2. Palestine
3. The Patriot Game
4. Paul Allentown
5. Petroleum Bonaparte
6. Pig Alley
7. The Poodle Song
8. Poor Richard Shot His Wad
9. The Price Is On The Rise
10. Program
11. Progress
12. Puritan Seeds
Pacific Hotel
let me tell you a story, it won't take long
about a hotel in Seattle town
and the big money muscle of the Seafirst bank
that came to shut it down
it might sound funny and it might sound strange
you might think I'm talkin' out of my head
it's a story about a club and a dollar bill
throw a good people out of their beds
the Pacific Hotel was an empty shell
down on 4th Avenue
the bank took it back from an in-debt millionaire
to pay for the money was due
and it sat there empty while the weather got colder
and the wandering feet went lame
till some one said "Operation Homestead
we gonna stake ourselves a claim"
a skeleton key to a crowbar
opens up the door to an inside bed
they hung out a banner to the passers by
"Homestead" is what it said
they moved right in and set up house
it was a fine sight to see
they said "this is ours by rights
'cause it was abandoned illegally"
and wasn't that the time that the axe fell down
everyone could see for sure
that the money that they're stuffin' their pockets with
is the money that's a-keepin' you poor
what you gonna do said the TV crew
to the Homestead in their new hotel
said we gonna turn this house into a home
and we gonna run it by ourselves
and what you gonna do said the newspaper
to the chief of the big police
said we take our orders from the Seafirst Bank
till then we just keep the peace
time went by for seven days and nights
and not a move was made
and the people got by as the people always do
when the people don't get paid
till on that seventh afternoon
a resounding cry did sound
"they’re here, they're here - Seattle's finest,
they've come to shut us down"
a hundred uniformed police
did ring the hotel 'round
and two hundred angry demonstrators came
to try to shout them down
and in amongst those ranks of blue
just as sleazy as you please
there was an immigration agent
to terrorize the deportees
now some one's head might lose control
when tempers have been spent
if you're a civilian they throw you in jail
if you're a cop they say it's an accident
so when a shiny blue patrolman
just completely flipped his lid
they told the TV cameras to look the other way
and that's exactly what they did
confrontation, escalation
moving forward then and back
in this modern war on poverty
the police attack
and the people they do defend
against the wheel grinding 'round
till law and order made the final raid
and they shut the hotel down
and wasn't that the time that the axe fell down
everyone could see for sure
that the money that they're stuffin' their pockets with
is the money that's a-keepin' you poor
they say money talks, I guess it does
it sure did on that day
and everybody got to hear
what the dollar bill had to say
and everybody got to watch the dollar bill
make it's favorite call
making sure the homeless
remain homeless after all
now the dust has settled down in Seattle
and the bankers got their due
and the Pacific Hotel is still an empty shell
down on 4th Avenue
but as Operation Homestead said
the night that they departed
you may have won the battle, my friend
but the war has only started
and wasn't that the time that the axe fell down
everyone could see for sure
that the money that they're stuffin' their pockets with
is the money that's a-keepin' you poor
Palestine
I’ll tell you a story, make it clear as I can
about the far away troubles in the holy land
pictures of the children etched in your mind
layin' down their bodies on the firing line
the people who live there, they live under the gun
where it was homeland for a thousand years before the soldiers come
surrounded by the armies airplanes in the sky
everybody knows some one who had to die
O Palestine, there's a hole in your soul
O Palestine, will it ever be whole
talk about the settlers, come from so far away
talk about the money from the U.S.A.
