How Can I Still Be Patriotic (When They’ve Taken Away My Right to Cry)

[Verse 1]
First, they took away my income
To build themselves a great bomb
Then, they took away my possessions
The trumpet I used to write this song
They took away my children
For some pests, some, uh, some sort of mental tests

[Chorus]
They took away my dreams
When they allowed advertising
In the night sky
So how can I still be patriotic
When they've taken away my right to cry?

[Verse 2]
They took away my puppies
And jettisoned them into space
The guys on TV said it was okay
But you could see the blankness in their face
They left me with my shotgun
But they took away my right to shoot myself
Come on, folks, that's not fair

[Chorus]
They took away my dreams
When they allowed advertising
In the night sky
So how can I still be patriotic
When they've taken away my right to cry?

[Verse 3]
They left me alone with my thoughts
Rotting in a padded cell
The padding that was used to mop the latrine
Made that heaven a hell
They left me a wall to bang my head on
But- But they- They- they took away my right to feel

[Chorus]
They took away my dreams
When they allowed advertising
In the night sky
So how can I still be patriotic
When they've taken away my right to cry?
So how can I still be patriotic
When they've taken away my right to cry?