Lives In The Balance
Ive been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that youve seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war
And theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs
On the radio talk shows and the t.v.
You hear one thing again and again
How the u.s.a. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally cant take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
Theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we cant even say the names
They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But theyre never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Used Car Sales People
With the gift of the gab they would talk their way out of hell
These used car sales people they know how to sell
On their selling ability their jobs are at stake
The more cars they do sell the more commission they do make
On any deals they clinch they have never lost
And your trust on such people can come at a cost
The more cars they sell the more money they get paid
A hard job to succeed in the used car trade,
Shy and sensitive used car sales people one might say are rare
To sell one a car no effort they do spare
They have to sell cars or their boss them will fire
And other used car yard owners as car sales people them will not hire
The more cars they sell the greater is their pay
So to sell you a car they try every which way.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bankrupt On Selling
Well all the apostles-theyre sitting in swings
Saying Id sell off my savior for a set of new rings
And some sandles with the style of straps that cling best to the era
So all of the businessers in their unlimited
Hell where they buy and they sell and they sell all their
Trash to each other but theyre sick of it all
And theyre bankrupt on selling
And all of the angels
Theyd sell off yer soul for a set of new wings and anything gold
They remember
The people they loved their old friends
And Ive seen throughem all seen throughem all and seen through most everything
All the people you knew were the actors
All the people you knew were the actors
Well, Ill go to college and Ill learn some big words
And Ill talk real loud
Goddamn right Ill be heard
Youll remember all the guys that said all those big words he mustve
Learned in college
And it took a long time
I came clean with myself
I come clean out of love with my lover
I still love her
Loved her more when she used to be sober and I was kinder
song performed by by Modest Mouse
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Everybodys Selling Something
More 4/4s in the neighborhood
Banging on the same guitar
Dreaming of living in hollywood
Puffing on a big cigar
Prima ballerina in a magazine
Call her on the telephone
Tell her that youre sending up a limousine
She say: I dont know...
I know where to go!
Now 4/4s in a different mood
Thinks hes gonna change the world
Making all the money that some others should
Guess its cause we dont deserve
Meet a lot of people in a magazine
Tell you where not to go
Tell you that Im living out a fantasy
You say: you dont know
They play me on the radio
You gotta walk before you crawl
Remember everybodys selling something
You gotta talk before you know
Remember everybodys selling something
Theres like a racket on the ball
Remember everybody wants attention
You gotta rock before you roll
Remember everybodys selling something
Sell me something
Sell me something
Sell me something
Now!
Now 4/4s into mother earth
Hurry up and wait t.v.
Funny how your lifell take a different turn
And how you get to dance for free
See a lot of freedom in your magazine?
Does it tell you what you want to know?
Tell you once and maybe twice and maybe three times
Thats all right!
Were coming out in stereo!!!
You gotta walk before you crawl
Remember everybodys selling something
You gotta talk before you know
Remember everybodys selling something
Theres like a racket on the ball
Remember everybody wants attention
You gotta rock before you roll
Remember everybodys selling something
Sell me something
Sell me something
Sell me something
Now!
Sell me something
Sell me something
Sell me something
Now!
song performed by by Men Without Hats
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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For To Celebrate War
For to celebrate war there's always one more parade
And out of war warriors heroes are made
Only the good die young some are known to say
But I know good people who are old and gray.
The praises of war leaders many may sing
But those who declare war on others do it as a power thing
Though many with my thinking may not agree
Those who declare war on terror are major terrorists to me.
Millions of human beings through the centuries in wars have suffered and died
And wars through the ages have been fought Worldwide
And still we have wars and talks of more wars today
Of our human capacity to learn from past mistakes of us what does this say?
It can lead to acts of aggression patriotic pride
And religion, nationalism, patriotism and racism are the things that divide
People of all Nations who live everywhere
And over them more wars are fought in the big World out there.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We Are Told
We are told that we have got freedom yet not freedom to do as we like
There are places we are not allowed to walk in or where we cannot ride a push bike
Which means that our freedom is so called since we cannot even walk where we please
Ours is such a limited freedom we are not as free as a breeze.
Without a passport we cannot travel to another Country and that is for a limited time
And if we overstay our visa that is a deportable crime
By the Immigration Department of Government by a Government not blessed with a soul
There is a name for such a practice 'tis known as population control.
