Sorry gang, it's another protest song, but I swear to you that I started writting it before I read any of your submissions. Apologies in advance to the Celt who thought that Spadge's song made America look bad. I was no kinder, but please read the disclaimer at the bottom before responding.
Made in America
See the whirley birds descend
Flatten grass and bend the corn
Underbellies bore the phrase
This bird was made in America
See the soldiers clear the land
Towns abandoned to hands with cash
Muzzle flashes light the label
This gun was made in America
Angels and demons in your house
Demons beat the lame and rob the poor
All the angels close their eyes
Block out the cries and buy some more
See the coca fields in blosom
Growing poison to feed our children
Displaced wilderness subsistance
To make way for America
See the factory process the harvest
From the harmless make the toxic
Impossible if it were not for
Chemicals imported from America
Angels and demons in your house
Demons beat the lame and rob the poor
All the angels close their eyes
Ignore the cries and buy some more
See our neighbours armed againsts us
To crush the only second chance we got
War on Drugs fought by national
Soldiers trained by America
See the smoke rise from the fields
Signal that we're left with nothing
Signal that the deed is done
Signal that its time to move on
See treasure ships unfurl their sails
Sail off to fill their cargo holds as
Nation after nation founders
In the wake of America
Angels and demons in your house
Rob the poorest of the poor
Angels barely done digesting
Don't ask the question, just ask for more
Conquistadors without faces
Nameless vagrants we become
Why do you need an opiate
When your hearts and minds are already numb?
God bless America
First of all, let me stress that I'm not anti-American. I'm from Canada, America's neighbor, ally, trading partner, etc... All the G8 nations share the blame for what our corporations are doing in the developing world. However, the fact remains that, to most of the world, America is a symbol for all developed nations, so I used that symbol in this song.
This song is a true story, and unfortunately an all too typical story, about a Latin American family that is pushed off their land by some multinational using American made helicopters and guns. Moving further into the jungle, the family resorts to growing coca for the drug trade, manufacturing cocaine using chemicals made in America. The last part, about the soldiers trained by America I added to the story, but it is true that the US is going to other countries and training that country's soldiers to fight the war on drugs there on their behalf.
I had to write about this because it made me so angry that we were making money off of every step of this family's misery, and then sending in the family's countrymen to clean up the mess for us.
If you would like to hear the song, you can download or stream it at:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/growlandmusic.htm
Ice cream is a dish best served cold.
Hi SlowPlay,
This is just outstanding :D , excellent job.
Good job, heavy stuff. I'm getting really depressed reading everyone's posts this week!
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
SlowPlay,
No apoligies necessary.
One of the great things about living in a free society is having the ability to criticize the Government.
I've never been a " My country right or wrong" type of guy.
My view has been if my country is doing wrong I want it corrected,
or better yet don't do wrong in the first place.
Anyways on to your song. It reminds me of a song by another Canadian.
Here comes the helicopter
The second time today
Everybody scatters and hopes it goes away
How many kids they've murdered only
God can say
If I had a rocket launcher...I'd make somebody pay.
If I Had A Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockburn
Guess I going to be looking up some stuff I hadn't thought of in awhile
on the Tablature sites.
Good Job
Celt
Hey, the Celt.
That's funny... I was thinking I might be borrowing a bit too much from another Bruce Cockburn song, And They Call It Democracy. I never made the connection to Rocket Launcher until you pointed it out.
Ice cream is a dish best served cold.
That was good and oh so very true. And thats so sad and amazing all at the same time. Its unreal how this world is. Good job!!
Aeryn K. McAvan
You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
Life is not about what I've done, what I should've done, what I could've done. Its about what I can do and what I will do.
I wish I had more to say than "good job" that I have been justly faulted for. But I think this is a really good song and would have nothing to change. I didn't read any posts this week before I posted mine, so I wouldn't be influenced (I'm so weak :lol: ) Again, we seem to kinda be on the same page, neat! G.
Nice Lyrics slowplay :lol: really like the message in that piece. It seems like i missed out on alot this week cause i was away. did someone stir up some contraversy? :? and can i spell contraversy?
Hey everyone, thanks for the comments and compliments.
I didn't read any posts this week before I posted mine, so I wouldn't be influenced (I'm so weak )
Rocket, I know the feeling. I have to deliberately ignore the forums until I've firmly established the direction of my song. As we saw, I was already influenced enough by Bruce Cockburn without reading all the great posts that were already up (and I'm not even a huge Cockburn fan, although I have tremendous respect for him and his work).
Did someone stir up some contraversy?
GuerillaCharlie, no, there was no controversy that I was aware of, I was just soft peddling so that I didn't start one. :wink:
And thanks too to all my neighbors to the south who didn't flame me. I promise to write an incendiary song about Canada soon; there's plenty of material. :D
Ice cream is a dish best served cold.
Liked the lyrics. I agree with you about america, and I live here! I know it's sad, but true. There's a lot I don't agree with about america, and the whole world for that matter, but I don't want to bitch about it right now, so I'll save my feul for my songs. Again, great song. Keep it up!
There's a thin fine line between hate and rage.
Now watch the line be crossed and break!
