1. |
||||
|
Free Peltier
Remember Alcatraz and Wounded Knee
Indian people’s movement, making history
Trail of Broken Treaties raised the cry
A thousand government promises, and every one a lie
Why? Telling you why -
Chorus:
We got to free Peltier, free Peltier, free Peltier, free Peltier
Ain’t no doubt about it,
We got to free Leonard Peltier
Free Leonard Peltier
Federal agents gunning for Peltier
Leonard was a leader the government did fear
Took him to the courthouse to be tried
This was the same government committed genocide
Why? Telling you why -
Repeat Chorus:
More than forty years have come and gone
People the world over shouting out to right this wrong
Now it’s time for justice to be done
and to fight for Leonard’s freedom, is to fight for everyone
Repeat Chorus:
|
||||
2. |
||||
|
The War Against Forgetting
We headed for the hills
with our children and our animals,
we left the camp a ruin and we left the plains to burn
The soldiers were a-comin',
a cloud of dust approaching,
a thunder and a squealing of the gears on gatling guns
CHORUS:
In the war against forgetting
there will be no prisoners taken
'cause if no one can remember,
no one can foresee
In the war against forgetting
as our memories awaken, (as our shackles we are breaking)
the future is our banner
as we make history
It wasn't just their numbers
or the power of their weapons
their lies are what disarmed us, such boundless treachery
They promised bright tomorrows
in return for all our yesterdays
our struggle soon forgotten, then work would make us free
CHORUS
Down the generations
we have borne ten thousand sorrows
we groaned beneath the mountains of the slaughter and the lie
But the strength of our resistance
is greater than the horror
we hear the truth undaunted in a new born baby's cry
CODA:
Their books can’t make us disappear,
For wherever there is,
We are here!
|
||||
3. |
||||
|
High John the Conqueror Root
What can save you when all else fails?
High John the Conqueror Root
What’ll put the wind back in your sails?
High John the Conqueror Root
When all that is oppressive has got you down
High John the Conqueror Root
Here’s a little message bring you back around
High John the Conqueror Root
High John the Conqueror Root
And ain’t it the truth
When you’ve had enuff a
All you had to suffa
Ain’t nobody tuffa then
John the Conqueror Root
Verse 2
You can call it Ipamea or Jalapa root
But really it’s a spirit in a tuber suit
Call it mojo bag or lucky charm
To hide the power of Big John’s arm
etc.
Verse 3
Did you ever wonder how the slaves survived?
And kept that dream of freedom alive?
Shackles bind and whips they crack
But one day John be comin’ back!
|
||||
4. |
Fire Isn't Fire
03:26
|
|||
|
Fire Isn't Fire
Fire isn't fire,
the liar told the flame
You need to rebrand
if you want wealth and fame
if you want wealth and fame, lord
if you want wealth and fame
fire isn't fire, the liar told the flame
Higher isn't higher
the liar told the sky
need something exclusive
if people going to buy
people going to buy, land
people going to buy
higher isn't higher, the liar told the sky
Water isn't water,
the liar told the spring
you need a plastic bottle
to be worth anything
to be worth anything, lord
to be worth anything
water isn't water, the liar told the spring
Deeper isn't deeper,
the liar told the well
you a need a sharper image
if you expect to sell
if you expect to sell, lord
if you expect to sell
deeper isn't deeper, the liar told the well
Friends you may be wondering
What difference does it make
A liar's just a liar
A fake is just a fake
The lesson may be simply
that if the truth were told
What we all are seeking is
what can't be bought or sold
can't be bought or sold, Lord
can't be bought of sold
what we all are seeking
can't be bought or sold
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
99 Books (George Jackson)
99 books in a prisoners' cell
hold the key to the gates of hell
99 books so much to learn
the light of justice still may burn
99 books we still can read
a body shackled, a spirit freed
99 books and a bullet in the head
but thought escapes a hail of lead
The truth is always writ in blood
That turns the prison walls to mud
And for the price paid to the night
Comes the dawn's enduring light
George Jackson
It is right to rebel
George Jackson
And 99 books were in his cell
99 books in a prisoner's cell
the end of slavery did foretell
99 books and a mind on fire
electrified the prison wire
99 books of thunder roared
From Soledad to Attica
99 book and a bullet in the brain
the killers bore the mark of cain
"We are not acting individually inside the prisons here, we're all together. And we have perfect discipline and we have rank and file.
The rank and file is necessary, you'll never get anywhere without it and I think that failure of the last 50 years, the failures that allowed fascism to emerge right out in front was, well, we can attribute it to a lack of discipline and lack of the ability to create a policy out a thousand conflicting opinions and subjective interpretations of what is.
