Silence and Lies

Lyrics

Came home from school to the war on TV Looked at the soldiers and thought I saw me Looked at the children and saw my own face I saw myself dying all over the place I saw myself hiding and shaking with fear Desperately wondering how I got here From the seat on my bus to my mother's front door To my shock I had come home right into a war Chorus: So many years and we're back here again Wasn't anyone listening then Are we listening now have we joined the debate Our Gulf of Tonkin, our Watergate Our 9/11, our own demise No more silence and lies I could see the young man who's number was up I could see the girl pleading and shaking a cup Her mother beside her missing a leg A field, landmine, a reason to beg A reason to cower, a reason to fight A reason to question who's wrong and who's right To raise up a rifle and sharply take aim To find myself caught in the midst of a game Iraq, Southeast Asia, this city or town Whether your skin is red, yellow or brown White as a sheet or black as the night Why are we always so ready to fight? Fighting for freedom or claiming the soil Power, cheap labor, rubber or oil Raising a child or raising a fist Will you stand up for your right to resist?