I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V1]
After the failure in their battle to prevent Integration
once again, conservatives tried reclaiming their dominance over the nation
led by Strom Thurmond and President Nixon's main political team
they developed the "Southern Strategy", a system meant to reach
and appeal to Southern, white people with chips on their shoulders
disgruntled and resentful of the changes in our culture
saying they "wanted their country back" to how it was before the liberals
in the '60s changed the system, yeah the majority's now the victim
feeling that black's should quit complaining and women should be in the kitchen
Hispanics keep taking their jobs while gays corrupt their children
but they can't be open with it 'cuz bigotry's now a "no"
so like their leader Lee Atwater said, they have to speak in code
called "dog whistle politics", they preach against initiatives
that disproportionately help minorities, with an emphasis
on foreigners and socialists, inner cities and progressives
plus welfare and education, using voter suppression
like the Red Shirts before them, they'd threaten and harass their victims
demonizing and disenfranchising everybody that's different
the Confederate flag's their symbol, but they don't realize the wealthy
are using their fears against them so they'll buy the lies they're selling
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V2]
I bet you think law enforcement's purpose is to protect civilians
naw, it's only meant to protect the current political system
so they silence all resistance with the blessings of politicians
that's why protests and social movements are crushed for simply existing
take for instance when the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover
started the COINTELPRO program to crush the Civil Rights Movement
targeting Malcolm X, the NAACP, and minority leaders
anti-war groups, women's rights leaders, and even PETA
from bribery to break-ins, sabotaging the operations
of the groups they'd infiltrated, even committing assassinations
like Fred Hampton and trying to convince Dr. King to commit suicide
worked along with the KKK, but these are the truths they're trying to hide
like how the U.S. was using eugenics before the Nazis even existed
and gave black communities syphilis like in the Tuskegee experiments
then allowed the CIA to bring cocaine into inner cities
while they were waging the "War on Drugs" to keep minorities imprisoned
Gary Webb exposed their crimes before he died, but our government always
killed or imprisoned its whistleblowers like Bradley Manning, it's appalling
so when is the UN gonna send a peacekeeping
mission to America to save our citizens from this mistreatment, huh?
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V3]
Can you imagine being an immigrant? Like refugees of war fleeing their villages?
A child worker in diamond mines or a student or a businessman?
You traveled 1,000 miles in order to reach the "Land of the Free",
hoping to make a life in the United States and live the American Dream
You believed the propaganda so you believe you can achieve
everything you saw on TV, so you brought your family
to this fabled land of liberty and opportunities,
only to see rampant poverty, homelessness, and greed.
People speak religiously but all you see is demonic imagery,
sexualized shows, drugs, guns, and blatant bigotry.
Some hate you 'cuz of your accent and your low knowledge of English,
even though it's your 3rd language and Americans barely can speak it.
Blaming you for 9/11, unemployment and more
Silently, you watch in horror as the public begs for war
while the leaders justify torture and drone strikes on civilians,
indefinite detention, and a war on other religions.
Sounding just like the dictators you thought that you'd escaped
Watching American protesters get beaten and locked away
You can't believe "the Dream" is a lie, and in this land, you're not wanted
Realizing you would've been better off in your home country
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V1]
After the failure in their battle to prevent Integration
once again, conservatives tried reclaiming their dominance over the nation
led by Strom Thurmond and President Nixon's main political team
they developed the "Southern Strategy", a system meant to reach
and appeal to Southern, white people with chips on their shoulders
disgruntled and resentful of the changes in our culture
saying they "wanted their country back" to how it was before the liberals
in the '60s changed the system, yeah the majority's now the victim
feeling that black's should quit complaining and women should be in the kitchen
Hispanics keep taking their jobs while gays corrupt their children
but they can't be open with it 'cuz bigotry's now a "no"
so like their leader Lee Atwater said, they have to speak in code
called "dog whistle politics", they preach against initiatives
that disproportionately help minorities, with an emphasis
on foreigners and socialists, inner cities and progressives
plus welfare and education, using voter suppression
like the Red Shirts before them, they'd threaten and harass their victims
demonizing and disenfranchising everybody that's different
the Confederate flag's their symbol, but they don't realize the wealthy
are using their fears against them so they'll buy the lies they're selling
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V2]
I bet you think law enforcement's purpose is to protect civilians
naw, it's only meant to protect the current political system
so they silence all resistance with the blessings of politicians
that's why protests and social movements are crushed for simply existing
take for instance when the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover
started the COINTELPRO program to crush the Civil Rights Movement
targeting Malcolm X, the NAACP, and minority leaders
anti-war groups, women's rights leaders, and even PETA
from bribery to break-ins, sabotaging the operations
of the groups they'd infiltrated, even committing assassinations
like Fred Hampton and trying to convince Dr. King to commit suicide
worked along with the KKK, but these are the truths they're trying to hide
like how the U.S. was using eugenics before the Nazis even existed
and gave black communities syphilis like in the Tuskegee experiments
then allowed the CIA to bring cocaine into inner cities
while they were waging the "War on Drugs" to keep minorities imprisoned
Gary Webb exposed their crimes before he died, but our government always
killed or imprisoned its whistleblowers like Bradley Manning, it's appalling
so when is the UN gonna send a peacekeeping
mission to America to save our citizens from this mistreatment, huh?
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
[V3]
Can you imagine being an immigrant? Like refugees of war fleeing their villages?
A child worker in diamond mines or a student or a businessman?
You traveled 1,000 miles in order to reach the "Land of the Free",
hoping to make a life in the United States and live the American Dream
You believed the propaganda so you believe you can achieve
everything you saw on TV, so you brought your family
to this fabled land of liberty and opportunities,
only to see rampant poverty, homelessness, and greed.
People speak religiously but all you see is demonic imagery,
sexualized shows, drugs, guns, and blatant bigotry.
Some hate you 'cuz of your accent and your low knowledge of English,
even though it's your 3rd language and Americans barely can speak it.
Blaming you for 9/11, unemployment and more
Silently, you watch in horror as the public begs for war
while the leaders justify torture and drone strikes on civilians,
indefinite detention, and a war on other religions.
Sounding just like the dictators you thought that you'd escaped
Watching American protesters get beaten and locked away
You can't believe "the Dream" is a lie, and in this land, you're not wanted
Realizing you would've been better off in your home country
I wish the propaganda was true,
but I know it's only a dream (we were never the land of the free)
Slavery to Abu Ghraib, Banana
Wars and Guantanamo dreams (we were never the land of the free)
Rex 84, MK-Ultra, Pellagra Incident (Operation Paperclip)
Viola Liuzzo; the sins of our government (Operation Paperclip)
Contributed by giorgio - 2013/2/23 - 09:15
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Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Album: American Nightmare
Breaks down the "Southern Strategy" & how it influences politics; explains law enforcement's true purpose; and describes the false "American Dream" from an immigrant's point of view.
American Nightmare album attempts to tell American history from the point of view of minorities. Each song reads like a chapter, focusing on topics such as the arrival of the colonists, the slave trade, and the Civil War. This is definitely a thought provoking project, and is guaranteed to inspire conversations on race and civil rights.