California’s Dark

 

It started in basements

and it started in sheds

It started in backyards

and was hidden under beds

I turned on the TV

Don’t believe a word they say

We can’t stay here now, love

and we can’t get away

There’s a riot on Sunset

and fires burn in the park

The sun has set, my friend

and California’s dark

And over the screaming

I heard a clear voice

I looked at my choices

and I made a choice

Smoke and ashes

tonight hide the stars

The stop lights are red now, love

We come for what’s ours

There’s a riot on Sunset

and fires burn in the park

The sun has set, my friend

and California’s dark

Come stand among the rattlesnakes

at the side of the desert road

And close your eyes and listen

to the music hard and cold

Tonight the moon is blackened

Tonight the doors are shut

Behind the shuttered windows

we pray that the sun will come up

For something walks across these fields

for which there is no name

You might have heard different, sonny

but I was there when it came

It’ll start with a spark

and a great fire will grow

Don’t know how I know it, man

but I just know

There’s a riot on Sunset

and fires burn in the park

The sun sets everywhere

and the whole damn country’s dark

There’s a riot on Sunset

and fires burn in the park

The sun has set, my friend,

and California’s dark

 

One Man Revolution

 

On the streets of New York

the cabs don’t stop

On the street where I live

they called the cops

Found a noose in my garage

Now, how ‘bout that?

So, tonight I’m in the bushes

with a baseball bat

‘Cause I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

The time is nigh

The day is dark

There’s only one solution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

On the streets of Havana

I got hugged and kissed

At the Playboy Mansion

I wasn’t on the list

On the streets of Cape Town

shit’s ready to blow

I don’t know how to get there

but I’m ready to go

‘Cause I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

The time is nigh

The day is dark

There’s only one solution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

Sacrifice and neon lights

Slaveships don’t wait

Love many, trust few

And don’t be late

In my nightmares

the streets are aflame

And in my dreams

it’s much the same

And on the streets of L.A.

they know my name

And if you’ve come this far, mister

maybe we’re one and the same

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

The time is nigh

The day is dark

There’s only one solution

I’m a one man

I’m a one man

I’m a one man revolution

 

Let Freedom Ring

 

There’s a man, homeless and hungry

There’s a wind that’s hard and biting

There’s a song in need of singing

There’s a fuse in need of light

It’s no secret, the day is coming

And it’s a day I hope to see

But if they ask

If they ask you, brother

“Who told you that?”

You didn’t hear it from me

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

There’s a book with seven seals

There’s a beast with seven heads

There’s seven angels on seven horses

There’s seven vials with seven plagues

So, if you hear

If you hear a knocking

on that door

Just let it be

But if they ask

If they ask you, brother

“Who told you that?”

You didn’t hear it from me

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Where the righteous

Where the righteous stood

And where the righteous

Where the righteous fell

There’s a voice

that’s soft and whispering

coming from the bottom of the well

And I tried hard to remember

To remember what that voice said

Over and over

Over and over

I repeated those words

inside my head

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring

And if they ask

If they ask you, brother

“Who told you that?”

Tell them it was me

 

The Road I Must Travel

 

Well, I climbed the seven summits

and I swam the seven seas

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

I fought in the jungles

and I fought in the streets

But the road I must travel

Its end I cannot see

Once I had a reason

Don’t know what it could be

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

Well, I sang to myself

that I want to be free

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

I walked the empty desert

and was burned in the heat

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

I crossed the frozen wasteland

In the bitter cold did freeze

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

And I will knock on every door

for I do not have a key

And the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

Well, I sang to myself

that I want to be free

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

They shot a man in Soho

Couldn’t guess his age

I found his empty journal

I filled up every page

I called up my state senator

They said he wasn’t there

The secretary took my name

and, man, she sounded scared

So, I counted my misfortunes

I added up the blame

I picked through all the garbage

I checked off all the names

I read in the newspaper

they’d questioned all my friends

They hoped that they could find my ass

before I struck again

Well I sang to myself

that I want to be free

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

So, when thirsty I will drink

When hungry I will steal

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

So, tonight I walk in anger

with worn shoes on my feet

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

And I will sing to myself

that I’m gonna be free

But the road I must travel

its end I cannot see

There’s a sign along the highway

But it’s too dark now to read

 

The Garden of Gethsemane

 