talk about the bullets made of plastic and steel
pictures of a Palestine underneath the Iron Heel
what do you do when they come to your home
and they tell you your land is no longer your own
do you let them take it, do you dare to resist
pictures of a Palestine underneath the Iron Fist
O Palestine, there's a hole in your soul
O Palestine, will it ever be whole
we say we want peace but we pay for subjugation
we say we want a settlement in terms of occupation
we call for human rights but we never say what kind
you can see what it's come to in the faces of Palestine
does it ever make you think about the friends we indorse
the armies of the generals riding on an iron horse
does it ever make you wonder why it always seems to be
such an undemocratic version of democracy
O Palestine, there's a hole in your soul
O Palestine, will it ever be whole
O Palestine, there's a hole in your soul
O Palestine, let your story be told
The Patriot Game
for Oliver North
when Ollie was a little guy, barely born
he said "I'm a-gonna get me a uniform
I'm gonna strut my stuff and claim my fame
and everybody's gonna know my name"
coulda been a Boy Scout, proud and brave
coulda been a preacher with a soul to save
coulda been a turkey on a trampoline
but he did 'em one better and became a Marine
in the officer school way up east
up-standing to say the least
he may have strained his brain they say
but he passed the muster anyway
in jungle duty in a flack attack
he learned the very basic fact
that in the name of being patriotic
it's alright to go psychotic
he was rubbin' shoulders, turnin' tricks
doin' all the necessary politics
to climb up from that lowly shore
all the way up to the White House door
oh what luck for a soldier's dream
welcome in to the Secret Team
"here's your office, here's your phone
and a paper shredder you can call your own"
so when Congress rose to pull the plug
on Reagan's favorite foreign thugs
Ollie jumped up quick to say
"don't worry sir, where there's a will there's a way"
"we'll run some guns, sell some drugs
sweep it all underneath the rug
get a bank account with a foreign adviser
and nobody will be any the wiser"
so when the matter hit the fan
Ollie took it like a man
he said "alright, they want to play that game
we'll lay all the blame on Casey's brain"
he took the oath and he took the stand
and he raised his salutary hand
he said "yes I did it, yeah so what
I'm proud to be a patriot"
the wide world watched in awe
and dropped their jaw at what they saw
as in the name of god on high
he spat right in the world's eye
flags were wavin', stripes and stars
metal chested battle scars
you could almost hear the Gipper drool
for Ollie'd been to acting school
some say guilty, some say innocent
some say he oughtta be president
some say let the big ship sink
but me, I don't know what to think
as outside on the mindless lawn
a crowd was gathered to cheer him on
and you could hear the Gipper sigh
"that Ollie North's my kind of guy"
in these dis-United States
reality hibernates
under cover of a bright tattoo
where all you see is what they want you to
so as I go along my way
I'd like to think we'd see the light some day
you can't talk sense to a man insane
when everybody's playin' the patriot game
------------
Paul Allentown
when I first came to Seattle
it was barely bigger than a small town
with the evergreen trees growin’ up
and the good rain comin’ down
and it looked so innocent then
you’d never dream to take a glance
at those baby billionaires
waitin’ for their chance
a penny makes a nickel
makes a dime, makes a dollar
makes a kindergarten CEO
want to jump up and holler
turns a software magician
with a fine and friendly face
into a planetary predator
with fingers all over the place
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
Seattle was Duwamish
but nobody really cared
so they turned him into a drinking fountain
in Pioneer Square
and the mountain was Tahoma
but that made their minds go blank
so they called it Rainier
and that became a bank
and the bank became a magnet
for the money and the flash
and the mountain made of nature
became a mountain made of cash
and the little baby billionaires
broke out of their padded cells
and the little town got real big
and everything went to hell
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
Paul Allen made his millions
in the Microsoft days
then he multiplied those millions
and he gave himself a raise
and he gazed out into the distance
as far as he could see
and everywhere he looked
he saw an opportunity
and he waved his wallet
like a scepter and a sword
he said “there’s nothin’ next to god
that this wallet can’t afford
move over Mister Yessler
step aside and take a bow
my name is Paul Allen
this is my town now!”
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
you like sports?
