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1. |
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We want a safer country
And it’s in God we trust
So we’ll bomb you during Ramadan
Turn your world into dust
But pull up on your bootstraps
And stand on your own two feet
While we blow them off with cluster bombs
Disguised as something to eat
We stand for freedom
And prosperity
So we’ll bomb your schools and hospitals
And make sure you live in misery
All you evildoers
And your children and your wives
With our B-52’s we’ll show you
How we value civilian lives
Give us your hungry, your restless
We’ll show you democracy
A military trial
Or detention indefinitely
We’ll have homeland security
Thomas Ridge all hail
We may not find the terrorists
But we can throw the left in jail
And we will all be safe
And we shall have no fears
Once our retinas have been scanned
And all the walls have ears
And we’re all in good hands
When the FBI is in the know
We’re sure they’ll look after us
Just like they did with COINTELPRO
So hang a flag in the window
And all hail to the chief
Follow the leader
And suspend your disbelief
Our country right or wrong
You know what to do
Sing God bless America
Oh that red, white and blue
When facing anyone with boxcutters
We’ll say put up your dukes
As we spend fifty billion
On bombers and nukes
We’re a beacon of light
And just to make the point
We’ll cut taxes on the rich
And throw the poor into the joint
Yes we’ll bail out the airlines
Put on your green fedoras
And for all the laid-off workers
We’ve got maquiladoras
Yes capitalism will save us
For have you ever seen a
More convincing proof
Than Enron and Argentina
Chorus
The Axis of Evil
We’ll bomb ’em down the skids
There’ll be no more terrorists
Once we kill their kids
People may starve
And economies may crumble
But those folks’ll just
Have to learn to be more humble
And give us your money
Debt repayments with aplomb
While we scour the map
For some targets left to bomb
And as another city falls
Upon our sacred American soil
At least we got our Daisy Cutters
And that Alaskan oil
Chorus
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2. |
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We’ve got a situation and it calls for a solution
That upholds our domination of the planet
We’re gonna make our case and we’re gonna make it well
But if you don’t like our logic you can can it
We’ll use impeccable intelligence from any country in the world
As long as we all see eye to eye
And if we don’t find quite what we need we know what to do
Just look into the camera and lie
‘Cause it’s Operation Iraqi Liberation
Tell me, what does that spell
Operation Iraqi Liberation
O – I – L
And we’ll lie about the missiles and the nuclear research
We’ll lie about uranium
We’ll build military bases and smile for reporters
As we give away bubble gum
And we’ll lie about bin Laden and his connections with the Saudis
And we’ll lie about 9-1-1
And we’ll lie about the Baathists and their connections to Al Qaeda
Because we know there’s none
Chorus
And we’ll lie about the North Koreans and we’ll lie about Iran
And don’t mention Israel
Keep those nuclear weapons out of this song
And it will all hold together swell
And now we’ll liberate these people, we’ll liberate their money
We’ll liberate their soil
We’ll liberate their airports, we’ll liberate their harbors
And we’ll liberate their oil
Chorus
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3. |
The Face of Victory
03:55
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I lost my job and joined the army
To get an education
And I most surely did
Wanted to have some kinda steady job
Lead a decent life
Support me and my wife and kid
First I was based in Texas
Then it was off to Germany
Then they sent us to Iraq
So many ruined buildings
So many burned up bodies
Twisted railroad track
We were sent off to Falluja
Told to keep the peace
Amidst such hunger and despair
I was just nineteen
I didn’t have a clue
What we were doing there
Now they say the war is over
And I’m back at home
Here in the land of the free
And you’re looking at the face of victory
Patrolling thru Falluja
Driving on the rubble
Shattered pavement and shattered glass
They sent us on the search for weapons
We looked in every basement
Never found a single barrel of gas
And when we saw the cities looted
While we watched the oil pipelines
It all began to seem so clear
We were fighting for Exxon
And dying for Chevron
That’s what we were doing here
They told us we’d be welcomed
As troops of liberation
And once again they lied
We got shot at every day
Everywhere we went
A bunch of my buddies died
A rocket launcher hit my tank
Started up a fire
Blew my legs right off of me
And now you’re looking at the face of victory
They sent me back to Michigan
Put some plastic on my stumps
Sent me on my way
And now I roll on down the city streets
Looking at the people
While they turn their eyes away
Down at the Burren
They were talking about the government
