Desolation Row Revisited

"Stories Of The Street"

The stories of the street are mine,the Spanish voices laugh.
The Cadillacs go creeping down through the night and the poison gas,
and I lean from my window sill in this old hotel I chose,
yes one hand on my suicide, one hand on the rose.
I know you've heard it's over now and war must surely come,
the cities they are broke in half and the middle men are gone.
But let me ask you one more time, O children of the dusk,
All these hunters who are shrieking down oh do they speak for us?

And where do all these highways go, now that we are free?
Why are the armies marching still that were coming home to me?
O lady with your legs so fine O stranger at your wheel,
You are locked into your suffering and your pleasures are the seal.

The age of lust is giving birth, and both the parents ask
the nurse to tell them fairy tales on both sides of the glass.
And now the infant with his cord is hauled in like a kite,
and one eye filled with blueprints, one eye filled with night.

O come with me my little one, we will find that farm
and grow us grass and apples there and keep all the animals warm.
And if by chance I wake at night and I ask you who I am,
O take me to the slaughterhouse, I will wait there with the lamb.

With one hand on the hexagram and one hand on the girl
I balance on a wishing well that all men call the world.
We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky,
and lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye.

Leonard Cohen

The Butcher
Leonard Cohen

I came upon a butcher,
He was slaughtering a lamb,
I accused him there
With his tortured lamb.
He said, Listen to me, child,
I am what I am and you, you are my only son.

Well, I found a silver needle,
I put it into my arm.
It did some good,
Did some harm.
But the nights were cold
And it almost kept me warm,
How come the night is long?

I saw some flowers growing up
Where that lamb fell down
Was I supposed to praise my Lord,
Make some kind of joyful sound?
He said, Listen, listen to me now,
I go round and round
And you, you are my only child.

Do not leave me now,
Do not leave me now,
I'm broken down
From a recent fall.
Blood upon my body
And ice upon my soul,
Lead on, my son, here's your world.

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll


William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll

With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger

At a Baltimore hotel society gathering

And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him

As they rode him in custody down to the station

And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder

But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain’t the time for your tears



William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years

Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres

With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him

And high office relations in the politics of Maryland

Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders

And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling

In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking

But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain’t the time for your tears



Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen

She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children

Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage

And never sat once at the head of the table

And didn’t even talk to the people at the table

Who just cleaned up all the food from the table

And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level

Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane

That sailed through the air and came down through the room

Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle

And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger

But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain’t the time for your tears



In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel

To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level

And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded

And that even the nobles get properly handled

Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em

And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom

Stared at the person who killed for no reason

Who just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’

And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished

And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance

William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence

Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Bury the rag deep in your face

For now is the time for your tears

Bob Dylan
Copyright © 1964, 1966 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1992, 1994 by Special Rider Music

Entertaining and illuminating recent interview.
https://bobdylan.com/news/qa-with-bill-flanagan/

very good, new to me..

My Life

My life was once a joy to me,
Never knowing, I was growing, everyday.
My life was once a toy to me,
And I wound it and I found it ran away.
So I raced through the night
with a face at my feet, like a god I would write,
All the melodies were sweet, and the women were white.
It was easy to survive, my life was so alive.

My life was once a flag to me
And I waved it and behaved like I was told.
My life was once a drag to me
And I loudly, and I proudly, lost control
I was drawn by a dream
I was loved by a lie, every serf on the scene
Begged me to buy.
But I slipped through the scheme
So lucky to fail
My life was not for sale.

My life is now a myth to me
Like the drifter, with his laughter in the dawn.
My life is now a death to me
So I'll mold it and I'll hold it till I'm born
So I turned to the land
Where I'm so out of place
Throw a curse on the plan
In return for the grace
To know where I stand
Take everything I own
Take your tap from my phone
And leave my life alone
My life alone.

Phil Ochs

I've Got the Profiteering Blues
Lyrics: Al. Wilson

Music: Irving Bibo
Year: 1920

I'm feeling sad, I'm feeling bad,
I went to see my doctor today,
The doctor said, "Your trouble's gone to your head,
And you must take my advice right away.
I know just what's wrong with you,
Medicine will never do,
I've had a lot of patients with the same complaint."
When he told me what was wrong,
I thought that I would faint,
I've got the...

