once upon our time

in a land far gone

where hate crime’s enforced by state crime

even though they say the land of the free was made for both you and me

well, the girl next door might have cancer

and the hospital nearby’s got the answer, but

she’s never been there, can’t afford healthcare

in the arms of the home of the brave, she’s carried to her grave

marionettes for presidents, strung out on wars

and we’re not sure who’s american anymore

division of church and state is my kind of separatism

spreading god’s love through scare tactics is casual terrorism

and if abortion’s murder, let’s strip that right away, and

who gave women the right to vote anyway?

so many babies

brought into the world today

amongst so many maybes

like maybe they’ll feel loved, be provided for, and have a place to stay

but instead of placing them in loving stable homes

that might not fill the conservative bill

they’re tossed around the foster system like a hot potato

instead of making friends of dorothy

they’re thrown to the tornado

death warrants signed by murderers

who came to power through the back door

is this democracy or a monarchy

what do we hold elections for

you write your personal agenda on a post-it note

and leave the constitution lying on the bathroom floor

this is for the world trade center, for columbine

for oklahoma city and the lost and lonely friends of mine

for ireland, iran, iraq

and the suffering caused by the indian ocean’s attack

for falun gong and the berlin wall

the homeless, the hungry, and slaves to drugs and alcohol

indian, australian, african slaves

native americans whose amber waves of grain

were melted down into white men’s riches

victims of war and for salem’s witches

for boys who were told to act more like boys

and girls who were told to only play with girl toys

the voiceless, forgotten, plagued by disease

god help us please, please, please

maybe one day i’ll stop alternating

between thirteen hours of eating and thirteen hours of sleeping

and do something about it with what i guess could have been a twenty-six hour day

lyrics by jaybrannan