Carpe Diem Ever since I learned to talk I’ve had to censor myself And ever since I learned to walk I’ve had to deal with someone else Telling me where to go, what to do, who to be And I’m so sick of it, I’m just tryna be me And I that know ya’ll can see through this facade America is sicker then the marquise de sade if they value individuals, it seems kinda odd To make us sell our lives to survive, but their god Is the dollar, straight up, and everybody knows it they might not ever say it, but all their actions show it ’s all about the Benjamins, that’s why they sendin' in our friends and our neighbors to die in a war again but one of these day, we’re gonna stop ‘em got the system in my sights, get my guns cockin keep the people rockin, reclaimin the streets bangin on the drums and stompin ya feet So what are we waiting for? It’s like this whole world has gone nuts I’m sick of taking orders, from pigs who think they own us This lifestyle is infantile, it's time to act like grownups Cape Diem - stand up and seize the moment! we’ve got limited options, unlimited potential this is for rockin in your residential it ain’t about college or getting credentials it’s a mission and a mantra for power exponential there's a couple hundred ruling class cats globally with a system of control that extends to you and me but if we could organize ‘n manifest unity it wouldn’t bee so hard for us all to get free, see? It’s just addition , subtraction, it ain’t complicated we’re starving to death amid wealth that we created everybody has the right to food clothes and shelter nobody has the right to stand there and tell ya you’ve got no choice but to die for their dollars this should be obvious, you ain’t gotta be a scholar to know something 's wrong with the way we’ve been livin' and I’m sorry but some things just can’t be forgiven it’s the questions we ask, the questions we forget, and most of all the way that we forget to ask questions standin here looking ‘round wondering why and at the end of the day, I’m left guessin there’s so many things I just can’t understand like why intelligent people do such dumb -------- but I guess it all comes down to the bird in the hand and the 2 in the bush that they think they gon’ get so if you’re sick of taking orders jumpin through hoops scrapin along, just tryna make a livin and if you sick of getting flack for not supporting the troops when all you wanna do is to get ‘em home living then now is the time, like the good Dr. said, for us to take a stand against this injustice tryna speak from my heart, not just from my head and my heart’s telling me the time has come to bust it If one chance in a million is all we’ve got Then that’s the one chance that we’ve got to take Cuz there’s only so far you bend a man before body and soul begin to break we’re already at war, folks are already dyin’ I’d rather die for freedom then for a rich mans oil And in the silence at night i can hear children cryin’ for the planet and the future that our greed has spoiled We’re running out of time, and everyone knows it the oil economy’s a tickin’ time bomb meanwhile ya pave paradise & worship showbiz Ya’ll really won’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone And the devastation, of this american nation won’t surprise anyone beyond these shores it goes back to the line of Dixon - Mason and the rapidly approaching civil war

Matter of Will It’s a matter of will not a question of means cuz the meaning in my words is as plain as the day watching people getting killed by this social machine, ya’ll it’s about what you do – not just what you say people say that they want change but they won’t bleed for it & ya can’t change the world if you won’t change yourself takes a willingness to fight for it, not just a need for it to make a real change and redistribute the wealth it’s the health of the planet at stake, stop fakin! pretty words and platitudes won’t change this It comes down to what you’re giving, not just what you’re takin’ And more then just attitudes have got to shift It takes movement, working together for improvement Extending solidarity across the divides Like mutual aid in our evolution Working together, ya’ll that’s how we survive We gotta build ya’ll (build ya’ll) Fight ya’ll (fight ya’ll) Work together for what’s right ya’ll (allright ya’ll) So let’s move ya’ll (move ya’ll) groove ya’ll (groove ya’ll) make this change and see it through ya’ll! (what?) it’s not about reform, it’s just too big ‘n at the end of the day reform just makes it stronger it’s about unity and stopping these pigs ‘n 8 billion people who won’t take it any longer the whole damn planet is strainin and movin tryna find a way to escape these chains it’s really easy, to build a movement all we need to do is start usin’ our brains this is simple, you can’t fake it forget all the lies that they taught you in school there’s a better life waiting, we just gotta make it and stop letting pigs play us as fools it ain’t about your skin tone, sexuality, or gender it’s all about whether you’ll stand up for your neighbors put down divisions that have made us all strangers and recognize that freedom has to come in all flavors this world is beautiful, it’s worth fighting for but fighting doesn’t always mean with a gun ‘sides ya’ll already