(CHORUS:)
Profiteering blues, I've got the profiteering blues,
High prices make me sick for, all my chothes are worn through,
I'll have to dress like Adam, but what else can I do,
I've got the profiteering blues, I can't afford to buy a pair of shoes,
Ev'ry time I get a raise I laugh with glee,
Then along come my landlord and takes if from me.
It seems the more I make the more they take,
I've got the profiteering blues, blues.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
Long, long ago, prices were low,
That is like a dream now to me,
A little pay, would go a very long way,
A loaf of bread now is a luxury,
I'm disgusted through and through,
Here's what I would like to do,
Just like Rip Van Winkle,
I would like to sleep,
Until the cost of living once again is cheap.

(CHORUS)

(MEDLEY:)
Do you remember when prices were low?
Oh, that seems so long long ago.
And gone are the days when free lunches went with beers,
Those memories just fill my eyes with tears.
Oh, where are the steaks that cost a quarter?
Nobody knows, Oh, nobody knows.
And where is the pure milk without the water,
Oh that was when we were so young Maggie,
When ten bucks a week was big pay.
But that pay today,
Don't go a very long way.
You'd be surprised,
Just take your girl to a show,
And how those ten bucks will go.
You'd be surprised,
Do you remember the suits with two pair of pants for fifteen bucks?
I'll say I do.
Now they're in luck if you get a suit without any pants for fifty bucks.
I'm right here too,
And thieves have stopped thieving to be landlords today,
'Cause they don't get arrested for stealing that way.
King Soloman had a thousand wives I've heard them say.
He'd have no chance to keep all those women today.
Believe me it's no joke,
We're all dead broke.
I've got the profiteering blues.

Song: We Shall Overcome


Music: to the tune of "No More Auction Block From Me" a pre-Civil War song
Year: circa 1900


We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day

(CHORUS:)

Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome some day

We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand some day

(CHORUS)

We shall all be free
We shall all be free
We shall all be free some day

(CHORUS)

We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid some day

(CHORUS)

We are not alone
We are not alone
We are not alone some day

(CHORUS)

The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around some day

(CHORUS)

We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day

(CHORUS)


Notes:

1 - The lyrics are a derivation I'll Overcome Some Day a 1900 gospel song by Charles Tindley.

2 - This song is very popular in rallies and protests because of the ease of improving new stanzas for the particular situation.

That's terrific..

Tom Joad
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie

Tom Joad got out of the old McAlester Pen;
There he got his parole.
After four long years on a man killing charge,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road, poor boy,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road.

Tom Joad, he met a truck driving man;
There he caught him a ride.
He said, "I just got loose from McAlester Pen
On a charge called homicide,
A charge called homicide."

That truck rolled away in a cloud of dust;
Tommy turned his face toward home.
He met Preacher Casey, and they had a little drink,
But they found that his family they was gone,
He found that his family they was gone.

He found his mother's old-fashion shoe,
Found his daddy's hat.
And he found little Muley and Muley said,
"They've been tractored out by the cats,
They've been tractored out by the cats."

Tom Joad walked down to the neighbor's farm,
Found his family.
They took Preacher Casey and loaded in a car,
And his mother said, "We've got to get away."
His mother said, "We've got to get away."

Now, the twelve of the Joads made a mighty heavy load;
But Grandpa Joad did cry.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand,
Said: "I'm stayin' with the farm till I die.
Yes, I'm stayin' with the farm till I die."

They fed him short ribs and coffee and soothing syrup;
And Grandpa Joad did die.
They buried Grandpa Joad by the side of the road,
Grandma on the California side,
They buried Grandma on the California side.

They stood on a mountain and they looked to the west,
And it looked like the promised land.
That bright green valley with a river running through,
There was work for every single hand, they thought,
There was work for every single hand.

The Joads rolled away to the jungle camp,
There they cooked a stew.
And the hungry little kids of the jungle camp
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."

Now a deputy sheriff fired loose at a man,
Shot a woman in the back.
Before he could take his aim again,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track, poor boy,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track.