We have to have a chairman. We have to have a central figure who's capable of seeing the real or distinguishing the real from the apparent."
– George Jackson-September 23, 1941 - August 21, 1971
|
||||
6. |
Say Yes
04:20
|
|||
|
Say Yes
I can see that you’re down,
I can see you are suffering,
I know that you’ve lost
nearly all of your faith.
But if you can still stand up
and take my hand,
I want you to say, “Yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes!”
You have been through the fire,
I can see you been badly burned,
We both know that the liar
has stolen the truth,
But if you can still stand up
and take my hand
I want you to say, “Yes,
Oh, Yes,
Oh, Yes,
Oh, Yes!”
I know that time,
time can be cruel,
I know the past
of pain it is full,
But remember this my friend
All that begins must end
That’s why tomorrow must
Sho ’nuff belong to us
This much I believe,
I believe
but we’ve got to say, Yes
Then together we’ll walk,
together we’ll find a way
To raise up a flag
everybody can see,
Sayin’ if you want peace and justice
for all humanity
I want you to say, “Yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes”
If we want peace and justice
for all humanity-
we have got to say Yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes,
Oh, yes”
|
||||
7. |
||||
|
High Time For A High Time
Come gather round my friends
with a flagon of beer and a bottle of wine
Just like the river bends
it's a crooked old world with a
wicked design
Come now let's raise a toast
to the tumbling dice and the rumbling earth
The things that matter most
they haven't a price, so much are they worth
Hey, don't delay, it's a
Chorus:
High time for a high time
We got the rhythm and we got the rhyme
Come gather round my friends
let's sing us a song, let's bring us a verse
Let's not speak falsely, then
so full is the heart, so empty the purse
Let's sing a song of praise
for the honor we share
and the people we love
Come while the piper plays
there is good in the world
It's the banner we wave
Hey, don't delay, it's a
Chorus:
Bridge:
Sages speak but are we listening?
The will is weak, temptation strong
The truth we seek is right here glistening
Gotta sing a different song
Gotta make our right from wrong
|
||||
8. |
Pick Your Poison
03:50
|
|||
|
Pick Your Poison
Oil in the ground, poppies in the field
Someone starts shooting and you gotta take sides
Call it freedom 'cause you got a choice
Between arsenic and cyanide
Pick your poison
Got to embrace the suicide bomber
Gotta make peace with a world on fire
Gotta bear the White Man's burden
Salute the flag, this is your Empire
Oil in the ground, poppies in the field
Someone starts shooting and you gotta take sides
Call it freedom 'cause you got a choice
Between arsenic and cyanide
Pick your poison
Down in the shadow of the valley of death
Where lock and load is the Lord's command
Dry bones rattle like castanets
Welcome, Boys, to the Promised Land
Oil in the ground, poppies in the field
Someone starts shooting and you gotta take sides
Call it freedom 'cause you got a choice
Between arsenic and cyanide
Pick your poison
Bridge:
Got bombs where they once had orchards
Got guns where they once had trees
Got barbed wire instead of oranges
Got checkpoints where there was only a breeze
This is your salvation, our civilization
Here’s your liberation, join the celebration
This is your salvation, our civilization
Here’s your liberation, join the celebration
Oil in the ground, poppies in the field
Someone starts shooting and you gotta take sides
Call it freedom 'cause you got a choice
Between arsenic and cyanide
Pick your poison
|
||||
9. |
Cross My Heart
01:47
|
|||
|
Cross My Heart
Jitterbug morning
Jangling nerve
Runaway stagecoach
Deadman's Curve
Had an appointment
Couldn't find my tie
Cross my heart and hope to die
Let's get down to business
Make us a deal
Silicon start-up
Re-invent the wheel
Get us a bail out
We do qualify
Cross my heart and hope to die
Now tell me you love me
I'm all that you need
You got the land
But I got the deed
Don't need a hound dog
Tell you no lie
Cross my heart and hope to die
I'm all over Facebook
I got me Five G
I'm first up on Google
I'm learning Chinee
Cloud full of data
But I forget why
Cross my heart and hope to die
|
||||
10. |
||||
|
Another Message Comin'
Fire come a-runnin'
down the power lines
Burning all directions
Fire swallowed Paradise
Paradise is gone, I hear somebody say
Chorus:
Hold on, here's another message comin'
Tell that operator gotta open up the line
Hold on, John the revelator writin'
Gotta tell the people, gotta open up their minds
This ain't s'posed to happen
in this day and age
We got high technology
What could possibly go wrong,
What could possibly...I heard somebody say
Chorus:
This is an inferno
whole damn world's ablaze
Calling out for volunteers
join the fire brigade (all around the world)
join the fire brigade
join the fire brigade
...I heard somebody say
Chorus:
|
||||
11. |
Stand And Fight
02:56
|
|||
|
Stand and Fight
When the power of the lie is strong
Wake up, the spell is broken
Tell the difference between right and wrong
There’s an end in sight
If we stand and fight
Get up!
