom and peace,
              We must fight the last battle.”
         d. ‘Thway Thit Sar’ ‘သွေးသစ္စာ’ (Orchestra Version) 

 2.     “Kabar Makyay Bu” (Till the End of the World)

a. Theme: Democracy heroes
b. The melody of the 1977 hit song “Dust in the Wind” by the American rock band 

Kansas served as inspiration for the song “Till the End of the World.” The composer
          Naing Myanmar wrote this piece to honor the unsung heroes who lost their lives in 
          pro-democracy movements.

c.  Lyrics:
   “We will not forget the history written by our blood
                Till the end of the world.
                Oh our fallen heroes, you gave your lives for the revolution.
                This is the country of the martyrs and brave people.”
           d. ကမ္ဘာမကြေဘူး (with English lyrics) 

3.   “Khun Arr Phyae Meenge”(Don’t Give Up, Little One)- Khin Maung Toe

          aTheme: Resilience
          b.   Composed by Ko Ne Win, this uplifting song is a popular anthem at rallies, inspiring
              participants to motivate one another and remind the public to stay resilient. It has
              been reported that political prisoners also offered encouragement to one another by 
              singing it while incarcerated.
          c.   Lyrics:
   “After passing through the night after the sunset,
              The new day will come with the sunrise.
              If we endeavor with commitment,
              we will succeed and escape one day.
              As the road of ‘samsara’  is not smooth,
              Please keep your spirit alive to face hardship, Meenge.”

       d .   ခွန်အားဖြည့်မိငယ် ~ ခင်မောင်တိုး (Lyrics Video) [ Khin Maung Toe – Kun Arr Phyae Mi Nge ] 

4.    “ Arnarshin Sanit Asone That Ya Myee” (The Dictatorship Must Come to an End)

a.  Theme: anti-dictatorship
b.  Just a few days after the military coup on February 1, 2021, this new revolution song
    was created by Generation Z MM. It calls for national unity in the face of   
              power-hungry dictators.
          c.   Lyrics:
  “Our bones and blood are to defeat the dictator.
              We can’t be tied up by fear.
              We are ready for the revolution.
              They are power-crazy people.
              We all have to stand up to end the dictatorship.
              We must end the dictatorship.

         d.    Revolution အာဏာရှင်စနစ်အဆုံးသတ်ရမည် (အာဏာရူး)

 5.   “  Alo Mashi” (We don’t Want it)

a.  Theme: Freedom of Expression
b.  This lively song became a sensation among Myanmar’s youth during the early days
              of the Spring Revolution in 2021. It encourages the public to express their opposition
              to the military junta by banging pots and pans, symbolizing the expulsion of evil.
c.    Lyrics:
    “Let’s drive away the junta.
                We don’t want it!
                We don’t want it!
                Let’s reject the dictatorship.
                We don’t want it!
                We don’t want it!
                Let’s bang pots and pans together
              To show our brave hearts for truth.
              Let’s express our desire
              We’ll stand for truth forever”
        d.    အလိုမရှိ – ALo Mashi Music Video 

6.    “ We are the World”covered by Chinlung Chuak Artists

a.  Theme: Highlights on human rights violations and atrocities, call for unity
b.   “‘We Are the World,’ composed by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, was covered
                  by Chin ethnic artists, gaining international recognition during the Spring
                  Revolution. In addition to the original lyrics, these vocalists incorporated their own
                  verses, highlighting human rights violations and atrocities committed by the military
                  junta in Myanmar.”
c.    Lyrics:
                “Help! Help!
                Calling for help to the world
                Hope! Hope!
                Hoping for their voice to be heard”
          d.    We Are The World | Cover By CHINLUNG CHUAK ARTIST

 7.     “Dictators must Die”

a.   Theme: Rap against Junta
b.     This song was created by Floke Rose and Cori Rey from Myanmar, in collaboration
                with artists from Indonesia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Hong Kong. This
                movement united artists from around the world to spread an important message,
              significantly contributing to social change.
c.    Lyrics:
    ““Myanmar people struggle to survive in hell,
                Day by day, comrades fall, can’t you see?
                Junta forces unleash their fire at home,
                Morning and night, we’re never alone.
                No one dreams of this waking nightmare.”
d.  Rap Against Junta – Dictators Must Die [Official Music Video] 

8.        “  Naut Sone Pwe” (End Game)

    a.  Theme: Revolution
    b.  This became a rallying cry among the youth during the 2021 revolution. It
                    emphasizes that the Spring Revolution must be the final step in overthrowing the
                    military dictatorship, ensuring that the people endure such suffering for the last
                    Time.
  c.    Lyrics:
        “The end game!
          This is the end game!
          We, the public, must win!
          The truth must win!
              We must uproot the military dictatorship!”
d..  END GAME ( Yair Yint Aung, NAY, Adjustor, Yung Hugo, GRACEe, D-Vision, EilliE ) 