On the side of the dirt road

An old Chevy wreck

I climbed through the window

I sat in the back

I gathered my thoughts

With my head in my hands

My next of kin

My list of demands

I slipped from shadow to shadow

I saw things I should not see

The moon rose high

over the Garden

The Garden of Gethsemane

I know who I’m for

and who I’m against

I pulled the shades tight

I built me a fence

I dug a tunnel

deep and wide

I sit at the bottom

and wait for the night

I slipped from shadow to shadow

I saw things I should not see

The moon rose high

over the Garden

The Garden of Gethsemane

Morning has come

Clean clothes on the line

There’ll be no tomorrow

I rise and I shine

If you swallow the coin

from the wishing well

Your dreams will come true

in heaven or hell

I slipped from shadow to shadow

I saw things I should not see

The moon rose high

over the Garden

The Garden of Gethsemane

Take my hand

Down we go

Take my hand, love

Down we go

 

House Gone Up In Flames

 

It’s in the grain of the wood

It’s in the needle’s rust

It’s in the eagle’s claw

It’s in the eyes you trust

It’s in the jackal’s dreams

It’s in the sleet and the hail

It’s in the unmarked box

that came today in the mail

It’s in the dead man’s pocket

It’s in the child’s first sin

It’s in the Constitution

Written in very small print

It’s in Colin Powell’s lies

It’s in the shaman’s trance

It’s in the cellar waiting

And it’s in the best laid plans

We could cut and run

and take half the blame

Don’t stop now

That’s why we came

House gone up in flames

It’s in the National Anthem

It’s in the scurrying roach

It’s in the closed partition

‘tween first class and coach

It’s in the relentless fever

It’s in the lonely room

It’s in the hands of fate

and it’s in the pharaoh’s tomb

It’s in the rich man’s dreams

It’s in the poor man’s hands

It’s in the body bags

along the Rio Grande

It’s in the evening shade

It’s on the zealot’s tongue

It’s in the widow’s tears

and it’s in the miner’s lungs

We could cut and run

Take half the blame

Don’t stop now

That’s why we came

House gone up in flames

It’s in the moon’s dark spin

It’s in the cloudless sky

It was in St. Peter’s denial

That he’d thrice deny

It’s in the distant thunder

It’s in the whispered prayer

that they won’t find us hidden here

beneath the stairs

So consider yourself lucky

and watch what you say

I got what I wanted

You might get the same

It’s in the bold print nailed

to the cathedral door

It’s in the black cold pressure

on the ocean floor

We could cut and run

Take half the blame

Don’t stop now

That’s why we came

House gone up in flames

 

Flesh Shapes The Day

 

Now, you might have heard different

but I know it’s a fact

That Jesus, Mary, Joseph

and the Apostle Paul were black

Ten letters I am writing

Each one reads the same

Nine circles I am drawing

One around your name

Land and freedom

Steel and faith

Tooth and bone and wire

Skin, scar, dirt and fire

It doesn’t matter who you are

It does not matter what you say

Flesh shapes the day

Now it’s clear as a pillar of smoke

and broken Starbuck’s glass

Yeah, I support my troops

They wave black flags

They wear black masks

All the roads are closed

Smoke is rising from the fields

The monsters left their cages

An angel set them free

Land and freedom

Steel and faith

Tooth and bone and wire

Skin, scar, dirt and fire

It doesn’t matter who you are

It does not matter what you say

Flesh shapes the day

Veteran’s hospitals

And witches spells

Low to buy

and high to sell

And little girls

collecting shells

And memories

upon the shelves

And ringing bells

And high school choirs

And faithful dogs

beside the fire

And billionaires

And open bars

And early exits

And judgments hard

And land and freedom

And steel and faith

And tooth and bone and wire

And skin, scar, dirt and fire

It doesn’t matter who you are

Does not matter what the fuck you say

Flesh shapes the day

 

Battle Hymns

 

Battle hymns for the broken

Battle hymns for the misled

Battle hymns for the wretched,

the forgotten and the dead

Battle hymns of redemption,

of solidarity and pride

Battle hymns we will be singing

at the turning of the tide

Can you explain to the mothers

and the fathers of those

who come riding home in coffins

in their military clothes

shiny medals pinned

to their dead teenage chests

while the trumpets blare

and you lie your best?