Young men in wars fought and died for freedom but was it for freedom they died?
When their Government leader told them they were fighting for freedom to the young and naive troops he lied
They fought for the glory of their leader and risked their lives on a foreign shore
They were used as pawns in a deadly power game just that sad to say nothing more.
We are told that we have got freedom though we have to be careful with the words we say
And if our speech on it has got restrictions then what is freedom anyway?
Young men fought and even died for freedom at least that's what we are made to believe
By so called patriotic politicians people who are known to deceive.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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This Devil's Workday
All those people that you know.
All those people that you know.
All those people that you know,
floatin' in the river are logs.
I could buy myself a reason.
I could sell myself a job.
I could hang myself on treason.
All the folks I know are gone.
All the people that you know.
All the people that you know.
All the people that you know
floatin' in the river are logs.
So I ate the wedding cake
'til the whole damn thing was gone.
And I'm gonna drown the ocean.
Now ain't none o' that so wrong?
All the people that you know.
All those people that you know.
All those people that you know
floatin' in the river are gone.
Gonna take this sack of puppies.
Gonna set it out to freeze.
Gonna climb around on all fours
'til all the blood falls out my knees.
All the people that you know.
All the people that you know.
All those people that you know
floatin' in the river are logs.
Well let's take this potted plant
to the woods and set it free.
I'm gonna tell the owners
just how nice that was of me.
I could buy myself a reason.
I could sell myself a job.
I could hang myself on treason.
Oh I am my own damn god.
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA
song performed by by Modest Mouse
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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History Repeats Itself
We only hear of war and terrorism and crimes against humanity
In the World news headlines every day on radio and t v
Systematic abuse by so called soldiers on their prisoners of such we hear and see
And history repeats itself or so 'twould seem to me.
Of a war between the good guys and the bad guys there is no such a thing
For only death and suffering war has been known to bring
To the people of the Country where war is waged in many civilians in the cross fire die
As between the warring parties bullets to and fro do fly.
We've heard it said that war brings peace but with such I don't agree
As the World seems more divided now than at anytime in history
The cultural and religious divide it only seems to grow
And for centuries of fighting wars we do not have much to show.
In the news headlines only bad news or so it would appear
And of war and death and suffering we only see and hear
Yet the war that was to end all wars was waged nine decades ago
And of the lessons we should have learned from history we do not wish to know.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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War Of The Mind
Some wars are fought with guns,
Some wars are fought with tanks,
But the most destructive war of all,
Takes place right where you think,
This war is fought by everyone,
Over any little need,
Sometimes this war can drive a man,
To to takes all things he feeds,
This war is everlasting,
Until the day you die,
If you want to find this war,
Look no further than your mind.
poem by Trevor Thompson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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No Lies
Oh ... I got one thing to tell ya, then you make up your mind.
Its what I been tryin to tell ya, for a long, long time.
We need each other, to live in peace and harmony.
Dont need a whole lot to give, cause love is for free.
I ... I got one thing to tell ya,
I ... oooo, I aint tryin to sell ya,
No lies.
Forget all of your troubles, for a minute or two.
Just listen to what Im sayin, cause Im talkin to you.
We dont need no leader, to tell us just whats wrong.
We need love in the country, so we can get strong.
And, I ... oh, you know, I got one thing to tell ya,
I ... oooo, I aint tryin to sell ya,
No lies.
I ... I got one thing to tell ya,
I ... oooo, I aint gonna sell ya,
No lies.
I ... I got one thing to tell ya,
I ... oooo, I aint gonna sell ya,
No lies.
song performed by by Grand Funk Railroad
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Word Justice
A man stands up before God and country
Raises his right hand and takes an oath
Swears he has acted in the line of duty
And he more than anyone wants to tell the truth
But there is a need to keep some things a secret
Some weapons shipments--some private wars
In the future democracy will be defended
Behind closed doors
Now the men of congress who convene to determine
If covert war is a business or a crime
Are the same men who routinely give their permission
For the shedding of blood in securitys name
And there is a need to keep some things a secret
The names of some countries--the terms of some deals
And above all the sound of the screams of the innocent
Beneath our wheels
Does the word justice mean anything to you?
