I beg defiance of all oppressive states I beg defiance for all those kept in line It's time to rearrange all forces that try to contain
They've always justified power struggles while helpless die
Six million Jews, they call it genocide One hundred million Native Americans, what an unfortunate price What about the culture in the hills,
Tibetan people brutally killed Land of the free is that what you like to see
America's "immigrants" compared to disease Mahogany considered luxury While Brazilian tribes are being brought to their knees We fuel the oppression The blood is on our hands Compassion is sacrificed for ignorance That's the price we pay for convenience
The enemy is everywhere. It's in the gas we pump (duh, we already know automobiles and petroleum companies aren't making any positive contributions to the environment), in the soda we drink (good ole' pepsi spent quite a bit of time supporting the military dictatorship of Burma), and in any pre-packaged product we consume (that fancy, plastic wrapping ain't magically wrapping other items; it's filling up the landfills, maybe to biodegrade within the next thousand years). Of course we know this list goes on and on and on...
Perhaps more important than writing letters to fucking dumb ass profit-minded businessmen and leaving answering machine messages for self-seeking congressmen, is the realization that everything is political; every action we take has political consequences. This means that what kind of shoes I buy, what kind of food I eat, and what kind of job I have all come with political consequences. The trouble is recognizing this connection; because, often, thousands of miles separate the cause from the effect. At first glance, it doesn't seem like my personal decision to drive an automobile would have anything to do with a residential neighborhood in the town Aleksinac, Serbia. But I pay property tax on that automobile and the American government uses that money (without consulting me first, I might add) to build and deliver an air bomb that reduced Aleksinac to a pile of rubble. Identifying these many connections and developing ways to deal with them is the essence of political change.
I do whatever possible, whenever possible not to finance those motherfuckers. I shoplift, not only to strike a small (probably minuscule) blow against everything fucked up with big business, but also to make sure I'm not going to have to spend as many hours of my life at some shit job to support the things I loathe. Becoming thrifty and losing the desire to own ten thousand superfluous products also plays an integral role. You know, shopping at thrift stores and yard sales, not only for great bargains, but also for the purpose of recycling, are small ways we can change the way we live that will produce more agreeable political consequences. So much great stuff is thrown away before we take advantage of its complete potential. We can also utilize our friendships in our community. Openly sharing with one another is not only a chance to be courteous with one another, but also an opportunity not to spend money on the same things, reducing consumption and the eventual waste from another goddamn garden shovel or washing machine.
Even if the little ways we change our lives does not produce immediate results (one less piece of furniture sold is not enough to convince Georgia Pacific to end their destruction of South American rainforest), there is another reason. Even if I can't change the entire world into what I want it in one afternoon, I know that I can change my entire world. Maybe my decision to never drink coffee will not bring peace to Latin America right away, but that same decision can bring a small fragment of special light and warmth into a cold and dark world. That fragment of light and warmth is what this song is about.