he’ll build you stadium or two
and he’ll do it with
your money too
he owns Lake Union
and the EMP
he owns half the city council
but he don’t own me
you want to fondle your portfolio
you’ve come to the right place
you like high rise
get yourself a condo with a happy face
with a Starbucks on every corner
and your own cash machine
now I know what they mean
when they call it “evergreen”
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
they say Paul Allen plays a mean guitar
but I don’t think that’s right
I think that poor guitar’s just angry
‘cause he ain’t treatin’ it right
like some adolescent ego
with his billfold overblown
he thinks he can just go out and buy himself
a rock star of his own
Jimi Hendrix on his bended knees
up on Broadway all in bronze
he still can’t figure out
what went wrong
playin’ The Star Spangled Banner
in a blown out purple haze
now he lives in a digital museum
and his fans are all half crazed
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
new money likes to strut around
showing off it’s stuff
and we’re all supposed to love it
we’re not supposed to call its bluff
just buy your ticket, take your chance
and keep your place in line
and maybe they’ll throw you down
a few crumbs from time to time
they say the road to hell is paved
with all the best intentions
hypnotized and dazzled
by the latest slick inventions
like a deer in the headlights
tryin’ to catch a ride
well it can be a big surprise
when you reach the other side
we used to call it Seattle, Jewel of the Puget Sound
we used to call it Seattle, now we call it Paul Allentown
-----------
Petroleum Bonaparte
hey George, I’m talkin’ to you
you’re bringin’ me disgrace
pretending to be my president
and you were never even elected in the first place
spendin’ all my money
on that really ugly war
and lyin’ to everybody
about the reasons that it’s for
well, it’s oil money, George
it’s been that way right from the start
Petroleum Bonaparte
hey George, what’s the body count
does anybody know
when they’re brown and foreign do you bother
or do you just let them go
and when the coffins come back home
with our daughters and our sons
do you thank the parents and give them a medal
and ask them for another one
its kinda cold that way, isn’t it
its been that way right from the start
Petroleum Bonaparte
hey George, its not funny
but I don’t think you’re very smart
in fact I think you’re kinda stupid
you’re just play acting the part
like a psychopathic puppet
with a pocket full of knives
it kinda feels good, doesn’t it
to be cuttin’ up people’s lives
it’s a cynical proposition, George
it’s been that way right from the start
Petroleum Bonaparte
hey George
you always did want to make a lot of noise
now you can see yourself up there on the mountain side
with the other bully boys
right there in the spotlight of the world
for everybody to see
well, there’s more than one way
to go down in history
and it’s been headed that way
right from the start
Petroleum Bonaparte
hey George, I hate to tell you
but you’re headed for a fall
your engine’s overheating
and you are way beyond recall
somebody cut the break lines
and your steering wheel just spins
and there’s a Waterloo with your name on it
comin’ up around the bend
it’s a dead end proposition, George
it’s been that way right from the start
Petroleum Bonaparte
-----------------
Pig Alley
down along Pig Alley everything is in a fog
there is nothing moving anywhere except a hobo dog
with its nose stuck in a boiler that been busted 30 years
when from around a darkened corner a young cowboy appears
just got into town, it’s the Pike Street Kid
and the dog and him go off together down along the skid
the professor, he’s out looking out of curiosity
he wants to find some real people for the university
he finds a couple underneath a bench, half buried in the lawn
when a policeman comes up and wants to know what street he’s on
the professor says he’ll tell him but first he needs a hand
and together they go digging in the Pig Alley sand
from out of nowhere Pagliacci, who is very well depressed
comes with all his shoes untied though he is otherwise very well dressed
juggling a load of empty boxes as he fumbles for his keys
but they slip right through his fingers, he falls cursing to his knees
a midget monk comes up running with a huge iron cross
screaming at the top of his lungs, “Jesus is the boss!”