So, ask all you want

from the dusk til the dawn

The answer’s still, “No”

’cause, brother, I’m gone

Battle hymns for the broken

Battle hymns for the misled

Battle hymns for the wretched,

the forgotten and the dead

Battle hymns of redemption,

of solidarity and pride

Battle hymns we will be singing

at the turning of the tide

Can you explain away the sleight of hand

and the criminality

of spending souls for oil?

Well, in the mirror I can see

I am the path that leads down

I am a dark and bloody hall

I’m the reaper, executioner,

hangman, judge and the law

So, tie a yellow ribbon

’round the oak tree on the lawn

But the cavalry’s not comin’

’cause, brother, they’re gone

Battle hymns for the broken

Battle hymns for the misled

Battle hymns for the wretched,

the forgotten and the dead

Battle hymns of redemption,

of solidarity and pride

Battle hymns we will be singing

at the turning of the tide

So, I’m sharpening my shovel

I’m firing the kiln

I’m blind and I am purposeful

A martyr on the hill

The dream you might be dreaming

might be someone else’s dream tonight

I’m the whisperer of misgivings

I’m the fading tail light

I’m the call for retribution

from the back of the smoke filled hall

I’m the vow of bitterness

I’m the poison in the well

I’ve a photographic memory

of the deeds I will avenge

I’m the cold in the river hollow

I’ve a hatpin, I’ve a plan

I don’t care of cause or consequence

Head shaved and body lean

I’m the go-getter, the score settler

I’m the shadow on the green

There’s a flock of blackbirds flying

Nearly ten thousand strong

Who set off this morning

And, brother, they’re gone

Battle hymns for the broken

Battle hymns for the misled

Battle hymns for the wretched,

the forgotten, for the dead

Battle hymns of redemption,

of solidarity and pride

Battle hymns we will be singing

at the turning of the tide

 

Maximum Firepower

 

This one’s for the shoeshine boy

and the farmer in debt

Each string is barbed wire

Each chord is a threat

This blues guy I met

that never had a hit

said, “You don’t gotta be loud, son

to be heavy as shit”

Well, I’m the triggerman, baby

And tonight I’ll prove

that this machine here,

well, it kills fascists too

And don’t be surprised

if the sermon on the mount,

next time is delivered

in a little coffee house

‘Cause somebody here’s

gotta let them know

I doubt it’s me

but here I go

I hit the button

Tape started to roll

The song’s got fire

but it’s got no soul

There’s a lonely stretch of blacktop

between here and home

Drop down into the valley

Piano playin’ in the living room

And when you see the white barn

you’ll know the journey’s through

My dog’s barking in the backseat

’cause he knows it too

You’ll need a fake passport

And fix your disguise

And don’t fire, sugar,

’til you see the whites of their eyes

I turned the other cheek

but now I’m through

The skin you’re in

makes choices for you

I was checking off names

and I came late to dinner

Seems the slices of pie

keep getting thinner and thinner

Brothers and sisters

Rejoice and repent

The landlord’s dead

You can keep the rent

You got twelve fine friends

but one of ‘em’s rotten

There’s a hole out back

ain’t got no bottom

Forty days in the wilderness

Forty sleepless nights

I’m confused, half blind

and sure I’m right

There’s a lonely stretch of blacktop

between here and home

Drop down into the valley

Piano playin’ in the living room

And when you see the white barn

you’ll know the journey’s through

My dog’s barking in the backseat

’cause he knows it too

Officer, please

I won’t be long

Called the radio station

Requested this song

I had my doubts

about what I knew

So, I turned it up

Then it sounded true

Kiss the ring

if the Queen will let you

But come over the fence

and the dogs will get you

On a rope hung the traitor

On a hook hung the meat

You and me are missing persons

’til we’re counted in the streets

So, seize the time

and storm the tower

and come correct

with Maximum Firepower

For the sins of the fathers,

the son he must pay

The Nightwatchman giveth

and he taketh away

Thought hard about this next line,

pretty sure it’s true

If you take a step towards freedom,

it’ll take two steps towards you

So, mister I ain’t scared

and mister I ain’t worried

’cause on that lonely stretch of blacktop

I sit as judge and jury

There’s a lonely stretch of blacktop

between here and home

Drop down into the valley

Piano playin’ in the living room

When you see the white barn

you know the journey’s through

My dog’s barking in the backseat

’cause he knows it too

The clock strikes the hour

Tonight we ride

You’ve got three more seconds

to choose sides

 