know that there’s only 1 war and that’s the class war, already begun this is a call to arms, but arms are for hugging the people that you love and the love that you make so let me set it straight for fools that keep buggin so ya’ll can understand what this change really takes we gotta first: start lookin at our neighbors not as enemies, but as friends in this struggle second: stop acting antisocial remember there’s a world outside of the bubble third: stop voting – it’s a scandal no matter who wins all we taste is defeat fourth: build neighborhood councils, and make real democracy happen in the streets fifth: build a new labor movement and I don’t mean AFL, I mean like the CNT sixth: once we’ve got strong unions we can stop following and set our own beat seven – we all take over the economy collectivize the factories and places that we work eight: in our new social ecology we’ll re-design industry to respect the earth nine: we network our collectives meet our objectives through mutual aid ten: dismantle the government eliminate States and the wars that they made eleven: we eliminate poverty, which won’t be hard once the parasites are gone twelve: you can keep personal property but recognize the world belongs to everyone

“Beautiful” It was like a block party, that covered the whole globe Everybody in the streets singing with they’re whole souls Screamin and dancing, breaking the beat As the walls all around tumbled down in defeat It was beautiful, like nothing that I’ve ever seen When the people woke up and wiped the slate clean Been building for years, distilled from the tears Of a million men slain, sacrificed to fear And then finally, all of a sudden, the damn cracked And the rivers broke free as the walls of the past Crumbled to dust, swept away by the tide And it felt so good, just to be alive It was like the whole world had been scared to breathe And when it all came down you could feel the relief From every living thing everywhere As a shout of pure joy filled the air And it was beautiful I ain’t talking bout protest, it was more then that Not a call for reform, but a victory dance More then celebration it was pure elation A standing ovation for human liberation and all our relations in every nation Breaking the chains of fear and complacence no more wars, no more invasions, self determination, an end to occupations, empires crumble as soldiers desert churches abandoned people know they’re worth Was always based on a pack of lies And justice accepts no compromise and we can finally be who we’ve always been free from the fear of hell and sin and it all begins right here and now it’s just like dancing, we all know how And it’s beautiful Now I’m walkin down the road in the middle of the street Not a car in sight, and everybody I meet Is glad to be alive and kickin it outside a giant black flag flying in the night sky there’s free food an shelter for the homeless folks, little kids in the street playin jump rope The cops are gone, but there is no crime Cuz its impossible to steal what is already mine And when everything is owned by everyone Then there’s nothing to do but just chill and have fun And we’ll all still do what needs to get done But we’re doing it for us, not because someone Is threaten eviction, poverty or jail Playin patriot games or threatinin hell And I can tell in an instant, the difference is clear Between work done for love and work done for fear And it’s beautiful

Queen takes king I met her chillin at this street corner open mic We used to kick it in the mission every Thursday night & it just seemed right when I asked her out we were made for each other, ya’ll I’ve got no doubt It’s positive adjectives about censored verbs, Cuz we fit together just like rhyming words And flying birds couldn’t feel this free Cuz it’s so beautiful what she does to me And it just couldn’t be a coincidence All these serendipitous incidents And I couldn’t have planned it- I plead innocence She makes life seem fresher then dinner mints Now that I’m into this I can hardly wait To see what’s next, I got a friend in fate Cuz I‘ve known it was right from the very first date King takes Queen, you can check my mate Ya’ll I’ve got to be the luckiest man alive, She doesn’t just love me, she make me thrive Helps me be the man that I strive to be And stand up for what is inside of me And she’s everything that I could ask for and more Makes me feel like a king when I’m sick of being poor And trust doesn’t even begin to describe I’ma’ love this lady as long as I’m alive She’s got drive and vision, purpose and passion Her own sense of style, not a slave to fashion I’m not tryna cash in, I’m just speakin my mind She’s the reason I have the strength to climb The obstacles that life drops in my path, So I try to stand up and support her back Let her know that I love her, ‘fore it too late Queen takes King, you can check my mate It’s been a couple of years now, a couple of changes Still we’re a couple in love, not a couple of strangers Out to see the world, facin dangers Livin life to the fullest, wherever it takes us From Dublin to Glasgow to Inverness Walkin through the highlands, dunno what’s next We gonna live this dream, love this life Never look back, no time to think twice Cuz there’s no point livin life in hindsight When there’s so much to see if you keep your mind right And as she’s laying here sleepin beside me I can feel my heart swellin up inside me And I can’t describe how she makes me feel like Pinocchio, love makes me real and it’s all about love, not fear or hate so i don't play games, I respect my mate

