The Last Act of Defiance

Lyrics

[Intro] "The prison system, inherently unjust and inhumane is the ultimate expression of injustice and inhumanity in the society at large. Those of us on the outside do not like to think of wardens and guards as our surrogates, yet they are. And they are intimately locked in a deadly embrace with their human captives behind the prison walls. By extension, so are we. A terrible double meaning is thus imparted to the original question of human ethics; 'Am I my brother's keeper?'" [Verse 1] The second of February, 1980 began three days of misery A scene of retaliation epitomising violence, horror, and vindication Thieves, murderers, and rapists inundated their prison like homicidal sadists Convicts and guards alike would pay the price To them, the electric chair would look like paradise Only degradation, torture and cremation would suffice [Pre-Chorus] A sea of agony rolled in like the coming of the tide The more fortunate escaped the insanity through suicide The screams of the dying would haunt the living to the grave Survivors of the riot relive the nightmare every day [Chorus] The last act of defiance The last act of defiance [Verse 2] With a never-ending appetite, barbiturates set them off like dynamite Eradicating informants, acetylene torches dealt the punishment Melted from skin to bone, the fire silenced their screams to moans Smoke filled the air from bodies set aflame Begging for mercy, but their words were spoken in vain They weren't allowed to perish until they cherished all the pain [Pre-Chorus] A sea of agony rolled in like the coming of the tide The more fortunate escaped the insanity through suicide The screams of the dying would haunt the living to the grave Survivors of the riot relive the nightmare every day [Chorus] The last act of defiance The last act of defiance [Guitar Solo] [Verse 3] Guards they had taken hostage were to blame for pushing them over the edge Their brutality would be their demise Like sharks in a frenzy, they lashed out at their prize When the madness had ended, the gore was too intense to be comprehended No one explained the real reason why for cruelty of a few So many should die They knew of the flaws but still insist the cause was justified [Pre-Chorus] A sea of agony rolled in like the coming of the tide The more fortunate escaped the insanity through suicide The screams of the dying would haunt the living to the grave Survivors of the riot relive the nightmare every day [Chorus] The last act of defiance The last act of defiance