Tag: urban folk

Somebody Else’s War (Protest Song)

SOMEBODY ELSE’S WAR

words and music by Romesh Senewiratne-Alagaratnam Arya Chakravarti

 

They point ahead and their whisper in our ears

They say they’ll show their grand illusion here

Their plan to make the whole world ‘true’

The new world they were born to rule

They point ahead but they tell us to stand here

They point ahead but they tell us to stand here

 

They never try to hide

With blinkered eyes they ride

While there in every land

Are scheming men with plans

 

Fighting in somebody else’s war

What’s right what’s wrong and what’s the law

Familiar rooms and shady deals

Secret handshakes with official seals

They’re fighting in somebody’s corridor

 

So tell me why is it so that their eyes never show

A simple sign of interest, don’t tell me that they do their best

So what do you think that their next crime will be

Another bomb in the Middle East, they put it to the test

 

So battle done, wars been won

The lights come on but the dark is here to stay

And everyone can have a say

And it’s so easy now If we don’t all get blown away

Everyone can have a say

And it’s so easy now, if we don’t all get blown away.

 

Composed in 1989

Recorded in 2006

And still not blown up.

 

Walking Down the Fine Line (protest song)

WALKING DOWN THE FINE LINE

 

Walking down the fine line in an age of confusion

Walking down the fine line between truth and illusion

 

They argue for war, but if they’d seen what we saw

They break the law, but we’re not the fools they take us for

Though we’re walking down the fine line,

We’re walking down the fine line

 

Even the church has backed away

From the debate of the day

“Not a just war this time”, they say

“Not worth the price we’d have to pay”

Even the rabid warmongers wait

 

They don’t want to be viewed with hate

But they quietly terrorise the state

With warnings that time is getting late

 

And we’re walking down the fine line

We’re walking down the fine line

As politicians raise the alarm

The people are frightened of the calm

The bishop reads another psalm

And searches for words to serve as a balm

As more people march for peace

The prisoners and captives will be released

As shackles are disregarded and destroyed

Along with the army’s brand new toys

Maybe the generals will be detained For crimes against humanity and acid rain

The generals have had their day

Now it’s time to find a better way

They don’t care how many they slay

The priest commands the congregation to pray

But there’s got to be a better way, there’s got to be a better way

The taxman say’s we’ve got to pay

For the troops and the war and the games they play

But there’s got to be a better way

There’s got to be a better way.

 

(Words and music by Romesh Senewiratne-Alagaratnam Arya Chakravarti, 2003)

Guitars, bass, percussion and vocals by Romesh