And how it’s all a ruse
And I get a little madder
Every time I see the president
Smirking on the evening news
And I think of how they duped me
And so many more good people
And I think of the price we paid
The rich keep getting richer
And the bastards are already scheming
About the next nation they want us to invade
And I just keep on thinking
About this situation
I think of Oklahoma City
Yeah, you’re looking at the face of victory
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4. |
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Standing here on a highway
Turned into a lake
Born on this planet
That I didn’t make
The ice caps are melting
You can measure the rise
Of the poisoned oceans
Hear all the lies
Of the political pundits
And corporate crooks
Their accountants and scientists
Cooking the books
With hardly an inkling
Of what it’s about
Wedded to profit
In flood and in drought
I’m talking to you from here at the end of the world
Standing here on the bayou
Amidst mountains of soil
Washed off from the farmland
And covered in oil
One ton every acre
Lost every year
And along with the pesticides
It ends up right here
Millions of miles
Of chemical wheat
Challenging all
To try to compete
And lay waste to your country
Like we’ve done to ours
Let them eat coffee
Sugar, coca and flowers
I’m talking to you from here at the end of the world
And here in the city
Shrouded in smoke
Ten million people
This morning awoke
To a future of cancer
Industrial disease
So let’s build some more suburbs
And buy SUV’s
Let’s cut down the mountains
And burn all the coal
And put all the money
In a humungous bowl
They’ll call it progress
And they’ll blame it on you
To end life as we know it
To enrich the few
I’m talking to you from here at the end of the world
Yes I speak to you now
From an occupied place
You might call it your home
Or a terrorist base
They’ll send your sons and your daughters
To make sure that it’s theirs
While they sit in their mansions
On their plush leather chairs
And everyone’s waiting
For us to decide
From dust we were born
And in dust we reside
Will we realize the commons
Is to shepherd and share
Here in this war zone
Called land, water and air
I’m talking to you from here at the end of the world
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5. |
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Alex is a member of my record label
Teenager though he is
He joined the Ever Reviled Records collective
And the indy music biz
Well his parents didn’t like such turns of events
So they sent off a couple of thugs
To bring him back to Utah, lock him up
And pump him full of drugs
They say he’s got problems with authority
Yes this is what they claim
And their psychiatric analysis
Has even got a name
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
I think I got it, too
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
He’s sick and so are you
If you think the average politician
Is a scoundrel and a liar
If you fantasize about setting
Your local Wal-Mart on fire
If you don’t like Wolf Blitzer
And you think he’s full of it
And you feel that a Rush Limbaugh punching bag
Might be kinda fun to hit
If bombing other countries
Makes you feel appalled
You have got a problem
And this is what it’s called
Chorus
If you think school is boring
And your teacher is a fool
If you don’t like your congressman
And you called him a corporate tool
If you were not standing
To sing save the Queen
If you turned down hamburgers
And ate rice and beans
We’ve got a diagnosis
No matter whether you agree
Just do what the doctors tell you
And thank God for psychiatry
Chorus
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6. |
Who Would Jesus Bomb
04:14
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I’ve seen you in the markets
I’ve seen you in the streets
And at your political convention
Talking of your crusade
Talking of your nation
And other things too terrible to mention
And you proclaim your Christianity
You proclaim your love of God
You talk of apple pie and mom
Well I’ve just got one question
And I want an answer
Tell me, who would Jesus bomb?
Maybe Jesus would bomb the Syrians
‘Cause they’re not Jews like him
Maybe Jesus would bomb the Afghans
On some kind of vengeful whim
Maybe Jesus would drive an M1 tank
And he would shoot Saddam
Tell me, who would Jesus bomb?
I’ve seen you on the TV
And on the battleships
I’ve seen you in the house upon the hill
And I’ve heard you talking
About making the world safer
And about all the men you have to kill
And you speak so glibly
About your civilization
And how you have the moral higher ground
While halfway around the world
Your explosives smash the buildings
Ah, if you could only hear the sound
But maybe Jesus would sell land mines
And turn on his electric chair
Maybe Jesus would show no compassion
For his enemies in the lands way over there
Maybe Jesus would have flown the planes
That killed the kids in Viet Nam
Who would Jesus bomb?
