Workers’ Rhapsody

Workers’ Rhapsody was first recited at Occupy Wall Street Poetry Collective, New York, in 2008

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

- By Saswat Pattanayak
Peoples’ Poet, 2009