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Billy Bragg<\/a>, the British folk-rock singer and lifelong figure in protest music, has shared a new song for Palestine. The release coincides with the launch of the Global Sumud Flotilla<\/a>, which set sail yesterday (August 31) to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Written and performed by Bragg, with additional keyboards and backing vocals by JJ Stoney, \u201cHundred Year Hunger\u201d takes its title from the book of the same name by E Mark Windle. Give it a listen below.<\/p>\n Bragg explained the song\u2019s backstory on Instagram<\/a>, writing, \u201c\u2018Hundred Year Hunger\u2019 looks at the current famine that Israel has created in Gaza through the lens of a century of enforced food insecurity and malnutrition imposed on the Palestinian people, firstly by British imperialism, then as a weapon of mass displacement by the state of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSumud is an Arabic word which translates into English as steadfastness or perseverance,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt is used by Palestinians to describe their nonviolent everyday resistance against Israel\u2019s occupation. Sumud emphasises the commitment of the Palestinian people to remain on their land despite hardship and oppression, elevating their everyday existence into a form of resistance. Lan narhal translates as \u2018we will not leave\u2019. Together \u2018Sumud! Sumud! Lan narhal\u2019 conveys the determination of the Palestinian people to refuse to be displaced.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been four years since Bragg last released a full-length album, 2021\u2019s The Million Things That Never Happened<\/em><\/a>. He did team up with R.E.M.\u2019s Michael Stipe for a collaborative cover of Eric Bogle\u2019s \u201cMy Youngest Son Came Home Today\u201d in 2023, though. Bragg originally covered that track for his 1990 album The Internationale<\/em>, slightly modifying the 1982 war protest song, which was inspired by the Troubles.<\/p>\n Read \u201cCease-Fire Now: 16 Benefit Compilations for Palestine<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n