Yes I hear you shout with confidence
As you praise the lord
And you talk about this God you know so well
And you talk of Armageddon
And your final victory
When all the evil forces go to hell
Well you’d best hope you’ve chosen wisely
On the right side of the lord
And when you die your conscience it is clear
You’d best hope that your atom bombs
Are better than the sword
At the time when your reckoning is here
‘Cause I don’t think Jesus would send gunships into Bethlehem
Or jets to raze the towns of Timorese
I don’t think Jesus would lend money to dictators
Or drive those SUV’s
And I don’t think Jesus would ever have dropped
A single ounce of napalm
Who would Jesus bomb?
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7. |
I Wanna Go Home
04:37
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I was born a refugee
And I don’t know if I’ll ever see
The old farmhouse I’ve heard about
But it’s where I belong, there is no doubt
‘Cause my whole family is from that farm
And we never did nobody harm
And if you’re confused by what you’ve heard
Let me boil it down to a single word
I wanna go home (3x)
And I have heard my grandpa say
That on the street most every day
The neighbors’ kids would kick a ball
With my dad when he was small
We were Christians, they were Jews
But it was no big deal, religious views
So it was strange when at the point of a gun
Across the river we had to run
I wanna go home (3x)
We had dabkeh, we had songs
And we all knew where we belonged
We grew crops, life was good
There in the land where Jesus stood
Now we’re scattered everywhere
But there’s no peace anywhere
I’m just searching for some kind of sign
For some way back to Palestine
I wanna go home (3x)
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8. |
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Coke came to Colombia
Seeking lower wages
They got just what they came for
But as we turn the pages
We find the workers didn’t like the sound
Of their children’s hungry cries
So they said we’ll join the union
And they began to organize
So Coke called up a terrorist group
Called the AUC
They said “we’ve got some problems
At the factory”
So these thugs went to the plant
Killed two union men
Told the rest, “you leave the union
Or we’ll be back again”
Now Coke did not complain
About this dirty deed
Why give workers higher wages
When Coke is all they really need
They phoned the AUC
Said “thanks, without you we’d go broke
And to show our appreciation
Here’s one hundred cases of Coke”
The baby drinks it in his bottle
When the water ain’t no good
The dog drinks it
But he don’t know if he should
Some folks say
It’s the nectar of the Gods
But Coke is the drink of the Death Squads
Well the workers wouldn’t take
This situation lying down
Some went up to Georgia
Said “look what’s happened to our town
You American workers got downsized
And as for us we just get shot
And those of us who survive
Our teeth begin to rot”
Chorus
Well now that’s the situation
What are you gonna do
‘Cause death squads run Colombia
And they’re paid by me and you
We can let Coke run the world
And see what future that will bring
Or we can drink juice and smash the state
Now that’s the real thing
Chorus
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9. |
St Patrick Battalion
05:23
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My name is John Riley
I’ll have your ear only a while
I left my dear home in Ireland
It was death, starvation or exile
And when I got to America
It was my duty to go
Enter the Army and slog across Texas
To join in the war against Mexico
It was there in the pueblos and hillsides
That I saw the mistake I had made
Part of a conquering army
With the morals of a bayonet blade
So in the midst of these poor, dying Catholics
Screaming children, the burning stench of it all
Myself and two hundred Irishmen
Decided to rise to the call
From Dublin City to San Diego
We witnessed freedom denied
So we formed the Saint Patrick Battalion
And we fought on the Mexican side
We marched ‘neath the green flag of Saint Patrick
Emblazoned with “Erin Go Bragh”
Bright with the harp and the shamrock
And “Libertad para la Republica”
Just fifty years after Wolf Tone
Five thousand miles away
The Yanks called us a Legion of Strangers
And they can talk as they may
Chorus
We fought them in Matamoros
While their volunteers were raping the nuns
In Monterey and Cerro Gordo
We fought on as Ireland’s sons
We were the red-headed fighters for freedom
Amidst these brown-skinned women and men
Side by side we fought against tyranny
And I daresay we’d do it again
Chorus
We fought them in five major battles
Churobusco was the last
Overwhelmed by the cannons from Boston
We fell after each mortar blast
Most of us died on that hillside
In the service of the Mexican state
So far from our occupied homeland
We were heroes and victims of fate
Chorus
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10. |
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When she sat down in the dirt
In front of your machine
A lovely woman dressed in orange
You in military green