Been in the city so long sometimes I forget How incredibly strong the earth trapped under cement Remains, hope for change hangs on a string Getting cut by the chaos that capital brings I advocate organization, so I’m an anarchist animating opposition to anomie that exists in this persistently perpetuated system of shame run by powerful predators who prey on our pain and there ain’t no escape, even the forests can feel the stench of pollution and the sting of their steel they steal souls sell ‘em back, make nice little profit it’s time for atlas to shrug, or better yet to just drop it & when the bass drum hits and the fiddle just sings we can dance like puppets cut loose from our strings take a night to ourselves, put it all in perspective and tomorrow we attack like they never expected. Just move - - - swing ya hips Let me see what ya sayin like I’m reading ya lips Take a dip, dip, dive, love being alive Resistance is fertile; it’s time to thrive I grew up an outsider, misunderstood So I learned to be a fighter, turned the bad into good I’m the type of cat who stops to trees in the park you can’t understand cuz you aint mastered the art Of reallylistenin, your ears deceive you Can you even imagine the way the trees perceive you? And I’m tryna move beyond all my animal fears Speakin on frequencies to high for your ears But all my dogs can hear me, & felines can feel this world is a dream, I’m just keeping it real Howl like Ginsberg, scream at the sky All about the passion, I ain't livin a lie I move like cumulous clouds, strike light lighnin’ Touch earth, get grounded, been accused of inciting Riot and unrest and lust for life And if you can’t feel me you ain’t hearin me right I am the son of the sun, a child of the earth A man on the land, just defendin my turf Cuz I rise with the tides, fall with the rain And return to the source to heal my pain (verse) earth is a candle on the sea in an endless night The odds are impossible but still despite all opposition we thrive, we feel the drive, to reach for the sun just bein alive to scream and dance, to love and live is a much greater gift then any god could give and yet we spend our lives doing jobs we despise and every time I go to work a little part of me dies we’re animals, ya’ll, don’t ever forget and we’ve been domesticated with our own consent and I don’t know if there’s a way for my dogs to change back into wolves, so much remains unknown but I know that we’ve got to try cuz capital kills and I ain’t tryna die and I refuse to go out without a fight the future begins now, let’s start tonight

Supersized walkin in the city an elaborate maze Smoke filled sky above a concrete cage Where we live like animals, waitin’ to die Too afraid to look ‘round and just ask why like cryin on the road to the slaughterhouse These are the things that I think about On the back of the bus, the back of a plane I even crossed the ocean, but it was all the same On the road writing poems like keroac Wonderin how we can take it back I spit fact and dreams, hopes and fears Heir to the struggles of 4 thousand years From pax Romano to pax Americana A pox on both houses, I’m looking for nirvana I don’t mean a mythical place without trouble I mean heaven right here, that’s the point of the struggle what? don’t go actin surprised poor people die for the rich mans lies and you can see it if you look in the politrix eyes and here in America it’s all supersized c’mon ya’ll, we’ve seen this before every few years they start another war invade another nation, bomb another home make more excuses to crack down at home ‘n really I ain’t tryna make it seem too hard Cuz you can see the sky even in prison yards There’s always hope, there’s always a chance It’s like people in wheelchairs learnin to dance cuz nothins impossible, anything can happen And really that’s the reason that I keep rappin The cracks in the pavement where roses grow Life won’t be denied, it just goes to show That even freedom is possible And we could step right over these obstacles ‘cuz YOU – can do anything born without a voice, you can learn to sing it’s like learning to walk learning to run soon as ya learn to talk, the struggles begun cuz we live on our knees, beggin for crumbs and they keep us there at the point of a gun hook ’s all about the big car, big house fake tities, in the blouse rip it open, shake ‘em out so we forget what we were thinking ‘bout! see sex saturates this society, period. as Puritans use it to sell things, a myriad of useless products, headin for the landfill if we really wanted to we'd bring it to a standstill we're in a war never doubt it, see it all the time so let me put it simply, break it down in rhyme: we got supersized lies sold through supersized ads eating supersized burgers gets you supersized fast in a supersized war to get supersized gas for your supersized cars, ya’ll some supersized brats it’s all about consumption, push it to the max what we need is revolution, can you supersize that?

