Reflections of My Perceptions
the threat of youth
They stood shoulder to shoulder chanting their slogans
Armed only with courage against the weapons of soldiers
Singing their songs of freedom to a soundtrack of gunshots and explosions
Knowing the dangers of their actions, yet still they risked exposure
But what became of the passion of the freedom riders?
Those who stood up so we could sit down anywhere on a bus
And attend any school we wanted,
Those who faced water-cannons and canines
And marched on Washington to hear one man's dream
Lifting their voices to protest so the sounds of freedom could ring
Dressed in their dashikis with their black fist afro picks
The sons and daughters of the baby boomers
Who hollered revolution, give peace a chance, flower power, black power
And sought to find cures for society's numerous tumors
Those who were willing to go to jail for others to live free
Those who rioted for a righteous cause
And who also fought to end an unjust war
The hippies who danced in the streets wearing bell-bottom jeans
And birthed Woodstock babies, after taking tokes on the pipes of peace
While Jimmy Hendrix was playing the national anthem with his teeth
The sons and daughters of the greatest generation
Who bought about the deepest social changes
Since the abolition of slavery
Those who stood proudly and ably, bravely against injustice
And those who understood the meaning of civil disobedience
Pacifists who embraced pacifism
But who realized that in order for peace to prevail
There would have to be activism, liberalism, radicalism
Those who stood against racism and fascism
And those who understood the need for agitation and antagonism
I now ask what became of these traditions
Because they have never seemed so distant
As we now find ourselves in a desperate position
led down a path of darkness by a president who refuses to listen
And cowards in congress who's backs seem unable to stiffen
As the constitution, like NAFTA protesters, is beaten into submission
So now the mere suspicion of enemy combatant status is enough
for you to be sent to prison
And while American eyes are focused on reality television
The government continues to increase its supervision
But we're too busy looking in the mirror, worrying about being sexy
Our greatest concern in life is trying to be debt free
The most difficult decisions we want to have to make is paper or plastic,
Coke or Pepsi
But not even our caffeine high is enough to awaken us from this
State of collective narcolepsy
As long as we are not affected
As long as we feel safe and protected
In our mind there is nothing to be protested
Until at 34 years old I wake up and find that I am the youngest person at the war rally
Even though poor males in their early twenties make up most of the war's tally
But this peaceful gathering won't make the national news
Because there are no national guardsmen poised to shoot
Most of the passersby don't even care enough to toot
In spite of the fighting spirit, the crowd lacks the threat of youth
Armed only with courage against the weapons of soldiers
Singing their songs of freedom to a soundtrack of gunshots and explosions
Knowing the dangers of their actions, yet still they risked exposure
But what became of the passion of the freedom riders?
Those who stood up so we could sit down anywhere on a bus
And attend any school we wanted,
Those who faced water-cannons and canines
And marched on Washington to hear one man's dream
Lifting their voices to protest so the sounds of freedom could ring
Dressed in their dashikis with their black fist afro picks
The sons and daughters of the baby boomers
Who hollered revolution, give peace a chance, flower power, black power
And sought to find cures for society's numerous tumors
Those who were willing to go to jail for others to live free
Those who rioted for a righteous cause
And who also fought to end an unjust war
The hippies who danced in the streets wearing bell-bottom jeans
And birthed Woodstock babies, after taking tokes on the pipes of peace
While Jimmy Hendrix was playing the national anthem with his teeth
The sons and daughters of the greatest generation
Who bought about the deepest social changes
Since the abolition of slavery
Those who stood proudly and ably, bravely against injustice
And those who understood the meaning of civil disobedience
Pacifists who embraced pacifism
But who realized that in order for peace to prevail
There would have to be activism, liberalism, radicalism
Those who stood against racism and fascism
And those who understood the need for agitation and antagonism
I now ask what became of these traditions
Because they have never seemed so distant
As we now find ourselves in a desperate position
led down a path of darkness by a president who refuses to listen
And cowards in congress who's backs seem unable to stiffen
As the constitution, like NAFTA protesters, is beaten into submission
So now the mere suspicion of enemy combatant status is enough
for you to be sent to prison
And while American eyes are focused on reality television
The government continues to increase its supervision
But we're too busy looking in the mirror, worrying about being sexy
Our greatest concern in life is trying to be debt free
The most difficult decisions we want to have to make is paper or plastic,
Coke or Pepsi
But not even our caffeine high is enough to awaken us from this
State of collective narcolepsy
As long as we are not affected
As long as we feel safe and protected
In our mind there is nothing to be protested
Until at 34 years old I wake up and find that I am the youngest person at the war rally
Even though poor males in their early twenties make up most of the war's tally
But this peaceful gathering won't make the national news
Because there are no national guardsmen poised to shoot
Most of the passersby don't even care enough to toot
In spite of the fighting spirit, the crowd lacks the threat of youth
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the threat of youth
the threat of youth