They handcuffed Casey and they took him in jail;
And then he got away.
And he met Tom Joad on the old river bridge,
And these few words he did say, poor boy,
These few words he did say.

"I preached for the Lord a mighty long time,
Preached about the rich and the poor.
Us workin' folkses, all get together,
'Cause we ain't got a chance anymore.
We ain't got a chance anymore."

Now, the deputies come, and Tom and Casey run
To the bridge where the water run down.
But the vigilante thugs hit Casey with a club,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground, poor Casey,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground.

Tom Joad, he grabbed that deputy's club,
Hit him over the head.
Tom Joad took flight in the dark rainy night,
And a deputy and a preacher lying dead, two men,
A deputy and a preacher lying dead.

Tom run back where his mother was asleep;
He woke her up out of bed.
An' he kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved,
Said what Preacher Casey said, Tom Joad,
He said what Preacher Casey said.

"Ever'body might be just one big soul,
Well it looks that a-way to me.
Everywhere that you look, in the day or night,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm a-gonna be.

Wherever little children are hungry and cryin',
Wherever people ain't free.
Wherever men are fightin' for their rights,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm a-gonna be."

"All Along The Watchtower"

"There must be some way out of here" said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion", I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.

"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free (over again x3)

No more mourning, no more mourning, no more mourning over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free

No more crying, no more crying, no more crying over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free

There'll be singin', there'll be singin', there'll be singin' over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free (over again x2)

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me
And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in a my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free

Writer(s): Robert Decormier, Adapted by Milt Okun, Robert Corman, Milton T. Okun, Harry Belafonte

"Mommy, mommy, come and look and see what I have found
A little way away from here while digging in the ground."
"Come away, Melinda. Come in and close the door.
It's nothing but a picture book they had before the war."

"Mommy, mommy, come and see. Oh, mommy, come and look.
There's four or five Melinda girls inside this picture book."
"Come away, Melinda. Come in and close the door.
There were lots of little girls like you before they had the war."

"Mommy, mommy, come and see. Oh, mommy, hurry do.
There's someone grown up and tall who doesn't look like you."
"Come away, Melinda. Come in and close the door.
Your father was a man like that before they had the war."

"Mommy, mommy, come and see. Such things I've never seen.
There's happy faces all around and all the ground is green."
"Come away, Melinda. Come in and close the door.
That's just the way it used to be before they had the war."

"Mommy, mommy come and see and tell me if you can,
Why can't it be the way it was before the war began?"
"Come away, Melinda. Come in and close the door.
The answer lies in yesterday before they had the war."

Fred Hellerman

"The War Drags On"

Let me tell you the story of a soldier named Dan
Went out to fight the good fight in South Vietnam
Went out to fight for peace, liberty and all
Went out to fight for equality, hope, let's go

And the war drags on

Found himself involved in a sea of blood and bones
Millions without faces, without hope and without homes
And the guns they grew louder as they made dust out of bones
That the flesh had long since left just as the people left their homes

And the war drags on

They're just there to try and make the people free
But the way that they're doin' it, it don't seem like that to me
Just more blood letting and misery and tears
That this poor country's known for the last twenty years

And the war drags on

Last night, poor Dan had a nightmare it seems
One kept occurrin' and reoccurrin' in his dreams
Cities full of people burnin', screamin', shoutin' loud
And right there overhead, a great orange mushroom cloud

And there's no more war
For there's no, no more world
And the tears come streaming down
Yes, I lie crying on the ground

Donovan

"To Susan On The West Coast Waiting"

Dear Susan, I know you love me so
But I want to hear it in my ear
You know I'd be there working at my craft
Had it not been for the draft
Dry up your tear and feel no fear
You're here with me like I'm there with you

To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting

I'm writing a note beneath a tree
The smell of the rain on the greenery
Our fathers have painfully lost their way
That's why, my love, I'm here today
Hear me when I say there will come a day
When kings will know and love can grow

To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting

Susan, I know you love me so
But I'd like to hear it in my ear
You know I'd be there working at my craft
Had it not been for the draft
Dry up your tear and feel no fear
You're here with me like I'm there with you

To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy supposedly hating
To Susan on the west coast waiting
From Andy in Vietnam fighting

Donovan

"Why?"

