Song #1: "Keep Ya Head Up" By Tupac Shakur

"It seems tha rain'll never let up

I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up

You know it's funny when it rains it pours

They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor

Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is

it ain't no hope for the future

And then they wonder why we crazy...

We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup

And even though you're fed up

Huh, ya got to keep your head up"

-"Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac

This song portrays Thoreau’s precepts of free thought, society’s effect on the individual, and standing up to a ruling force. Tupac stressed the importance of trying to express your issues with the government by critiquing it from the inside and from the outside by peaceful protest. A famous quote from Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience is “I could not help being struck with the foolishness of that institution which treated me as if I were mere flesh and blood and bones, to be locked up.” Thoreau and Tupac have both gone to jail for expressing their complaints with regard to the government. They were not agitated with the government for locking them up. However, they were upset that the government has continued to corrupt society with unjust laws. “I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”  This quote from Walden explains that Thoreau is not impressed with the material belongings of the wealthy and would prefer to live a more simplistic lifestyle away from the mainstream issues of society. Tupac understood the issues with today’s society and wrote about them in his song “Keep Ya Head Up.” Tupac truly believed that standing up for one’s beliefs is quintessential to one's true freedom. Transcendentalism is found throughout this song as Tupac referred to the corruption in our government.  He believed that the youth of this country's future is doomed because our government does not provide the support to the nation’s impoverished. He indicated that the nation’s poor would be saved from a life of crime only if changes are made in the government. Additionally, he encouraged impoverished people to fight back against the corruption and stand up for what they believe is right. One of the primary reasons Shakur was disliked amongst government officials was because he often discussed the flaws in the government policies. Tupac was criticized by the government for sending negative messages to the youth. “They got money for wars but can't feed the poor
. Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is 
It ain't no hope for the future
. And then they wonder why we crazy…. We ain't meant to survive cause it's a setup. And even though you're fed up
 Huh, ya got to keep your head up” This message from this song is that even though society does not function the way it should, it is our goal to rise above the frustrations that we have with this country. We need to hold our heads up high, and try and make the most of our lives. The idea of this song is transcendental in nature.