CHORUS:
Everybody got to stand and fight
If we want to see the tables turning
Everybody gonna see the light if we
Stand and Fight
Stand and Fight!
Got us praying in the Church of Fear
Got us worshipping our own enslavement
One thought can make it disappear
To rebel is right
Got to stand and fight
Get up!
CHORUS:
BRIDGE:
I know, you know, we know
our common enemy
I know, you know, we know
we got our unity
Stand and fight-want to change the world?
Stand and fight-want an end to poverty?
Stand and fight-want an end to war?
Stand and fight-want to free humanity?
Stand and fight-everybody, everybody
Stand and fight-yeah!
Get up!
CHORUS:
|
||||
12. |
||||
|
Different Worlds
There are
Different worlds we live in
There are
Different worlds to come
There are
Different worlds colliding
And a
Different world's my home
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Out of chaos we are born
Into chaos we are thrown
Every breath and every stone
Roll together not alone
Belong,
belong
Some people say that this is it
Can't get no better only worse
High upon their thrones they sit
Our sweat and blood filling their purse
There are
Different worlds we live in
There are
Different worlds to come
There are
Different worlds colliding
And a
Different world's my home
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Out of Cosmos we are made
Into Cosmos we parade
Roam the stars in endless flight
Learning, sharing our delight
Belong, belong
Some people say nothing can change
It's dog eat dog and then you die
Everything is prearranged
Accept your fate and say goodbye
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
Sellavision
On your sellavision
Only blindness is for sale
Call it television
Lies are all they ever tell
On your sellavision
All you see is bought and sold
Call it television 'cause
you must do what you are told
watch your eyes
see what they're seeing
will your vision
see you through?
all the lies
stick to your being
until the false
becomes the true
Ain't no time like prime time, like prime time
it's Prime time now to clear the air
Ain't no time like prime time and prime time
Prime time could be anywhere
Ain't no time like prime time, like prime time
it's Prime time now to clear the air
Ain't no time like prime time and prime time
Prime time could be now
On your sellavision
Only blindness is for sale
Call it television
Lies are all they ever tell
On your sellavision
All you see is bought and sold
Call it television 'cause
you must do what you are told
|
||||
14. |
||||
|
Sweep The Moneychangers From Your Soul
Sweep the money changers from your soul
Sweep the money changers from your soul
They take your time
Never get enough
They take your sweat
Never get enough
They take your life
Never get enough
You got to
Sweep the money changers from your soul
Sweep the money changers from your soul
There is no Jesus can do this for you
There is no Elvis can do this for you
There is no Einstein can do this for you
You got to
Sweep the money changers from your soul
They take your time
Never get enough
They take your sweat
Never get enough
They take your life
Never get enough
You got to
Sweep the money changers from your soul
Sweep the money changers from your soul
Don't ask no doctor
Don't ask no priest
You are the savior can conquer the beast
You got to
Sweep the money changer from your soul
|
||||
15. |
The Last Word
04:53
|
|||
|
The Last Word
The whispering pines are asking
Sister have you heard?
The whispering pines are asking
Brother have you heard,
who has the last word?
In the beginning was the word
and it was judgement
And in the end was judgement day
But the beginning was forgotten
and the end it never came
CHORUS-Mother/Father
The generations follow on
one after another
Always further, further from
From the beginning they have forgotten
and the end that never comes
CHORUS-Sister/Brother
With every living breath
the word is still spoken
The last word always followed
by another and another
With every living breath
the word is still spoken
The last word always followed
by another and another
And yet the word is still the same
and it is judgement
It is judgement
CHORUS-Mother/Father
|
||||
Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore Switzerland
Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore and friends will release their album It is Right to Rebel in 2022.
If you like Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore, you may also like:
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden
Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime.
go to album
Collaborating remotely with 12 songwriters from all over the world, Kim Edgar emerged with a work of striking art pop.
go to album
THAT PASSED
by Patrick Regan Band
This collection of '90s work from folkie Patrick Regan and friends will appeal to fans of Fairport Convention and Pentangle.
go to album
Caught Up On A Feeling
by Veronica Stanton
Stunningly beautiful orchestral folk songs with just a hint of country, delivered with heart-on-sleeve immediacy.
go to album
The latest album by Phill Reynolds, a project of Italian singer Silva Martino Cantele, takes listeners on an Americana-fueled musical ride.
go to album
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
go to album
A fresh, constantly-evolving vision on Americana from the New York trio, weaving together bluegrass, roots music, and pop rock.
go to album
