Workers' Rhapsody

All the while, all the while

Freedom mile, all the while

Been oppressed, all the while

Exploited, all the while


Set me free, set me free

Incarcerate me, set me free

Always in debt, set me free

Bank dues late, set me free


Never before, never before

Mayhem forever, never before

Darkness ahead, never before

Hopeless dejected, never before


Cannot rest, cannot rest

Hallucinate, cannot rest

Abused drugs, cannot rest

Competitions, cannot rest


How many years, how many years

Greedy corporates, how many years

Conservative cronies, how many years

Liberal phonies, how many years


Who bail 'em out, who bail 'em out

Protest ask shout, who bail 'em out

Profiteer crooks, who bail 'em out

Funding Obama/Bush, who bail 'em out


Power to peoples, power to peoples

Redistribute lands, power to peoples

Regulate wealth, power to peoples

Nationalize health, power to peoples


Crisis not ours, crisis not ours

Sold-out lenders, crisis not ours

Collapsing capital, crisis not ours

Proving them lethal, crisis not ours


Capitalism dead, capitalism dead

For once pay heed, capitalism dead

Their media lying, capitalism dead

Rich legacies dying, capitalism dead


We shall not tolerate, we shall not tolerate

If owners are ingrate, we shall not tolerate

No more minimum wage, we shall not tolerate

No stopping our rage, we shall not tolerate


Ignorance no bliss, ignorance no bliss

Palestinian deaths a miss, ignorance no bliss

Go tell truth to the power, ignorance no bliss 

Imperialist war funds terror, ignorance no bliss


Fighting war, fighting war

Homeless once more, fighting war

Shelters full, fighting war

Tanks so cool, fighting war


Smoke us out, smoke us out

Funders of hate, smoke us out

Evil is the bomb, smoke us out

Bring war home, smoke us out


Bring war home, bring war home

Unemployment zone, bring war home

Poverty in Bronx, bring war home

Capitalism sucks, bring war home



- Saswat Pattanayak

Peoples' Poet, 2009

CopyLeft: Saswat Pattanayak 2003-2009