If you had met her in Jerusalem
You might have asked her on a date
But here you were in Gaza
Rolling towards the gate
As your foot went to the floor
Did you recall her eyes
Did her gaze remind you
That you’ve become what you despise
As you rolled on towards this woman
And ignored all the shouts to stop
Did you feel a shred of doubt
As you watched her body drop
And as your Caterpillar tracks
Upon her body pressed
With twenty tons of deadly force
Crushed the bones within her chest
Could you feel the contours of her face
As you took her life away
Did you serve your country well
On that cool spring day
And when you went back across the Green Line
Back to the open shore
Did you think that this was just another day
In a dirty war
And when you looked out on the water
Did you feel an empty void
Or was it just one more life you’ve taken
One more home destroyed
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11. |
After the Revolution
04:32
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It was a time I’ll always remember
Because I could never forget
How reality fell down around us
Like some Western movie set
And once the dust all settled
The sun shone so bright
And a great calm took over us
Like it was all gonna be alright
That’s how it felt to be alive
After the revolution
From Groton to Tacoma
On many a factory floor
The workers talked of solidarity
And refused to build weapons of war
No more will we make missiles
We’re gonna do something different
And for the first time
Their children were proud of their parents
And somewhere in Gaza a little boy smiled and cried
After the revolution
Prison doors swung open
And mothers hugged their sons
The Liberty Bell was ringing
When the cops put down their guns
A million innocent people
Lit up in the springtime air
And Mumia and Leonard and Sarah Jane Olson
Took a walk in Tompkins Square
And they talked about what they’d do now
After the revolution
The debts were all forgiven
In all the neo-colonies
And the soldiers left their bases
Went back to their families
And a non-aggression treaty
Was signed with every sovereign state
And all the terrorist groups disbanded
With no empire left to hate
And they all started planting olive trees
After the revolution
George Bush and Henry Kissinger
Were sent off to the World Court
Their plans for global domination
Were pre-emptively cut short
Their weapons of mass destruction
Were inspected and destroyed
The battleships were dismantled
Never again to be deployed
And the world breathed a sigh of relief
After the revolution
Solar panels were on the rooftops
Trains upon the tracks
Organic food was in the markets
No GMO’s upon the racks
And all the billionaires
Had to learn how to share
And Bill Gates was told to quit his whining
When he said it wasn’t fair
And his mansion became a collective farm
After the revolution
And all the political poets
Couldn’t think of what to say
So they all decided
To live life for today
I spent a few years catching up
With all my friends and lovers
Sleeping til eleven
Home beneath the covers
And I learned how to play the banjo
After the revolution
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12. |
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1921 was the year
Seems like yesterday to me
Let me tell you about what happened then
Back in the mine country
We were fightin’ hard to build a union
‘Cause at forty cents a ton
There was no way to feed a family
When the minin’ day was done
The strike had lasted for a year
When they shot down Smilin’ Sid
He was a lawman who stood up for us miners
That’s the only crime he ever did
A hundred miners locked up with no trial
There in Mingo-town
But the last straw came in Sharples
When they gunned the women down
We’re marchin’ on to Mingo
Ten thousand men and countin’
Here in the hills of West Virginia
At the Battle of Blair Mountain
We shouted through the hillsides
In every union hall
We’re marchin’ on to Mingo
Teach them a lesson, once and all
We commandeered every freight train
To the Kentucky line
Took every car that crossed our path
And all the guns and ammo we could find
The union leaders tried to stop us
Mother Jones told us to turn back
But we had learned ourselves from the gun thugs
There’s a time to talk and a time to attack
We had no leader, we didn’t need one
We all knew the way through Logan County
And we all knew once we got there
We’re gonna hang Sheriff Chapin from a sour apple tree
Chorus
For three days and nights we fought them
The front was ten miles wide
All the cops and scabs in West Virginia
Were there on the other side
They dropped explosives from their airplanes
Such a thing you never saw
They shot us with machine guns
It was the operator’s law
We dug trenches and wore helmets
That we brought from the Argonne
All the way from France to Logan
We fought from dusk to dawn
President Harding sent in the Army
And we left our line to them
But the hills of West Virginia
Will long remember when
Chorus
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13. |
Used To Be A City
03:43