Why do the babies starve
When there's enough food to feed the world
Why when there're so many of us
Are there people still alone
Why are the missiles called peace keepers
When they're aimed to kill
Why is a woman still not safe
When she's in her home

Love is hate
War is peace
No is yes
And we're all free

But somebody's gonna have to answer
The time is coming soon
Admidst all these questions and contradictions
There're some who seek the truth

But somebody's gonna have to answer
The time is coming soon
When the blind remove their blinders
And the speechless speak the truth

Tracy Chapman

Capetown
sung by Harry Belafonte

She sparkles like a diamond
Look at all her people
Look at them dance, look at them laugh
Singing a song
They make like happy children
Wearing friendly faces
Everyone knows, everyone knows where they belong
Where they belong

Capetown, I'm drowning in your beauty
Capetown, but my hearts not feeling nicely
Capetown, angels black, white of sin
Capetown, there's a shadow on your mountain
Capetown, there's a flaw in your sparkle
Capetown, there's a crying at your crossroads
Let me in, let me in, let me in

The rush of silky color
The sound of Dixie Banjos
Mongrel melodies in quarter tones
Streets of Malay marchers
Hatted in their feathers
The lilt, the lilt of xhosa Saxophones, xhosa saxophones

Capetown, there's a hole at the heart of you
A hole where district six used to be
Capetown, now brown ghosts are dancing
To be free, oh to be free
Capetown, there's an island in your ocean
Capetown, where black blood is running
Capetown, hear the voices calling from your sea
You belong to me, oh you belong to me, hmm

Tidy whitewashed houses
Sprays of wild flowers
The heart and soul of gentility
The vineyards, and the orchards
Warm white sandy beaches
Old and graceful luxury

Capetown, they're squatting in your desert
Capetown, in shanties made of plastic
Capetown exiles in their homeland
Capetown, struggling with their reason
Capetown, holding back their madness
Capetown, it's a bitter fruit you harvest
Capetown, oh, oh

Capetown I'm drowning in your beauty
Capetown, but my hearts not feeling nicely
Capetown, angel black, white as sin

Capetown there's a shadow on your mountain
Capetown, there's a flaw in your sparkle
Capetown, there's a crying at your crossroads
Let me in, let me in, let me in

Capetown, it's a bitter fruit you harvest
Capetown, let me in, ah let me in
Capetown you belong to me,
Capetown you belong to me

Black Man
by Stevie Wonder
First man to die
For the flag we now hold
high (Crispus Attucks)
Was a black man

The ground where we stand
With the flag held in our hand
Was first the red man's

Guide of a ship
On the first Columbus trip
(Pedro Alonso Niño)
Was a brown man

The railroads for trains
Came on tracking that was laid
By the yellow man

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men

Heart surgery
Was first done successfully
By a black man (Dr Daniel Hale Williams)

Friendly man who died
But helped the pilgrims to
survive (Squanto)
Was a red man

Farm workers rights
Were lifted to new heights (Cesar E. Chavez)
By a brown man

Incandescent light
Was invented to give sight (Thomas Edison)
By the white man

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men

Hear me out...

Now I know the birthday of a nation
Is a time when a country celebrates
But as your hand touches your heart
Remember we all played a part in America
To help that banner wave

First clock to be made
In America was created
By a black man (Benjamin Banneker)

Scout who used no chart
Helped lead Lewis and Clark
Was a red man (Sacagawea)

Use of martial arts
In our country got its start
By a yellow man

And the leader with a pen
Signed his name to free all men
Was a white man (Abraham Lincoln)

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men

This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
God saved His world for all men
All people
All babies
All children
All colors
All races
This world's for you
and me
This world
My world
Your world
Everybody's world
This world
Their world
Our world
This world was made for all men

Hear me out...

