The leaders of the world had gathered
To make the planet freer for free trade
To create a better business climate
For all the profits they had made
Surrounded by an army
There for their defense
Armed with APC's and 'copters
And lots of common sense
Behind a fence behind a wall
That shouts you shall not pass
Broken skulls, plastic bullets
And a thousand gallons of tear gas
And the world leaders kept on talking
Behind the mote upon the hill
And they boasted of prosperity
And their latest free trade bill
They thanked God, they thanked Boeing
They thanked the World Bank
They thanked the firepower
Of the M1 Tank
They defended their positions
And the glory of their class
With broken skulls...
On the streets we chanted
We have no clubs or guns
We've just come to tell the people
The evil ways this system runs
But the truth can set us free
The rulers all knew well
So they drowned the truth with 'copters
And the ringing of the bell
With their tasers on our bodies
And our faces in the grass
Broken skulls...
And the cameras hid behind the lines
Of half a million men in blue
When the rich men moved their lips
They recorded them on cue
The occupation of a city
By an army of police
Wasn't worthy of a mention
From the reporters of the peace
Neither were the wounded children
Or the boarded glass
Or the broken bones...
To make the planet freer for free trade
To create a better business climate
For all the profits they had made
Surrounded by an army
There for their defense
Armed with APC's and 'copters
And lots of common sense
Behind a fence behind a wall
That shouts you shall not pass
Broken skulls, plastic bullets
And a thousand gallons of tear gas
And the world leaders kept on talking
Behind the mote upon the hill
And they boasted of prosperity
And their latest free trade bill
They thanked God, they thanked Boeing
They thanked the World Bank
They thanked the firepower
Of the M1 Tank
They defended their positions
And the glory of their class
With broken skulls...
On the streets we chanted
We have no clubs or guns
We've just come to tell the people
The evil ways this system runs
But the truth can set us free
The rulers all knew well
So they drowned the truth with 'copters
And the ringing of the bell
With their tasers on our bodies
And our faces in the grass
Broken skulls...
And the cameras hid behind the lines
Of half a million men in blue
When the rich men moved their lips
They recorded them on cue
The occupation of a city
By an army of police
Wasn't worthy of a mention
From the reporters of the peace
Neither were the wounded children
Or the boarded glass
Or the broken bones...
Contributed by Riccardo Venturi - 2006/8/5 - 17:07
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From "Songs for Mahmud"
David Rovics' Official Website
"The FTAA protests in November, 2003 involved some of the most coordinated and unprovoked military-style assault on nonviolent protesters I've ever heard of or seen." -David Rovics.