they’re growing winos in the cellar, underneath the street
trained to wear tuxedos and politely how to eat
Prince Charming, the graduate, had just finished the course
and holding his diploma he rides away on a big white horse
and he marries the pretty country girl who dreams of being a queen
but winds up washing dishes in the Pig Alley canteen
on the beach below the pilings in a well pitched camp
there lives Gentleman Jim with his band of trusty tramps
living almost entirely on dumb luck
still the gentleman’s got enough put aside to buy them a pickup truck
and the sun is shining brightly as down the road they drive
some of the very few to ever get out alive
there are many who have come here just to spend the day
to walk along the boardwalk to explore the alleyways
but its only one of a thousand who is ever allowed to leave
the rest have grown to the pavement and been stapled down by their sleeves
you can see them on the curbings with their pockets full of glass
they will hook you by your heels as you try to walk past
so come on down take a look, have the time of your lives
you only live once, so says the Jack Of Knives
treat yourself, feed your eyes, enjoy it while you can
see if you can beat them at their own sleight of hand
everyone is very friendly, they will all take you home
and you will never again ever have to be alone
-------------------
The Poodle Song
everybody wants a dog for an animal friend
it's a good kind of friend, and I do recommend
for they'll stick right with you from beginning to end
oughtta have a dog for an animal friend
come when you whistle, come when you call
big and small, love 'em all
but that little white puff-ball poodle
ain't hardly a dog at all
you got a retriever and a St. Bernard
and a bulldog barkin' in your neighborhood yard
you got a wolfhound a-wolfin' down a mighty meal
and a terrier tearin' after automobiles
you got an Alsatian and a Dalmatian
and a mixed-up mutt needs an explanation
but that little white puff-ball poodle
sure is a sorry situation
now a puff-ball poodle just poodles around
yippity-yapping all over the ground
don't know if it's a dog, don't know if it's a cat
how ever in the world did it get like that
it's a breed indeed was surely bread
by a breeder with a cream puff in his head
that little white puff-ball poodle
barely bigger than a loaf of bread
now the poodle people sally in the afternoon
when they take it to the poodle groomer to be groomed
get a permanent wave, it looks so dear
with birthday bow ties in its ear
knit a little sweater and a doggie suit
it's a wild child substitute
that little white puff-ball poodle
sure do look a little destitute
now the poodle people usually you will find
just like a poodle are so inclined
sophisticated but full of fun
maybe old but always forever young
as they go promenading down the social train
with their alter egos on a silver chain
those little white puff-ball poodles
really put a strain on your brain
oh they cuddle it and muddle it and treat it sweet
when they take it in the car it gets a window seat
when they put it in the home on a throne of its own
don't never let it chew on a chicken bone
and the greatest thrill in the world they know
is when they all get together for a poodle show
those little white puff-ball poodles
good god, what a way to go!
--------------
Poor Richard Shot His Wad
for Richard Nixon in the age of Watergate
Poor Richard shot his wad
good god, he shot his wad
caught in the corner like a two-legged dog
Poor Richard shot his wad
caught like a rat with his teeth in the cheese
like a yellow-belly jellyfish shaky in the knees
he sunk down sinkin' with his eyeballs blinkin'
thinkin' "good god, Billy Graham, save me please!"
on the TV talkin' till his tongue got sore
with his hand on the bible and his eye on the door
for to get out good while the gettin's good
defeat with honor in the Watergate war
Gerald Ford, the ever-ready V.P.
dry in the mouth, watchin' on the TV
thinkin' in a muse "did I leave any clues
sure hope nobody comes checkin' on me!"
Bebe Rebozo blew a fuse
his face went white when he heard the news
he said "head for the door before they find out any more
and if they ask any questions just act confused"
now the first lady was the first to stand
and she took Poor Richard by his poor right hand
then it's out to the country, San Clemente
start livin' on the presidential pension plan
back at home with the wife and kids
Poor Richard sat starin' through his eyeball lids
sayin' "I don't see - why me?
