An original arrangement of a traditional Appalachian tune. The melody was originally written to celebrate the Liberty of the 13 colonies after they declared independence from England. We re-worked it to be about the connections between American foreign policy and the rise of authoritarianism at home. As Emma Goldman said, how can America claim to export democracy when there is no democracy in America?
lyrics
Liberty
Abacha, Amin, Banzer, Stroesener,
Christiani, Doe, Oliviera, Duvalier
Martinez, Mobotu, Ozal, Bolkiah,
the list goes on and on america
Once upon a time it was all about the rhyme
but now, somehow, it's all about crime
like we're all doing time, and yet we keep building prisons
and I can't understand what ya'll think we're getting
for our money, ain't it funny how we set our priorities?
paying pigs to oppress the poor and minorities?
while the biggest criminals all get re-elected
I could be naïve, but somehow I expected
more from america – the 'land of the free'
where life has a price and freedom has a fee
some of ya'll might say that i'm unrealistic
cuz I can't make peace with this system sadistic
ya'll might have missed it, if you weren't paying attention
the american gulags indefinite detentions
bear a striking resemblance to something we've seen before:
the fascists they've been fundin' since the second world war.
suharto, pinochet, franco, the shah,
batista, diem, musharaf, salazar,
marcos, noriega, trujillo, husseain,
all funded by our government, killing in our name
most things are very simple, unless they're complex
this world ain't black and white ya'll, it's all context
take black and white: why assume we're always opposites?
It's much more productive to focus on stoppin' this
cycle of violence and intimidation
where we define eachother by our color, nation,
station in life, who we love, or by religion
instead of understanding that the world that we live in
is big enough for all of us - make some room!
there's no excuse for the way a minority consumes
most of the worlds wealth while millions are starving
it's like they're tryna create jobs in headstone carvin.
property is theft, we don't own this earth
and governments are just gangs, fightin over turf
in the mafia military, industry of war
the thin red line between the rich and the poor
Botha, Branco, Cedras, Cerezo,
Fahd, Hassan, Papa Doc, Cordova,
Papadopoulos, Pol Pot, and Chung Hee
all butchers funded in the name of Liberty
now you tell me, does that sound like democracy?
You'd have to be a zombie not to see the hypocrisy
you can't support freedom by funding tyrants
and free speech ain't free if it sounds like silence
why is it news that Paris Hilton's drunk driving?
but it's not news that the war machine is thriving?
people starving in our streets don't even make the back page
cuz some celebrity sex scandal's all the rage
they say dissent is terrorism, peace is unpatriotic
& ya'll fall for this ish! It's so idiotic
listen: 'our government' isn't our government
it answers to the rich, you and I just pay the rent.
They sell endless war, endless fear,
endless consumption, but the end is near
no matter how many crimes they commit in her name
liberty will be reborn like a phoenix from the flame