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I was young once
It was a long time ago
Things were different then
I thought that you should know
This old building
Was once a factory
We made Stetsons
Your grandpa and me
It wasn’t easy but at least
Life was going down
There used to be a city in this town
This rusted railyard
Had a hotel and a couple of stores
We had good times here
Between the wars
It wasn’t paradise
But there was music in the street
Right there is where your grandparents
First had a chance to meet
They got married in that church
I can still see her wedding gown
There used to be a city in this town
When the change came
It started one by one
First the layoffs
Then the factory was gone
Then came the highways
The suburbs and Wal-Mart
That was the final blow
That tore this place apart
But it seems like just last year
When there were people all around
There used to be a city in this town
The census says there’s people here
But I think someone’s confused
Just look out at these sidewalks
They’re not being used
You know when a city dies
It doesn’t die with grace
It just becomes a ruin
Shouting this was once the place
Guess it’s time to leave
But I don’t know where I’d be bound
There used to be a city in this town
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14. |
The Alligator Song
03:01
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Everybody’s getting cancer
At a geometrical rate
Maybe it’s something you drank or breathed
Maybe it’s something you ate
Perhaps this doesn’t concern you
Hey, we’ve all gotta go sometime
But maybe I can tell you something
To make you change your mind
The alligator dicks are shriveling up
Soon they’ll all be through
Yeah, the alligator dicks are shrinking fast
And it will happen to you
It will happen to you, boys
It will happen to you
the alligator dicks are shriveling up
And it will happen to you
They’re an indicator species
Like canaries in the mine
They’re the first to kick the bucket
When things might otherwise seem fine
So let’s be frank and honest
As the situation begs
Boys, what are you gonna do
About that thing between your legs
Chorus
I’m not beating around the bush
I’m making you a promise
Say goodbye to Long Dong Silver
Hello to Tiny Thomas
You can forget about Viagra
Boys, what I mean is
It’s all a matter of minutiae
When you’ve got a half-inch penis
Chorus
PCBs in the water
Pesticides in the ground
Radiation in the wind
There’s poison all around
So if you care about your love life
And that good old whoop-dee-doo
We’ve got to stop pollution, boys
That’s what i’m telling you
Chorus
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15. |
Hiroshima
05:21
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Ten thousand children played in the playground
Swinging on the swings, didn’t hear the sound
Of the single plane that flew overhead
The third shift workers were just going to bed
There was a flash of light and a rumbling noise
And gone in an instant — parents, girls and boys
Ten thousand mothers were boiling rice
A thousand POW’s were rolling dice
Hoping they’d survive this terrible storm
When each young man in his uniform
Vanished in the air in the blink of an eye
One moment they lived, the next they all die
Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Ten thousand chickens were sitting on eggs
Heads in their wings, resting their legs
Ten thousand farmers were looking at their fields
Planning the harvest, guessing at yields
Dreaming of life after the war
The next second they weren’t living no more
Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Ten thousand lovers made lover to each other
Each one of them thinking they might not get another
Living so long with death everywhere
Much more than one person alone can bear
But there wasn’t time for a final kiss
Who could’ve known it would end like this
Hiroshima, Hiroshima
A hundred thousand people were living their lives
Grandparents, children, fathers and wives
Now they’re just shadows on the street
In such a quick burst of incredible heat
Now listen to them talk about doing it again
From whence came the souls of these terrible men
Hiroshima, Hiroshima
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16. |
Song for the SOA #2
02:56
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Well I pulled up there at the gate
Had to come and keep a date
With ten thousand of my friends
Here to right some wrongs and make amends
Folks came in buses, bikes and cars
With voices, fiddles and guitars
And all kinds of people, shapes and styles
Burned those frequent flyer miles
First thing I see’s a singing nun
At the frisky age of 91
She’s here fresh out of jail
Told the judge “I ain’t got no bail
“I’m bearing witness right here and now
‘Cause we’ve got to change the world somehow
So with you all right here I pray
WE’LL SHUT DOWN THE SOA
There’s this year’s crop from Oberlin
And there’s the folks from Warren-Wilson
But they’re not all eighteen to twenty-two
They brought along their neighbors too
There’s grandpa, baby, mom and dad
An ARA kid, fighting mad
What are we gonna do today?