Are the features of a lie beginning to come through?
In the streets of america the children are buried
Caught in an avalanche of weapons and drugs
They live and they die in the bowels of a business
Thats disguised as a war between the crips and the bloods
And there is a need to keep some things a secret
The c.i.a. deals protecting the source
And the government policies directly connecting the drugs and our wars
Does the word justice mean anything to you?
As the battlefield comes home and democracy falls through
I am waiting for the time to come
When the word will be real for everyone
And not just a word but a thing that can be done
But justice must be won
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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There's no such thing as 'hard sell' and 'soft sell.' There's only 'smart sell' and 'stupid sell.'
quote by Leo Burnett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Along The War Avenue Of honour
Along the war Avenue of Honour a plaque to a dead soldier nailed to every tree
Brave young men who died in battle their reward for their bravery
They died in the war said to end all wars in the killing fields of World war one
But many wars since and far too many bloody battles and peace in the World not yet won.
Wars started by silly ageing men who send the young for them to die
Ageing men who themselves will die of old age and their twilight years they will enjoy,
ageing males heroes of their people we honour cowards as heroes one might say
The young men will go to war for them and the young men with their young lives pay.
The war supposed to end all wars long over almost nine decades since have gone by
But many wars have been fought since then and war pilots dropp their big bombs from the night sky
But suppose that's what will always happen when we give all of our power away
To silly and ageing male war men who with hair dyes cover their gray.
Along the war avenue of honour long dead soldiers names on every tree
Young noble men who died in battle far from homeland and family
In what was to be the war to end all wars yet we don't have much wisdom to show
For the loss of so many fine young men well over eight decades ago.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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To me you are
To me you are the woman
that walks up and down
at the traffic light
and smiles almost shy,
when I look up
and still give a view
of her breasts
To me you are
the hunger and pain,
that I hear in the voices
of children in back streets
where they loose all courage.
To me you are
the crippled gum sniffing children,
that swing walk
with eyes without hope.
To me you are the vagrant,
that struggles along shuffling
and worries about the next
sleeping place and food
and smile without teeth
when he gets a few coins.
To me you are the beggar
who stands unobserved
at a busy traffic light,
while cars are streaming past
where nobody knows or comprehends
his despair.
To me you are the drug dealers
who hangs out in clubs
and look whom they can still catch,
with their contaminating
deadly poison.
To me you are the street thug,
that brakes car windows with bricks
and steal the valuables of people
and sell it at only a Rand or two.
To me you are the criminal
that steals cars in the streets
and are happy
with the despair,
that he is dealing out unscrupulous.
In reality you are the big city
that gives and takes,
where people live like termites
past each other
and rowed in,
as if others do not exist
To rather stay far away from it all
and to get rest and peace there
at times wants to take predominance,
but I love you
like a husband does his wife.
In you is where
some people still build dreams
and wish and live
and have an own place.
In you I see children
giving bread to birds
and people,
giving money to car guards.
In you are places
where people are making a living
and really help each other
and still I believe,
that in places in you
there are more good than evil.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Come On!
we live in an angry world...
victimized by indifference,
by greed, by intolerance...
we have lost direction.
and we are to blame.
we can go to the moon,
build great buildings, cross oceans,
talk to people around the world via the web...
yet we cannot stop hunger,
cannot eradicate poverty,
cannot provide shelter and medical care
to the masses...
come on!
we are led by insensitive wealthy people,
who sell our souls and bodies
for nickels and dimes...
who send us to fight their unjust wars,
who divide us by prejudice and religion.
and we let them!
we devour the dreams of our children,
for a moment of instant gratification.
we cast our elderly aside,
and prescribe pills for every occasion...
we speak passionately of god,
but dont even know ourselves.
we trade sensuality for cheap sex,
and fill our prisons with the hopeless.
are we then sheep?
or just cowards?
come on!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dangerous Places
People buzzing around, they dont know a thing
They just a laugh and the ones in power are always pulling the strings
People do what they do, how much can they take
They just get the news and the ones in power always get the cake
But you got ambition, you got the face, come on, lets go to a dangerous place
You got the class, I think youre desperate, lets go to a dangerous place
Come on - lets go, come on - lets go, come on...
