Silence and Lies

Came home from school to the war on TV
Looked at the soldiers and thought I saw me
Looked at the children and saw my own face
I saw myself dying all over the place

I saw myself hiding and shaking with fear
Desperately wondering how I got here
From the seat on my bus to my mother’s front door
To my shock I had come home right into a war

Chorus: So many years and we’re back here again
Wasn’t anyone listening then
Are we listening now have we joined the debate
Our Gulf of Tonkin, our Watergate
Our 9/11, our own demise
No more silence and lies

I could see the young man who’s number was up
I could see the girl pleading and shaking a cup
Her mother beside her missing a leg
A field, landmine, a reason to beg

A reason to cower, a reason to fight
A reason to question who’s wrong and who’s right
To raise up a rifle and sharply take aim
To find myself caught in the midst of a game

Iraq, Southeast Asia, this city or town
Whether your skin is red, yellow or brown
White as a sheet or black as the night
Why are we always so ready to fight?

Fighting for freedom or claiming the soil
Power, cheap labor, rubber or oil
Raising a child or raising a fist
Will you stand up for your right to resist?