Home I grew up in this concrete wasteland chasin American dreams, didn’t know what I was facin’ Thinking I was free cuz someone said it in a movie Designed to sell a lie about a land of opportunity I’m dead broke, bokra, dirty white trash, At least that what my daddy used to say when I asked Where we came from, why we never had money He’d laugh nervously, though it really wasn’t funny My folks been in america for 10 generations And most of those ten were spent workin plantations sharecroppin, working till they droppin I’m still a wage slave, everyday I have to clock in I’m poor, angry, don’t give a ____ we came here as refugees, out of luck But I still remember where we came from And who forced us out at the barrel of a gun So where is home when our homes are stolen And where do we go, this endless roamin’ Has got me so tired that I’ve got to rest but I can’t relax with a boot on my chest In a nation built on murder, lies and hate We’re all refugees in this settler state My great grandmothers great grandmothers mother was born here This is where I was raised – my rage was forged here Straight up, I’m Californian, west coast to my last breath wouldn’t live anywhere else if I was stayin in the US But after two hundred years, fact is, I’m still an immigrant But I’m not a European, and I can’t claim indigenous So. Where do I go? What does that mean? What do I do about it? I aint tryna raise a fuss, make a scene, or moan about it. But if there’s nowhere I belong then where is my home? Will I remain an exile, condemned to roam? And really, most of us could ask the same question I don’t know the answer ya’ll, I’m just guessin all I know is I’m a Celt, from my skin to bone marrow And I don’t believe in race, that box is too narrow To hold my identity, the entity that is me And all I’m want in life is way we all can be free and where is home when your home is taken it's like this whole world is a reservation sick to death of getting used to keep others oppressed so I refuse to be a pawn with my boot on the chest of another human being who's just dying to live can't take no more, it's time to give If you wanna get free (remember who you are) If you’ve got eyes to see (remember who you are) Then you know the TV (can’t tell you who you are) but if we learned our histories (we might remember who we are) Unless you’re native to america (can you tell me who you are?) Then you’re a guest in america (tryna find out who you are) So everybody in america (who’s forgotten who they are) if you wanna change america (remember who you are) Revolution is more then just burnin ____ and we’re never gonna win without learnin this settler states - from Israel to america - are based on the lie that they gonna take care of ya if you just fit in, forget your past and pretend you feel joy at the cannons blast but we still ain’t free, we’re livin on a slave ship and every four years we vote who holds the whip in this modern day apartheid war machine and what the hell ever happened to Dr. King’s Dream! our schools aren’t integrated, we still live separated you can check your radio, even our music’s segregated we’re easy to control when we’re livin competition measuring ourselves against the television afraid to speak out, always tryna fit in it’s time to take it to the roots and expand our vision

Power Power, violence, blood sweat tears A cancer growing for two thousand years Feeding on our fear and our desperation The power of the State and the Birth of a Nation Screamin at the sky for inspiration But falling back to see the truth I’m facin It’s cold and it’s ugly, it doesn’t care It’s in the food that we eat and the clothes we wear The fabric of a lifestyle drained of meaning Children working till their fingers are bleeding The nightmare that stalks this weary earth The cannibal economy from grave to birth Where the worth of life can be quantified Murder and rape are sanctified Greed and lust are deified And even love is commodified It’s the new religion, the faith of the faithless A net closing in so you can’t escape it The cold of the tome, a knife in the womb A cry of pain and a prophecy of doom the blood of martyrs, consumed by flame human souls, consumed by fame Endless wealth and endless need And their god is nothing but their own greed A machine that feeds on death and destruction A nation consumed by lies and corruption A war with no end, spreading everywhere An empires’ ascension, feeding terror Riot and resistance, rage and hope A spotlight shining on an old blood soaked Flag on a pole like an old scare crow A cry in the night as the ashes glow Burning embers, flames and fire Smoke in the sky, climbing higher Buildings tumble, missiles scream And nobody knows what the hell it means It’s an evil lie, a ridiculous sham, power raging in the heart of man destruction rampant in every land from burning forests to iraqi sand It’s the new religion, the faith of the faithless A net closing in so you can’t escape it The cold of the tome, a knife in the womb A cry of pain and a prophecy of doom the