[Verse 1]
Give me liberty or give me death
No truer words have ever been said
Well are you prepared for your very last breath?
Don't you dare start what you cannot finish
[Pre-Chorus 1]
So when we face, face the adversary
No longer are we the minority
[Verse 2]
And when history repeats her hour
The pendulum will swing, swing into power
Though not in vain like our forefathers
Freedom never had no room for cowards
[Pre-Chorus 2]
For in the end, there will be equality
By any means necessary
[Chorus]
The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same hand
[Verse 3]
What's it gonna take to liberate?
An emancipation, a false proclamation?
All these token words that you legislate
Sound a little bit absurd and a little too late
[Pre-Chorus 3]
When a house is divided, it just will not stand
Once it's decided, a line drawn in the sand
[Chorus]
The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same hand
[Guitar Solo]
[Refrain]
The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
[Chorus]
The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be held, held by the same hand
Ballot or the Bullet was written by Gary Cherone & Alex Van Halen & Eddie Van Halen & Michael Anthony (Bassist).
Ballot or the Bullet was produced by Mike Post & Eddie Van Halen.
Van Halen released Ballot or the Bullet on Tue Mar 17 1998.