9.   “  Kyal (Star)”

a.     Theme: Fight for democracy
b.     This song, crafted by a group of young artists, pays tribute to the fallen heroes who
                sacrificed their lives in the struggle for democracy. It also challenges those who
                ignore the country’s plight, asking if they can truly have a clear conscience about it.
c.    Lyrics:
    “Some can never return home
      Some can never be reunited
      Some are lost in the dark
      On the day of victory
      With the light of dawn
      Are you sure you will have a clear conscience?”
d.   Kyal (Lyrics Video) – Various Artists 

10.  “  Yaung Ni (Dawn)”

a.    Theme: Hope

b.    Lynn Lynn, a celebrated artist in exile, conveys a message of hope in this song,
                asserting that there is always a glimmer of brightness at the end of the darkest night.
c.     Lyrics:
        “Towards the dawn
                    Towards the mornings with light
                    We are heading
                    Towards the world without dark”
d.   လင်းလင်း – ရောင်နီ (Lynn Lynn Authentic Live Concert Ver.)

`11.   “Thuma (Her)”- Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein

    a.   Theme: Political prisoner
    b.   One of the artists in exile composed and performed this song in honor of Daw
        Aung San Suu Kyi, a political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and symbol of
      democracy in Myanmar. It was released on her 79th birthday, which is celebrated
      on June 19th.
  c.     Lyrics:
        “They are cruel
        And they’ve done such a thing
        She never says these words
        She just gives a smile behind the bars
        You must be united
        And strong-minded
        You must go on without me
        Don’t take me into consideration
      She says these words from the prison.”
  d.   ဖြူဖြူကျော်သိန်း – သူမ ~ Her (Official Music Video)

 12. “ Ma Lo Chin Bu Sit” (I don’t want war at all)- Ni Ni Khin Zaw

  a.     Theme: Anti-war
  b.    Due to the ongoing local conflicts, towns were engulfed in flames and increasing
                  numbers of people were displaced across Myanmar. Wai La and Ko Htet composed
                this song  with heartfelt wishes for peace, not war.
c.     Lyrics:
          “War, I don’t want you at all
                The terrible days you have left behind
                And the dark nights without my dears near me
                I go on with all the might though.
                War, I don’t want to see you at all
              The towns on fire
              And the lifeless homes
            Who will stop the hatred?
            I just wish for peace!”
            d.    မလိုချင်ဘူးစစ် – နီနီခင်​ဇော်| Ma Lo Chin Bu Sit – Ni Ni Khin Zaw (Official Music Video) 

13.   “Lu Nyi Mya Chin Lu” (Human = Human)- Saw Pho Kwar

     a.    Anti-racism
  b.   Saw Pho Kwar, one of the few reggae artists in Myanmar, performed this song to
                  express that all human beings are equal, regardless of their race. He also conveys  
                  his heartfelt wishes for peace and joy to children and the world.
          c.   Lyrics:
      “Hey! Don’t say what groups you belong to:
      Chinese, Indian, Karen, Bhama, Rakhine, Kachin or whatever!
        We all are human!
      Humans are equal to humans!”
d.   လူညီမျှခြင်းလူ – စောဖိုးခွား (Reggae) 

14   “ Lu Go Lu Lo Myin Pay Par”(Freedom)- Kaung Sitt Min (composed by Water)

  a.    LGBTQI+, Anti-discrimination
  b.  The song portrays the social, employment, and attitudinal discrimination faced by
                the LGBTQI+ community in Myanmar. It also advocates for equality, urging society
                to recognize them simply as fellow human beings.
c.   Lyrics:
    “In our lives with restrictions
      We long for freedom
      Oh freedom!
      Come to us quickly!
    See us just as fellow human
    May these sufferings end with us!
      No more discrimination among humans!”
d.  Freedom – Kaung Sitt Min (Official Music Video) 

15.  “Kabarmyay Atwet Thachin” (Song for the World)

 a.      Theme: Diversity
b.    This group song explores a variety of individuals and their diverse attitudes. It also
                acknowledges that, despite these differences, everyone shares a common
                humanity.
  c.    Lyrics:
              “Some try their best for themselves
              Some focus on the common good
              Some still feel inferior
              No matter what, they all are human!
            Some prioritize their ego
          Some value sharing
        Some ignore right and wrong
        No matter what, they all are human!”

 d.    ကမ္ဘာမြေအတွက်သီချင်း – ဘိုဖြူ၊ ဟန်ထွန်း၊ အယ်နောင်း၊ ကိုအောင်၊ လှိုင်ဦးမော်၊ အစိုင်း၊ သအို၊ ပူစူး

Reference:

Anthems of Social Change

In Myanmar, Music is the Voice of Protest

From classical musicians to breakdancers: Myanmar youth sound off against military coup

Link to Spotify playlist- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWPYBumMCdQzzGYMFdGUz?si=xIoidr1sQOie8rwApJIfUA

Top 15 Burmese Human Rights Songs

William Paul Simmons

Professor, Gender and Women's Studies; Director, Human Rights Practice Program (University of Arizona)

Back To Top