blood of martyrs, consumed by flame human souls, consumed by fame Endless wealth and endless need And their god is nothing but their own greed you better stand up now if you want to change it we don’t have much time left we’re living in a war and you can’t escape it except with your own death and I don’t really know what lies beyond the reach of this mortal life but I know 1 thing about what’s going on and that’s that this ain’t right the battle is joined, the earth is rising the Ents at war, folks realizing that the cage that we’re living in can be dismantled the walls destroyed and it’s keepers trampled riots spreading, the voiceless speaking movements building, not receding a wave of change, a crack in the dam a rising tide, you’d better understand that power gives nothing except by demand make raised fists from your outstretched hands you wanna stand in the light? then claim the sun you wanna live free? well it’s already begun we can stay in the stables like lambs for the slaughter keep fighting their wars and being canon fodder or we can turn our guns on the ones who planned it and reclaim our birthright: the whole damn planet

Up against the wall This is for the fools who wanna tell me how to live All the haters and the tools who’ll take what I’ve got to give But give me nothing back, I got to tell it like it is I’m slow to take offense ya’ll, but I don’t forgive & once you get on my list, you’re not getting off it so ya better not forget this, don’t care what you call it it’s really simple son, don’t be a simpleton I’ll turn the cheek once, after that my sympathy is done And once the line is crossed you can keep your apologies your shoulda coulda woulda's, mighta beens and your wanna be’s don’t you go callin me or sending me no emails stay out my life, I shouldn’t have to give you details stay out my neighborhood, stay out my way I don’t need your hostility, all I got to say Can be summed up succinctly with one simple sentence Mind you’re own business, you don’t want my vengeance this is for the haters and the fakers and the phonies Passive aggressive people and fools in it for the money This is all I’ve got to say to each one of ya’ll either get out the way or get up against the wall This is for the taxman, leechin off my paycheck My fat ol' boss demandin a payback Every chain store that’s charging high prices Usin slave labor right now as I write this This is for the landlord, taking all my cash Never works at all- he's just kickin back got a management company doing all the work Just another fat parasite, acting like a jerk Completely typical bourgeoisie Claims he works so hard, all he’s got he took from me And I just can’t be who ya’ll telling me to be at the end of the day, all I wanna be is me And I’m tryna be free, like a caged bird singing All I see is bars but in my mind ya’ll I’m winging Singin this brand new but very old song wondering why change has gotta take so long it’s a global system, with global victims That’s why the fight to end it is a global mission They call it globalism or globalization it’s the same old story in every nation People who never really work get paid While the people who do all the work get caged wanna know how the wealth of the world got made? It was built on the backs of serfs and slaves And I’m sick of taking orders, sick of sellin my life Sick of always livin up under the knife Wonerin how I’m gonna pay my bills And it’s not just me, this whole system is ill we got 8 billion people livin on this planet a couple hundred runnin things, ‘n that’s how they planned it this ain’t no accident, it’s not just fate so ya’ll better stand up ‘fore it’s too late

When the Floods Come Night sky deep blue, not a star in sight As the cloud in the sky reflect back the light Of street lamps and headlights, pinpricks of brilliance To mimic the stars that they’ve hidden as the resilience Of the natural world is stretched past breaking And when I touch the ground I feel the earth shaking We’re riding the whirlwind, reaping devastation And how much longer can we stay complacent? It’s one thing to sell ourselves out of fear And another to sell the whole world, didn’t you hear? The ice caps are melting, the oceans are rising And as I look at this mess ya’ll, I’m realizing It won’t be long till we’re living underwater And you’d think that we hated our sons and daughters Cuz we’re selling their future to the money machine It’s just the tip of the iceberg in New Orleans When the floods come… …Where you gon’ run? What you doin? When the floods come… …How you gonna cope with the ruin? When the floods come … … how you gonna feed your children? When the floods come… … assuming that the waters haven’t drowned them.. this ain’t exaggeration, it’s cold hard reality the way that we’re livin’ causes these fatalities and I mean here and now, I’ve lived in these streets where poor people freeze to death, and the beat that I’m hearing in my sleep is a war drum pounding we’re at war with the earth and it’s simply astounding we’re drowning in luxury, financed