I didn't do nothin' that nobody else did"
Poor Richard shot his wad
good god, he shot his wad
caught in the corner like a two-legged dog
Poor Richard shot his wad
so I’m lookin’ to the future with open eyes
I see ‘em all lined up and they’re droppin’ like flies
there’s two sides to a changing tide
one shall fall and the other shall rise
I hope you don't think that it's over and done
it was a long time comin' but it's only begun
he wasn't alone, you know he wasn't on his own
there's a lot more where he came from
you take one man out, put another man in
make one man lose, let another man win
trade one for another and it's just like the other
and you're right back stuck to where you started again
there's rats in the cracks of the constitution
and the godhead American institution
it's a social disease they call the Three P’s
Power, Politics and Prostitution
---------------
The Price Is On The Rise
The price is on the rise
and it should be no surprise
you better stock up your supplies
the price is on the rise
it used to be a dollar was a wad by god
you could stretch it, you could tease it, you could put it work
but you better watch your ways if you're lookin' for a raise
or you'll wind up punchin' hours as a junkyard clerk
and you know you better stick to your rank
if you want to make the national bank
the buyers all buy and the sellers all sell
and they need each other like a horse needs meat
you can pawn your head if you're underfed
or lick up a livin' on the sidewalk street
but you know you better stay in your place
or they'll walk all over your face
society high climbers, just plain good timers
everybody got a price that got somethin' for sale
pay the parkin' meters and the hot water heaters
and it costs a lot of money if you want to go to jail
take a loan and you can get out of debt
join the army if you want to forget
there's money everywhere, there's money to burn
you can't use it if you lose it so you throw it all away
and the man with his hand in the pocket of your wallet
says it ain't worth much of nothin' anyway
and everybody wants to collect
they got no self respect
a nickel is a nickel and a dime is a dime
and a dollar's about 35 cents
better hop to and borrow 'cause it won't be there tomorrow
and it ain't never been the same since
what ever happened to free enterprise
it went down when the price began to rise
-------------
Program
television, tunnel vision, black-out blues
you got your game show giggle and your network news
subliminal input, it's a sensual drain
hard to shake it off, it's like a mousetrap on your brain
program, program
it'll show you the world through a camera lens
you can cut it up in pieces, you can feed it to your friends
manipulate your reflex to it's own intent
you'll be putty in the fingers of a well-dressed gent
program, program, program
how could we fall so far behind
so many heads with so little on their minds
so many extraneous designs
is this the best we can do with our time
with our time, with our minds
there's a living isolation in the family tree
when everybody goes along with it so dutifully
waiting for the sit-com or the big time game
like intimate strangers with the same last name
program, program, program
how could we let them come between
con us into living somebody else's dream
must be like some other kind of drug
hard to kick till somebody pulls the plug
pulls the plug, pulls out the rug
television, tunnel vision, starin' at a glass eye
sliding through the hours while the world goes by
suspended animation is the beauty of it all
it's just one step better than starin' at the wall
program, program, program
Progress
call it progress, so it must be so
call it progress, everybody knows
that there ain't nothin' better than the best
don't settle for less than progress
there's a new car and it's a whole lot faster
than the old car, a faster disaster
on the highway when the brake lines fail
or some other miner little detail
there's a new school and it's more expensive
than the old school and more extensively
illiterate, with a claim to fame
for the brains they train at the video games
and there's the headphones, turn 'em up loud
you can be alone in the middle of a crowd
with your best friend or your long lost cousin
if you want to say somethin' then you gotta push the button
but it’s progress, so it must be so
call it progress, everybody knows
that there ain't nothin' better than the best
don't settle for less than progress
there's a virus, they made it in the lab
it's for defense, so don't get mad
it's for détente, with a word to the wise
it'll probably get the Nobel Peace Prize
and there's a space ship at Cape Canaveral
an astronaut, maybe several
costs 80 billion dollars and what do you think
they bring us back a chemical breakfast drink
there's an old folks home with a better appearance
than the old old folks home, they'll take your parents
when they're done for, so they won’t get in the way
and they'll take you too when your children say
that it’s progress, so it must be so
call it progress, everybody knows
that there ain't nothin' better than the best
don't settle for less than progress
--------------
Puritan Seeds
a thousand years of darkness fell upon the human race
supernatural architects with a shadowy face
put the devil in the ground and the watcher in the sky
the eternal paranoia of an over-hanging eye
when they first came to this continent it was foreign to their eyes
so they peopled it with demons that they could recognize
and they killed as many of them as their reason would allow
they say it's all over but I think about it now
fear is such a powerful thing, you can make almost anyone do anything
there’s a ghost in the heartland beating on a little tin drum
to resurrect the Inquisition when the time comes
and in the corridors of power where the politicians play
there’s invisible fingers in the modeling clay
see the strange man calling for the righteous to rise
see the armies of a god with blood in his eyes
a doctor to the clinic on his way to face the day
passed the lines of danger where they kneel to pray
and no one saw the gunman ready to attack
until the angel of no mercy shot the doctor in the back
fear is such a powerful thing, you can make almost anyone do anything
I demand a better future, much more beautiful by far
with nothing in between us and the nature that we are
tear away this skin of shame that ties us to the rack
I demand a better future and I will never go back
love is such a powerful thing, it can make almost anyone do anything
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