Who was the first man to set
foot on the North Pole?
Mattew Henson - a black man

Who was the first American
to show the Pilgrims at
Plymouth the secrets
of survival in the new world?
Squanto - a red man

Who was the soldier of
Company G who won high
honors for his courage
and heroism in World War 1?
Sing Lee - a yellow man

Who was the leader of united
farm workers and helped farm workers
maintain dignity and respect?
Cesar E. Chavez - a brown man

Who was the founder of blood
plasma and the director of
the Red Cross blood bank?
Dr. Charles Drew - a black man

Who was the first American
heroine who aided the Lewis
and Clark expedition?
Sacagawea is a red woman (scout who used no chart)

Who was the famous educator
and semanticist who made outstanding
contributions to education in America?
Hayakawa - a yellow man

Who invented the world's
first stop light and the
gas mask? - a black man

Who was the American
surgeon who was one of the
founders of neurosurgery?
Harvey William Cushing - a white man

Who was the man who helped
design the nation's capitol,
made the first clock to give time in
America and wrote the first almanac?
Benjamin Banneker - a black man

Who was the legendary hero
who helped establish the
League of Iroquois?
Hiawatha - a red man

Who was the leader of the
first Macrobiotic Center
in America? - a yellow man

Who was the founder of the
city of Chicago in 1772?
Jean Baptiste - a black man

Who was one of the
organizers of the American
Indian Movement?
Denis Banks - a red man

Who was the Jewish financier
who raised founds to sponsor
Cristopher Columbus' voyage to America?
Lewis D. Santangol - a white man

Who was the woman who led
countless slaves to freedom
on the underground rairoad?
Harriel Tubman - a black woman

Crazy Baldhead
Bob Marley

Them crazy, them crazy
We gonna chase those crazy
Baldheads out of town;
Chase those crazy baldheads
Out of our town. I'n'I build a cabin;
I'n'I plant the corn;
Didn't my people before me
Slave for this country?
Now you look me with that scorn,
Then you eat up all my corn.

We gonna chase those crazy
Chase them crazy
Chase those crazy baldheads out of town!

Build your penitentiary, we build your schools,
Brainwash education to make us the fools.
Hate is your reward for our love,
Telling us of your God above.

We gonna chase those crazy
Chase those crazy bunkheads
Chase those crazy baldheads out of the town!

We gonna chase those crazy
Chase those crazy bunkheads
Chase those crazy baldheads out of the town!

Here comes the conman
Coming with his con plan.
We won't take no bribe;
We've got [to] stay alive.

We gonna chase those crazy
Chase those crazy baldheads
Chase those crazy baldheads out of the town.

Cesspools in Eden
Dead Kennedys

Poison is bubbling beneath your dreamhome
Buried there years before
Kid runs in crying from playing in the garden
"Mommy, I burned my hands!"

"What's making our eyes so itchy?"
"Don't rub 'em, they'll swell up."
Oh, Oh Oh Oh
It's the big waste dump!

We built your ticky-tacky houses on landfill soil
To cover up a gift we left you years before
Of toxic chemicals and leaking gas
Just dig a little while, you'll find our acid baths

Cesspools in Eden
Oozing away

Groundwater's poisoned, air stinks like hell
The lines for doctors grow long
Over martinis, the company laughs
"We don't owe you one damn thing."

But what about all these fainting spells?
How'd you like a lick from my open sores?
Oh, Oh Oh Oh
Why are our babies stillborn?

A storage tank's leaking, it's about to explode
Why evacuate when you can watch the fun?
Nothing happens here, get out the lawn chairs
We'll drink pink lemonade and watch Martinez burn

Cesspools in Eden
Oozing away
Cesspools in Eden
Leak by the day

The land we sold you is right atop our acid pits
We fill them by the truckload in the dead of night
There's thousands more toxic tips of the iceberg
We pay a little bribe or we just don't report them
And see what you get:

Cesspools in Eden
In Eden
No accident, Just a little of our greed-fueled negligence

So you've found the proof why your cancer rate's shot up
But whatcha gonna do when we've got all the cards?
Times Beach, Rocky Flats, Love Canal & Bhopal
Merry Christmas, hostages, from the folks that care

Cesspools in Eden
Oozing away
Cesspools in Eden
Leak by the day
Cesspools in Eden
In Eden
Have a nice day!