Union Song

 

For the fired auto workers

who were twisted, tricked and robbed

to the peasant in Guatemala

in a sweatshop, got your job

And she can’t feed her family

on the pennies that she makes

Meanwhile, the crime rate’s rising

up and down the Great Lake states

Like vegetables left in the field,

the signatures smell rotten

on the contracts and the deeds

that push the race down to the bottom

As they load the rubber bullets,

as they fire another round,

I’m heading into the tear gas,

dig in man, hold your ground

For Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez

who fought in their own time

For our brothers and our sisters

up and down that picket line

For the unnamed and unnumbered

who struggle brave and long

For the union men and women,

standing up and standing strong

Si nos quedemos

Juntos vamos a ganar?  Si

Hit em where it hurts

and bite the hand that feeds

You might get one to three

or probation and a fine

But I know where I’m gonna be

I’m gonna be right on that front line

For Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez

who fought in their own time

For our brothers and our sisters

up and down that picket line

For the unnamed and unnumbered

who struggle brave and long

For the union men and women,

standing up and standing strong

Now dirty scabs will cross the line

while others stand aside and look

But ain’t nobody never got nothin’

that didn’t raise their voice and push

Like the steel worker in Ohio,

the miner in West Virginia,

the teacher in Chicago,

janitor in Mississippi

From the sweatshops of L.A.

to the fields of Mission Flats,

there’s a thunder cloud exploding

and I’m free at last

Like Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez

who fought in their own time

Like our brothers and our sisters,

up and down that picket line

Like the unnamed and unnumbered

who struggle brave and long

Like the union men and women

standing up and standing strong

 

No One Left

 

Each one had a father

There’s no one left

A name and a mother

No one left

Each one had a dream

A prayer on their breath

The world’s gone black

No one left

On the streets of Manhattan,

a dusty wind blows

Letters and wishes

A girl with a rose

On the streets of Baghdad,

a dusty wind blows

Letters and wishes

A girl with a rose

Each one had a father

There’s no one left

A name and a mother

No one left

Each one had a dream

A prayer on their breath

The world’s gone black

No one left

Fire and vengeance

in the New York sky above

Stole my angel

Stole my true love

Fire and vengeance

in the Baghdad sky above

Stole his angel

Stole his true love

I stand on my front porch

I look up at the sky

Will my world go black

in the blink of an eye?

He stands out in the desert

He looks up at the sky

Will his world go black

in the blink of an eye?

Each one had a father

There’s no one left

A name and a mother

No one left

Each one had a dream

A prayer on their breath

The world’s gone black

No one left

Each one had a wish

Each one had a home

Each one had a name

A name and a rose

 

The Dark Clouds Above

 

Never listened to the pain

Never listened to fortune or fame

Never listened to eagle or dove

Never listened to anger or love

But I listen to the dark clouds above

Never answered to the call

Never answered to nothing at all

Never answered when times got rough

Never answered to anger or love

But I answer to the dark clouds above

Never waited for dollar or dime

Never waited for signal or sign

Never waited when they screamed, “Enough”

Never waited for anger or love

But I’m waiting for the dark clouds above

 

Until The End

 

No one knows who gave the orders

No one asks about the crime

No one looks behind the curtain

No one questions why

The only time we got

is right about now

I cross my heart

I take the vow

I’ll never turn

I’ll never bend

I’m with you now

until the end

Tonight’s the test

Tonight’s the time

I am the punishment

that fits the crime

I’ll break the bricks

I’ll pick the locks

I don’t got nothin’

but I’ll give what I got

I’ll never turn

I’ll never bend

I’m with you now

until the end

Ten trials whose outcome’s

all fixed from the start

Nine judges sitting counting

their money in the dark

Eight towers of iron

surround the desert town

On a cold December morning

seven martyrs knocked them down

Six fathers still waiting

for their six sons to come home

Five mothers who know better

and accept that they’re gone

Four years I’ve been hunted,

still I breathe free

Three times I shot the sheriff

and did not spare the deputy

Two prayers I’m praying

until we’re together

One promise I’m keeping,

tonight and forever

I’ll never turn

I’ll never bend

I’m with you now

until the end