on debt enslaving the nations around us – and yet over half of americans say they’re depressed sick of their meaningless lives and the quest for conspicuous consumption, bulimic brutality that would eat the whole earth if we let it, in reality most of us would rather have time for our families then spend our whole lives tryna earn a salary but the rat race we’re livin in won’t let us relax until the floods wash it all away in a flash When the floods come… … and the clocks all stop When the floods come… …and you can’t rely on the cops When the floods come… …and wash away the lies you believed When the floods come… … will you be scared or relieved? Do you know you’re neighbors? Do they got your back? Will you work together when you’re under attack? Or will it all dissolve into each for themselves? Murder and rape, and gods know what else? Will you fight for each other like Anarchists? Or will you prey on each other, like Capitalists? It’s up to you, up to me, up to all of us together when the floods come it’s more then just bad weather It’s the direct result of the lives that we’re livin Of the way that we treat poor people with derision How we allow corporation to pollute with impunity Clear-cut the forests, and colonize communities A culture that would rather drive fancy cars Than breath clean air or look at the stars Of a global empire, built on destruction And the way we consume like we had no other function When the floods come… … and all that we can trust is each other When the floods come… … we’d better learn to share with one another When the floods come… … it’s up to us to set right this evil When the floods come… … so I’ll be in the streets with my people

A month of storms - april 10 2006 Going out with my lady Exploring our new neighborhood We just escaped from San Francisco rents And it’s good to be back in the east bay Under blue skies On a day without rain In a month of storms Guard dog in the used car lot see us walking by and runs over to the fence Doesn’t bark, has his tail between its legs And whines for us to come over Dog eyes tell me plain as words He’s lonely doesn’t get enough to eat, ribs are showing Dirty greasy fur. Neglected. Beaten Crying for love Pet him through the bars of the fence and he Does it’s best to nuzzle my hand Through solid steel And I wonder if This is man’s best friend How does man treat his enemies? But I can’t fix it And I can’t take him home with me So I pat his head one last time and keep walking Walking home after dinner Admiring the city lights Laughing aout random trivialities Nothing important when a frail, tired voice from the shadow says Please, can you help? Anything helps And his hand extends a copy of street spirit He is: tired old man Should be resting in front of his fireplace with his grandchildren Instead he’s Begging for scraps from passers by Trying desperately to stay alive I stop and open my wallet, hand him a dollar it’s not much but I know that if I gave a dollar to every homeless person I would soon be homeless myself he thanks me and points to the headline says this is last months paper but it’s very important, please read it his voice filled with sorrow like no one should ever have to carry it’s an article about a recent string of brutal murders mostly elderly & frail homeless people the kind that the channel seven news, with all it’s sensationalist violence never bothers to report on and my stomach knots up so tight I have to stop walking and I feel my eyes fill with tears because there’s so little I can do and somebody has to do something gods only know what all I know is, every time I pass by someone who needs my help and don’t help them I can feel myself die a little inside A part of my humanity torn away And my soul left as brutalized as The old woman in the article Who was beaten to death by A group of young men about my age Looking for “something to do” And I don’t know how humans can live in a world like this A society like this An economy like this Where survival means Denying our own humanity And not go as crazy as I feel right now Sitting on a fire hydrant on the street corner Choked with rage and sorrow and eyes streaming tears And in some perfect world I, and the old man, and the dog all get to go home to someplace warm with people who love us and sleep peaceful dreams on full bellies but this is no perfect world and I am the only one who gets to go home someplace warm with someone who loves me but I cannot sleep I cannot bear the dreams that come Reminding me of Those I’ve left outside in the cold I walk the blocks back to where he still stands waiting and Give him more then I can afford to give Knowing I cannot afford not too one absurdly small drop in a very big bucket He thanks me and gives me a hug And I know that for him at least A drop can make a difference As I go home and wait For the storms that must surely come