WE’LL SHUT DOWN THE SOA
There’s some in pink, some in black
There’s one wrapped in a coffee sack
There’s t-shirts, stickers, pins and more
Saying we don’t want your oil war
There’s a labor lawyer from Walla Walla
With some Mayan folks from Guatemala
See, north and south the people say
WE’LL SHUT DOWN THE SOA
Pouring blood, crossing lines
Holding crosses, making signs
There’s priests and punks in groups and pairs
Along with a gang in wheelchairs
There’s Josh and Abi, Bill and Sue
Charlie, Tao and you know who
Giant puppets, paper mache Saying
WE’LL SHUT DOWN THE SOA
Yes, we’ll keep coming to this town
Til this torture school’s shut down
Then we’ll march as we intone
You do not walk alone
To the next symbol in our sights
In the global fight for human rights
But for now we’re here in this Georgia clay
Saying WE’LL SHUT DOWN THE SOA
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17. |
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I’ll tell you what happened
I was walking downtown
Making something for May Day
Pounding the ground
Some kid pulled a trigger
And then I was dead
‘Cause that’s what happens
When a shotgun blows off your head
I was just 24
Much too young to die
My reason for living
I didn’t know why
I had no time to show
What my life could be worth
Now i’m just another
Of all the ghosts that walk this earth
Yes, I wander the world
And I see all the others
The dead and forsaken
My sisters and brothers
All of us wondering
What are we doing here
Just stuck on this planet
Who knows how many years
In Auschwitz or Baghdad
It’s always the same
Forgotten and restless
No one calling their name
I visit my old friends
They make love and give birth
While I’m just another
Of all the ghosts that walk this earth
And I wish I could show you
All the places I’ve been
Where the flowers grow wild
Where the napalm meets skin
I wish I could trade it
And be back in my life
Maybe we’d live in China
Maybe you’d be my wife
Maybe I would feel something
Not just angry and sad
Always just wishing
For the life that I had
But I just watch you and your lover
In such glorious mirth
For I’m just another
Of all the ghosts that walk this earth
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18. |
Cannabis Cafe
02:32
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I wish I was up in Vancouver
At the Cannabis Cafe
Smoking good old sensemelia
At the beginning of the day
But here I am in New York City
Hiding out in Central Park
Getting kidnapped by the police
Today sometime before dark
Chorus
The judge looked down upon me, frowning
He said, “kid, get on your way
“Just don’t start out your morning
“With espresso and a j”
Chorus
I hitched a ride out to Portland
Caught one up to B.C.
Took a bus over to Hastings Street
To have a bowl with my coffee
Chorus
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19. |
Minimum Wage Strike
03:25
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When I awoke one morning
There was a feeling in the air
Everything was quiet
Things were different everywhere
The Wobblies were back again
With Joe Hill at the mike
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike
There was no one flipping burgers
All the grills were cold
Onion rings were in their bags
Fries were growing mold
There were no baristas at Starbucks
Asking, “how many shots would you like?”
