They said they were "the worst of the worst"
But they didn't know a thing about them
They said that they were captured on the battlefield
But most of them were bought for bounties
They took them to a place outside the law
In a bay that they stole from Cuba
They said they had no rights at all
As they tore up all their laws and treaties
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo
When they didn't know what they wanted them to know
They introduced "enhanced interrogation"
They played them music as loud as it would go
In isolation and as sleep deprivation
And when they broke them and they made them lie
About themselves and their fellow prisoners
They had the nerve to hold their heads up high
And call this shame and this disgrace a success
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo
Obama promised to close the prison for good
On his second day in office
But Republicans resisted his plans
And he lacked the political will to do it
So as the years drag on and on
And the men still held get older and iller
Endless imprisonment without charge or trial
Is what it always was – a form of torture
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo..
But they didn't know a thing about them
They said that they were captured on the battlefield
But most of them were bought for bounties
They took them to a place outside the law
In a bay that they stole from Cuba
They said they had no rights at all
As they tore up all their laws and treaties
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo
When they didn't know what they wanted them to know
They introduced "enhanced interrogation"
They played them music as loud as it would go
In isolation and as sleep deprivation
And when they broke them and they made them lie
About themselves and their fellow prisoners
They had the nerve to hold their heads up high
And call this shame and this disgrace a success
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo
Obama promised to close the prison for good
On his second day in office
But Republicans resisted his plans
And he lacked the political will to do it
So as the years drag on and on
And the men still held get older and iller
Endless imprisonment without charge or trial
Is what it always was – a form of torture
You cannot claim to respect the law
And treat people this way
And after all the torture and abuse
It's time to make it go away
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo,
Close Guantánamo..
inviata da giorgio - 3/5/2020 - 21:05
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Lyrics and Music by Andy Worthington
Album: How Much Is A Life Worth? [2017]
"Close Guantánamo" is featured in a promotional video for the "Close Guantánamo" campaign that was released on November 10, 2016. The "Close Guantánamo" campaign was co-founded by lead singer Andy Worthington and the US attorney Tom Wilner in 2012, and the video, by drummer Brendan Horstead, features photos of some of the 500+ campaigners and celebrities who have stood with posters reminding President Obama of how many days he had left to close Guantánamo at 50-day intervals throughout 2016.
The photos are part of the Countdown to Close Guantánamo, an initiative that Andy launched with music legend Roger Waters on Democracy Now! in January, and the video was launched just after the US Presidential Election, to urge President Obama to do all he can to fulfill his long-unfulfilled promise to close the prison before he leaves office. We believe this mission has added urgency since the election of Donald Trump as the next president, because, on the campaign trail, Trump promised to keep Guantánamo open, to send new prisoners there, and to reintroduce torture.
On NPR, on Nov. 14, David Welna described "Close Guantánamo" as "a new anthem." He wrote: "One online video counting down the days Obama has left features a new anthem with the refrain 'Close Guantánamo, close Guantánamo.'"
See: Trump Has Vowed To Fill Guantanamo With 'Some Bad Dudes' — But Who?
See the video here:
And on Facebook here
See "Close Guantánamo" here: www.closeguantanamo.org
See the 500+ photos received since January here:
Celebrity-photos
Public-photos-4
Public-photos-3
Public-photos-2
Public-photos
See Andy and Roger Waters here
And Andy speaking outside the White House here: