ANTI-FLAG - TURNCOAT

TURNCOAT! KILLER! LIAR! THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

Go!

State’s lies dressed up as evening news,
We’re tired of lies we want the truth.
Broadcast by corpses courting you,
We’re tired of lies we want the truth.
Most people they will never know,
We’re tired of lies we want the truth.
With you or against you?
Then I am against you because you’re a…

TURNCOAT! KILLER! LIAR! THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

TURNCOAT! KILLER! LIAR! THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

In your corner,
Makes me wanna,
Douse myself in gasoline!
Civil servants fall in line for you,
Too brainwashed to see the truth!
You use anyone you can!

Whoa!
Whoa
Whoa

TURNCOAT! KILLER! LIAR! THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

TURNCOAT! KILLER! LIAR! THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the …

KILLER!

LIAR!

A TURNCOAT! and a THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

A TURNCOAT! and a THIEF!
Criminal with protection of the law!

Two songs, as relevant in 2008 as they were in 1992 (when the album came out), if not earlier, when I’d see 4 Non Blondes playing at the I-Beam in the Haight.

4 NON BLONDES - DEAR MR. PRESIDENT

I’m looking outside of my windows
The view that I see
Is a child and mama
And the child is begging for money

Tell me why, tell me why
The woman is blind is she so broke
The kid’s dealing crime

It’s such a beautiful city
But the world is burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
It’s such a beautiful city
But the world is it burning down

I go to my room to turn on the T.V
I sit myself down
And I start laughing hard
‘Cause this man he’s asking for money
He sats “if you send me lots of cash I’ll send you
Stuff to make you rich fast”

It’s such a wonderful country
But the man he’s burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
It’s such a wonderful country
But the man he’s burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
And it’s burning down
And it’s called the U.S of A.

One day I’m going to have lots of money
But I’ll have to give up
For this rich society
Oh please Mr. President will you lend me a future
‘Cause you’ll just get it back
From the little blind woman
With the kid on the corner
And the people all over, doin’ crack

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
It’s such a wonderful country
But the man he’s burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
And it’s burning down
And it’s called the U.S of A.

I’m walking outside on a sunny day
With no one around
And I wonder what’s wrong
The I hear this loud piercing siren
Oh my God, the bomb has just dropped
And everybody climbed right on top
Screaming, what a wonderful country
But the man he’s burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
It’s such a wonderful country
But the man he’s burning it down

Yea yea yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea yea yea yea
And it’s burning down
And it’s called the U.S of A.

4 NON BLONDES - WHAT’S UP

Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?

And I say hey, yeah, yeah, hey yeah, yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say hey, yeah, yeah, hey yeah, yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?

And I try, oh my God do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my God do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution

And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?

And I say hey, yeah, yeah, hey yeah, yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say hey, yeah, yeah, hey yeah, yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?

And I say hey, yeah, yeah, hey yeah, yeah yeah yeah!
I said hey, what’s going on?

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get that great big hill of hope
For a destination.

JOHNNY CASH - GOD’S GONNA CUT YOU DOWN

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut ‘em down
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut ‘em down

Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head’s been wet with the midnight dew
I’ve been down on bended knee talkin’ to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel’s feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, “John go do My will!”

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut ‘em down

Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut ‘em down

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin’ in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What’s done in the dark will be brought to the light

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut you down

Words by Langston Hughes, from Jericho-Jim Crow: A Song-Play (1963)

TANYA DONELLY - PRETTY DEEP

Do I look like a liar
Do I look like a liar to you
Fighting crime in this time brings a girl down
Makes a body sink so low
And I sink pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep
I sink pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep
I wish I carried a camera
I’d have proof that you’re never where you say
I wish I could fly up in a helicopter
I’d shine a blinding light on your escape
Better to show you
That I’ll sink pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep
I’ll sink pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep

Do I look like a crier
Do I look like a cry baby to you
Fighting fire in this town wears a man out
Makes a body break so slow
Remember when we all went out to fire island
You thought you saw a body on the beach
When we got closer it was just a tire
And you were disappointed I could see
So I pretended
And now I’m in pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep
I’m in pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep
Everything I ever learned is wrong so long so what
Pretty deep, pretty deep, pretty deep

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

  — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American Poet.