Road to Ruin

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Black 47

Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz. The band was formed in 1989 by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne, and derives its name from a traditional term for the summer of 1847, the worst year of the Great Irish Famine. more »

Year:

1994

4:38

76 Views

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You can wreck my name, vilify me, stretch me on the rack 
But I won't bow down to any man, be he white or be he black 
Take away my passport, refuse to let me travel 
But I will not get down on my knees, 
You're never gonna make me grovel 
There's a lot more to democracy than havin' a vote
I'm the equal here of any man, free my people, let them go
These chains around my body are never gonna hold me And I refuse to be a slave in my own country 
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free You can call me a traitor but I love my country 
And I will not sell out it because of your hypocrisy I refuse to hide behind the Fifth, 
I've no fear of honesty 
You always know exactly where I am, so why don't you just
Come on over here and get me 
You can tap my phone but there's one thing you will never hear
'Cause the drumbeat of freedom wasn't meant for your slaves' ears I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends 
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees 
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free 
I stand here struggling for the rights of my people to be full citizens in this country and they are not! 
Close your halls to stop me singin' 
Close your minds to stop me speakin' 
Close your kitchens to stop me eatin'
Close your hotels to stop me sleepin'
But I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends 
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men 
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees 
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free 
Born to be free
These chains around my body are never gonna hold me
And I refuse to be a slave in my own country 
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees 
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free 
Born to be free I am born and bred in this America of ours.
I want to love it, but we must have the courage to shout at the top of our voices about our injustices, and we must lay the blame right where it has belonged for over three hundred years of slavery and misery - right here on our own doorstep. 
My father was a slave, and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay here and have a part of it just like you! 
And no facist-minded people will drive me from it--is that clear?

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