I promise this thing will sell, I promise Ill take you to heaven
I promise this thing will sell, and I just cant wait
You have your plans, all these plans
And there are moments, shall I call them a chance
If I was you I would make them all mine
And if I aint got the power I would commit a crime
But you got ambition...
I promise this thing will sell...
Im gonna make you a deal, you know Im your friend
Im gonna stay with you until the very end
I know you got the guts, I got a lot of time
Im gonna make me yours before I make you mine
song performed by by Alphaville
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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On My Shadow's Head
You talk about law
You talk about fate
You talk about money
And finally hate
You're bringing me up
You're spinning me round
And I'm dancing now and you're shouting
at me from the crowd
You talk about wars
You talk to the stars
You cry with my soul
From a window with bars
You spirit me out you follow me home
You're walking on my shadow's head
I'm never alone
You martyr the good
Find food for the weak
You nourish the fool
With the wisdom you speak
You're haunting the man
Who shows no remorse
You're walking on my shadow's head
And changing my course
You talk about wars
You talk to the stars
You cry with my soul
From a window with bars
You spirit me out you follow me home
You're walking on my shadow's head
I'm never alone
You mock the sinner
Who's back of the street
Not convinced by his lies
You attack him in sleep
Then you punish the child
Years after the deed
You're walking on my shadow's head
So I never cheat
You talk about wars
You talk to the stars
You cry with my soul
From a window with bars
You spirit me out you follow me home
You're walking on my shadow's head
I'm never alone
You martyr the good
Find food for the weak
You nourish the fool
With the wisdom you speak
You're haunting the man
Who shows no remorse
You're walking on my shadow's head
And changing my course
I thought I could handle myself, but you
raised the alarm.
I was driven by ancient forces, and you
were always with me -
Breathing deeply, laughing freely, beating
evil.
And for ever I can hear and see you,
staring into the eyes of your endless faces
Never looking for escape, just a new shape
Still talking, still talking
Walking on my shadow's head
I will see you when we're all dead
Walking on my shadow's head.
Still talking
Walking on my shadow's head
poem by Pawan Kumar 'Meonlafesta'
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Anarchists
The leaders of this country,
Think were the ones that do wrong,
They take control of the power,
and steal this land of forgotten freedom
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
They call the ones dressed in black,
The evil ones but we fight back,
We've got hackers, we've got protesters,
we let no man left behind
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
The unions dressed in black,
With their flag raised up high,
Don't take no for an answer,
As the forces stain the streets with blood
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
We fight for the people,
Our obligation is good as gold,
And though we fight with arms of steel,
we don't let death go in vein
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
poem by Bing D'Amico
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Faces
Key:-a - anita r - ray
A: look around you
What do those faces tell you?
R: faces, joy and pain
A: faces
All around different faces I see
Some are happy, some in misery
They express joy and pain
No two faces are the same.
R: people, people all over town
Some of them are poor and others wear a crown
Ive seen alot of many faces
Joy and pain in different places
Open your mind, set yourself free
Figure it out, what could it be?
Sympathise, understand
Give love and peace to the other fellow man
A: faces
R: faces, joy and pain
A: look around you
Do you see those faces
What do those faces tell you
A: everywhere I go, different faces I see
A: faces
All around different faces I see
Some are happy, some in misery
They express joy and pain
No two faces are the same.
R: playing with your life, playing with your soul
You all scream out Im the one in control
Killing of the colours, silly stupid games
You know who you are without no names
Dont mess the world cause that the sequal
Open your mind cause we talking about the people
In the world, all kind of places
Different races, different faces
A: different faces
Everywhere
song performed by by 2 Unlimited
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Of course wars are fought by teenagers — you realize that — they really ought to be fought by the politicians and the old people who start these wars.
quote by James Clavell
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Quiquern
The People of the Eastern Ice, they are melting like the snow--
They beg for coffee and sugar; they go where the white men go.
The People of the Western Ice, they learn to steal and fight;
They sell their furs to the trading-post; they sell their souls to
the white.
The People of the Southern Ice, they trade with the whaler's
crew;
Their women have many ribbons, but their tents are torn and few.
But the People of the Elder Ice, beyond the white man's ken--
Their spears are made of the narwhal-horn, and they are the last
of the Men!
poem by Rudyard Kipling
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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