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Many people have written me since I first put out the first, primitive recording of this song recorded with my smartphone. Mostly they've been people from the East Bay writing to inform me that their Congresswoman, Barbara Lee, has voted repeatedly to send arms to Israel. While I completely oppose support for Israeli apartheid and think it's shameful and criminal that Barbara Lee or anyone else in the Congress supports Israel in any way, I nonetheless stand by the relevance of this song, which is about the one day when Barbara Lee was the sole voice of opposition against militarism in the entire US Congress. It was a brave stand that should be commemorated, regardless of what she did before or since that day (which certainly hasn't been all bad by any means either).

lyrics

Barbara Lee

She grew up in Texas on a military base
As a teen in California she found her place
Standing up with those who had got the shorter straw
Speaking out for justice on both sides of the law

She came to my attention in 1998
When she was elected and she joined the ship of state
But it was in her second term when she really made the news
As the sole dissenter, the only one to refuse

Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee
Let me take this chance to thank you for your humanity
Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee

The month was September, 2001
It was time to show the world these colors don't run
Flags of war were waving from New York to LA
From Shanksville to the Pentagon they chanted “USA”

Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee
Surrounded by such darkness, but still able to see
Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee

The vote came to the Congress to give the president the right
To bomb and to invade any nation in his sights
To kill in any country where his generals want to go
500 voted yes, one woman voted no

Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee
A few hundred more like you, what a nation it could be
Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee
There among the madmen of Washington DC

credits

from When I'm Elected President & Wayfaring Stranger (double album), released November 28, 2014

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David Rovics Portland, Oregon

Singer/songwriter, writer, podcaster (on Spotify, Substack & Patreon), anarchist, dad, lover of life.

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