I
In the middle of the night
A giant tanker runs aground
And by the breaking of the light
Its cargo covers all the Sound.
And the birds lie dying in the bays
From black tar that can't be washed away
And it dawns on the world that profit was the motive
For a crime that toppled Heaven in a day..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To the Earth, our only home?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
of travelling onward down this road?
II
A great explosion shakes the night
Windows shatter miles around
Voices choke and cry with fright
As poisoned smoke enfolds the town.
And when the clouds of Death begin to fade
A flaming fact'ry flickers through the haze
And I see in a flash that profit was the motive
for a crime that took the breath of life away..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To parents and kids in their own homes?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
Of travelling onward down this road?
III
In a violent desert storm
Bombers crush an Arab town
Houses burn and hearts are torn
As they bring it to the ground
And when the body count is fin'ly made
They say that freedom justifies the raids
But I know in my heart that profit was the motive
For a crime that carried thousands to their graves..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To innocent people and their homes?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
Of travelling onward down this road?
In the middle of the night
A giant tanker runs aground
And by the breaking of the light
Its cargo covers all the Sound.
And the birds lie dying in the bays
From black tar that can't be washed away
And it dawns on the world that profit was the motive
For a crime that toppled Heaven in a day..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To the Earth, our only home?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
of travelling onward down this road?
II
A great explosion shakes the night
Windows shatter miles around
Voices choke and cry with fright
As poisoned smoke enfolds the town.
And when the clouds of Death begin to fade
A flaming fact'ry flickers through the haze
And I see in a flash that profit was the motive
for a crime that took the breath of life away..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To parents and kids in their own homes?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
Of travelling onward down this road?
III
In a violent desert storm
Bombers crush an Arab town
Houses burn and hearts are torn
As they bring it to the ground
And when the body count is fin'ly made
They say that freedom justifies the raids
But I know in my heart that profit was the motive
For a crime that carried thousands to their graves..
Who will pay
For all the damage done today
To innocent people and their homes?
With such a loss
How can we tolerate the cost
Of travelling onward down this road?
Contributed by giorgio - 2010/9/22 - 06:19
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Lyrics & Music by Carl E. Gunther
The systems that support life on Earth are being ravaged by powerful hierarchies of control and exploitation. The verses of this song describe three defining moments in the history of the attack upon the viability of our planet and our species.
The first verse is inspired by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The second verse is a synthesis of Union Carbide's gassing of Bhopal with cyanide fumes and the lesser-known Texaco refinery explosion that spread toxic fumes through the economically disadvantaged neighborhood of Wilmington, California.
The third verse was inspired by the bombing of Iraq during the first Gulf War.
(giorgio)