Alarm clock ringin, another day bringin, The pain and the joy and the pure bliss of bein’ sunlight in the window, the blinds are down as I drift I feel the earth spinning round I got to wake up, so much to accomplish But I guess it all depends on how much I want it And some days it’s not worth getting up Cuz I don’t want to deal with a world this messed up So I close my eyes, dream it away, put my life off for another day livin in a nation in hibernation we can’t change our lives, it's hard to even face ‘em & when I walk out my door and look around, I get scared out my mind at the things going down so instead we’re living like souls on ice cuz to really get up we’d have to wake up twice cityscape skyline, clouds on the water no fish in the bay, the water’s getting hotter but there’s a few forests left, a few places of peace where a man can still go to escape the beast and in the sunlight and shadows, the greens and browns with life and death and rebirth all around it’s a little bit easier to find myself when I don’t have to think ‘bout anyone else and it’s the wind in the trees, the fates I defy and the earth underneath & the stars in the sky paths and trails, rivers and streams the way that the sun on a mountain lake gleams reflect on reflection, indulge in introspection Measure myself up, try to pass inspection Work on my mental, physical, emotional health All to try and find courage to keep being myself Actually the tragedy happens haphazardly The devious dodgy and – dammit – even dastardly Demonstrably untrustworthy side To every single man that’s lurkin inside The part of me that thinks I can make it alone And I just can’t postpone the day that I atone gotta make my peace now, with myself for the sake of my soul my own mental health It’s all right to be angry, it’s ok to cry And it’s perfectly normal to sit and wonder why Why are people hungry when so much food goes to waste? Why are people homeless when we can explore space? Who’s left to protect the powerless and poor, When the wealth of the world gets wasted on war? And most of all, what am I really doin’ To make something beautiful rise from the ruins?

I am the druid in the grove, the rebel in the woods The revolutionary, very misunderstood But speaking out still, I didn’t come to kill I came to resurrect the history they steal there’s more then meets the eye when the sun touches sky the rabbit in the grass and the eagles cy we can’t die, if our words are still quoted that’s the power of the mc, the bard, and the poet the power of memory, past is present-tense and I can see down the centuries, all the evidence of the most colossal crime since the birth of time the destruction of nations, it would be hard to find a worse way for humans to treat one another then a system like this where we consume each other and I remember the way things used to be when the earth and the people both lived free I am a celt, the son of the moon and the stars The rebels in the mountains, the poets and the bards The will to cry freedom and call down the gods & prevail in the end, against all odds I speak to the trees cause they know how to listen This music goes deep, to the first rhymes written ya see - Rhyme is memory, distilled, To help folks with nothing, build From the limerick game to the rap hall of fame all around the world it remains the same rhyme & reason, inextricably linked cuz rhyme was invented to make people think Remember and reflect as my words reconnect While ya’ll rhyming for a paycheck, comin out ya neck Use your cranium, the word skull means sky ‘cause the sun that shrines down enlightens you and I We could fly if we wanted to, the world is open And I’ma cry if I want to, my heart is broken the gun is still smoking, as the strength of man fails We had a different existence when we lived beyond the pale I am the whisper in the wind, the ripple in the grass, The chill down your spine as time rolls past I am the shadow on the moon, the sound of the trees The scent of the spring as it floats on the breeze I am the frost in the air, the sun on the snow the music in the water of the river as it flows the salmon in the stream, the oak in the grove The acorn on the ground as it sprouts roots and grows the white stag fleeing from hunter and the hunter himself who represents man mortality fleeing because life is fleeting But life is eternal, which is why it has meaning Death cannot hold me, I am sun I am earth I am helpless but powerful, a treasure whose worth Defies all measurement, subsumes all counting the darkness eternal in the roots of the mountains I am a wave on the ocean I am the roar of the sea I am an ox of seven exiles I am a hawk on a cliff I am a tear of the sun I am a turning in a maze I am a boar in valour I am a salmon in a pool I am a lake on a plain I am a dispensing power I am a spirit of skillful gift I am a creative god giving inspiration! Who else clears the stone of the mountains? Who is it who declaims the suns arising Who is it that tells the sun where to set? Who brings cattle from the house of tethra Upon whom do the cattle of tethra smile? Who is this ox? Who is the weaving god who mends the thatch of wounds? The incantation of the spear, of the wind!