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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
And we can't get away
There's a riot on Sunset
And fires burn in the parkLyrics
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've 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 the sun will come up
For something walks across these fields
For which there is no name
You might have heard different
But I was there when it came
It will start with a spark
And a great fire will grow
Don't know how I know it
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
. . .
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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 manLyrics
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
. . .
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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
Lyrics
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
. . .
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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 I was burned in the heat
But the road I must travel
Its end I cannot see
LyricsI crossed the frozen wasteland
And 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 me
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
. . .
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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 seeLyrics
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
. . .
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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
Came today in the mail
It's in the dead man's pocket
It's in the child's first sinLyrics
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
(chorus):
Now we could cut and run
To have the blame
Now, 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
(chorus)
It's in the moon's dark spin
It's in the cloudless sky
It's in Saint Peter's denial
That he thrice denied
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
And you might get the same
It's in bold print nailed to the cathedral door
It's in the black cold pressure
On the ocean floor
(chorus)
. . .
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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 faithLyrics
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
. . .
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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 thoseLyrics
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
. . .
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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 hereLyrics
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
Maximum Firepower (continued)
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
And 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
. . .
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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 rottenLyrics
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
. . .
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(chorus):
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 ManhattanLyrics
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
(chorus)
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
(chorus)
I stand out 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
(chorus)
Each one had a wish
Each one had a home
Each one had a name
A name and a rose
. . .
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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 aboveLyrics
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
. . .
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No one knows who gave the orders
No oneasks about the crime
No one looks behind the curtains
No one questions why
The only time we got
Is right about now
I cross my heart
I take the vow
Ill never turn
Ill never bend
Im with ya now
until the end
Tonights the test
Tonights the time
I am the punishment
That fits the crime
Ill break the bricks
ill pick the locks
i dont got nothing
Lyricsbut ill give what i got
Ill never turn
Ill never bend
Im with ya now
until the end
10 trials whose outcome
all fixed from the start
9 Judges sitting countin
there money in the dark
8 towers of iron
surrond the desert town
on a cold December mornin
7 martyrs knock them down
6 fathers still waiting
for there sons to come home
5 mothers who know better
and accept that there gone
4 years ive been hunted
still i breathe free
3 times i shot the sherriff
and did not spare the deputy
2 prayers im prayin
until were togther
1 promise that im keeping
tonight and forever
Ill never turn
Ill never bend
Im with ya now
until the end
. . .
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