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike
There was no one pumping gasoline
No one driving from town to town
No one at the registers
All the highways were shut down
The cars were stuck in their garage
Businessmen on bikes
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike
The fruit was falling off the trees
No one to load the trucks
Corn was rotting on the stalk
No farm hands to shuck
The workfare workers were hanging at home
Spending the day with their tykes
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike
Yuppie parents were housebound
Their nannies left the job
Wal-Mart workers said enough
Of our labor has been robbed
The Foot Locker was locked up
The boss had to take a hike
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike
Repeat first verse
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20. |
Shut Them Down
04:28
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We shall fight them on the beaches
We shall fight them on the shore
They will bring us exploitation
We’ll bring them their class war
We’ll lock down to the gates
As they’re spreading vicious lies
They want to dominate the world
And we see through their disguise
If they’d have one big multinational
With their corporate flag unfurled
Searching everywhere
For the lowest wages in the world
Then we’ll have One Big Union
From Melbourne to Prague to Seattle-town
Wherever they may go
We will shut them down
We’ll shut them down, we’ll shut them down
We will shut them down
And CNN will spread the lies
This is just how it’s gotta be
Well they can have their CNN
‘Cause we got our IMC
And we will tell the truth quite clearly
Though they don’t want to hear it
And they’ll try to stop our broadcasts
‘Cause the truth is that they fear it
Chorus
They want a world full of strip malls
Plants grown by biotech
As long as they get richer
They just don’t give a heck
But we don’t want their ecocide
We want a world we can live in
That’s why we’re here to stay
And we’re not gonna give in
Chorus
And they’ll infiltrate us
Provocateurs within our ranks
And if they can’t divide us
They’ll send in the tanks
But we will stand together
Pacifists and Zapatistas
Workers, farmers, the indigenous
Tree-huggers and baristas
Chorus
And we will build a new world
Without the corporate elite
And we will see the day
Of their international defeat
We’ll have self-determination
And equality for all
For what choice do we really have
But to rise up and see them fall
Chorus
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21. |
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When the rich man on the TV
Said this world’s mine
When he asked which side you’re on
Told you to step in line
When he gave his reasons
For his war of conquest
When he talked about your wallet
Said it was in your interest
Did you shrug your shoulders
And do as you were told
Hang a flag in your window
And buy the goods that you were sold
Or did you shut off his craven image
And call the man a liar
Did you strike a blow against the empire
When they were rounding up your neighbors
You know the ones with darker skin
Clerks and teachers, engineers
With names like Sami and Mazin
When they were breaking down the doors
And taking them away
Holding them on secret charges
Hidden from the light of day
What did you tell their children
When you had a chance to meet
Could you look them in the eye
Or did you walk past them on the street
Could you say that you stood up
When their lives were on the wire
Did you strike a blow against the empire
As the bombs were falling
And the children lost their lives
Lying broken on the pavement
As the ambulance arrives
As the soldiers opened fire
With their heavy guns
Could you hear the demonstrators hit the ground
See how their red blood runs
What were you doing
In those fateful times
Did you raise your voice
Against these awful crimes
Were you hiding in your bedroom
When the situation was so dire
Did you strike a blow against the empire
And when the time had come
And the Reich was at your door
When the fascist state was here
And they brought home the war
When the Gestapo was in the city
And they had really taken power
When there was nothing left to do
Here in the final hour
Did you find a place to run to
And hope to live a few more years
When the slaughter was around you
Did you cover up your ears
Or did you set your sights
Take your aim and fire
Did you strike a blow against the empire
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22. |
Behind the Barricades
01:43
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When the world has gone crazy
And it’s all becoming clear
When they’re gunning down our comrades
And it seems the end is near
As they’re loading up the launchers
For the tear gas grenades
We can take off our bandanas
And kiss behind the barricades
When it’s madness all around
You can see this at a glance
We will cry and we will sing
And we will laugh and we will dance
As they shout their marching orders
Beneath the helicopter blades
We will seize the moment
For a kiss behind the barricades
They will try to break our spirit
And at times they may succeed
But our love for the world
Is stronger than their greed
When the building is surrounded
And hope begins to fade
In my final hour
A kiss behind the barricades
As the movement grows
There will be hills and bends
But at the center of the struggle
Are your lovers and your friends
The more we hold each other up
The less we can be swayed
Here’s to love and solidarity
And a kiss behind the barricades
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David Rovics Portland, Oregon
Singer/songwriter, writer, podcaster (on Spotify, Substack & Patreon), anarchist, dad, lover of life.
David Rovics recommends:
A Hand Full Of Songs
by Jim Page
Seattle's Jim Page is one of the very best songwriters in the English language (and just as oriented towards what we might call the world around him as I am).
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Ryan Harvey of Baltimore is another of my favorite songwriters, writers and organizers on the planet.
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Heart First Aid Kit
by Grace Petrie & the PC Brigade
Moving across the pond, here's one more of my favorite rabble-rousing songwriters -- Grace Petrie.
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All of this album is just great. But Storm to Weather is just an amazing sing along track that is always a joy to hear live.
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Supporting Chumbawamba will sit beautifully alongside Grace Petrie's Galway in that micro genre of awful gig memories. Thanks.
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Anthemic and hook-laden folk-rock from Grace Petries is full of both good humor and wryly poetic observations on life and love.
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