Angry Old Men

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – August 2006

There comes a time when the circle closes fully around - Start as a speck of life and finish dust in the ground	     	      
The big pendulum swings – to rapid three quarter time - So what have we done with our lives (repeat)?

Chorus: Where are the angry young men today – they were going to change this world	
Cure cancer, stop hunger - make love and not war - Now they’re just angry old men - Now we’re just angry old men

The lemming grows its numbers and lets the sprawl assume - The law of thermodynamics changing energy to ruin
The pulpits plagued by bigots crying out His name in vain - Is that all that we have to claim?(repeat)?

Did we dream so high that we could only fail? - If we’d tried for less – would we be happy now?
Everyone would think we’d passed some kind of grade - And we might not be angry old men (repeat)?

New seeds always promise another growing stand - And they’ve seen the old ones but still don’t understand
The sheen now gone from the dreams they tried to live - And that was all that we could give (repeat)?

The Last Family Farm

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – November 2005

There was a time when we were farmers of the land - Our jobs were to plough and till the dirt 
Our children knew where their food came from - And we were good stewards of the earth

Chorus: Oh give us this day our daily bread - And let us share it to a man 
And we’ll just hope that we’ll get by - On the last family farm in the land, in the land - On the last family farm in the land
 
Oh farmers around the world are all to blame - But they are all victims too
Trans-national companies have torn out the heart - Of farmers and farming through and through 
 
We’ve paved so much farm land we can’t even tell - The very best is under our feet
Genetically altered and hormone fed - Our food’s not fit enough to eat 

Farming used to be a family affair - Working together as best they can
Now the orders come from some boardroom - And the shareholders don’t give a damn

The Black Lung Blues

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – December 2005

We all breathe in air about ten times a minute – fifteen thousand times a day
The air comes in and the air goes out – but what’s in the air will stay	      
We get sick from sucking bad air – smog and all that dirt
There’s lots of ways to make air bad – but burning coal is the worst 

Chorus:It’s the curse of the dirty old coal - It sits with the diamonds and petrol 
Like the apple in Eden to test our will
Dig it up and it will kill - Use it and it will kill

Many years ago there was an ice age that buried the forests below 
And they started turning into diamonds and oil and that dirty nasty old coal
Jamie Watt was a clever man – made the steam engine run  
And folks starting choking on all that bad air – ‘cause the industrial age had begun

It takes so many years a mountain to make – and so few to tear it down
With blasters and shovels and men in the tunnels – digging way underground
Mines would cave in or the gas would explode – and some miners never came back
And many got sick and finally died - coughing with lungs that were black

They say that the earth is changing its climate – starting to get really warm
But the warming is slow so you never know – until you’ve done the harm 
So burn that coal – business as usual - even a faster pace 
And we’re not going change – no… not a bit – till we kill off the whole human race

For Katrina

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – October 2005

There was a girl we called Katrina and she blew into this town
She came alone but with a vengeance and the fury of a woman once let down

Chorus:Oh this city of life and this lady of death - And the gift that she brought to help us see 

It’s true that we all loved New Orleans – though preachers called its life a sin
But it’s how we treat the planet – that made the climate change begin 
There is a treaty called Kyoto, a starting point to change our ways
But the land around New Orleans preferred just living for today

Preachers said God had struck New Orleans to clean its sin out for all time	
But we all know that’s not the reason - God has bigger sins on her mind	
We have a lesson from Katrina – but it’s not one we want to hear 	
Preachers - take a look around you – is this why God has put us here?

There was a girl we called Katrina and she brought a message to us all
If we don’t change the way we’re living - this is how we all will fall (and fade)

Winter’s Changed

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – November 2005

I was born in the winter time when the February winds did blow
The winter is a part of me and so is all that snow	  
But they say it’s changing – yes they say it’s changing - Soon - Winter’s changed for ever more 

I’ve read a book of two on this and it seems everyone agrees
The world is getting hotter because we’re cutting all the trees
And we’re burning coal - and we’re driving cars -  Soon - Winter’s changed for ever more

Some years ago they signed a pact to start to stop this trend
But the ones who really count wouldn’t make a stand – couldn’t give a damn
And they say it’s changing – yes they say its changing - Soon - Winter’s changed for ever more 

I see the snow flakes in the air and wonder why change must be
World nations are growing up and building their economies
Cutting trees and burning coal – driving cars and paving roads - Soon - Winter’s changed for ever more

Perhaps one day we’ll come to grips and change the path were on
Raging storms, drought and floods foretell an Armageddon
But they say we’re changing – yes they say we’re changing - Before - winter’s changed for ever more

There was Jane

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – December 2005

Holiday shopping is supposed to be fun - Not the kind of outing when you’d need to bring a gun
Crowds of busy shoppers buying year end steals - Ending the Christmas season by snapping up the deals

Chorus: And there was Jane –standing by a window pane - Shopping in a lead storm on Boxing Day
Toronto’s sons played for real with their guns - And Jane’s folks lost a daughter that way 

Blame the immigration and the guns brought to our land - Across a leaky border and into a new killer’s hands
Those who really know crime - say we’re the ones to blame - For cutting the social programs that curb these violent games

We all love our children – think they should be free - And safe to go out - on a holiday shopping spree
This promise for our future was killed for no just cause - It’s not how it’s supposed to be or ever was

Toronto sons played for real with their guns - And we all lost a daughter that day

The Only Way She Knew

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – January 2005

After praying with the others she climbed the bus that day - For that’s what they expected her to do
To her waist they’d strapped fifty pounds of blast - Enough to shake a city block or two
	
Refrain: There must a better way – I’m sure they heard her say - This will not bring them back again?
Her choices now were few doing what she must do - Serving her country the only way she knew

As the bus sped down the road picking up its load - She questioned why her life had gone this way 
Since a warplane in the sky dropped its load before her eyes - And killed both her parents the other day		
(Refrain) The funeral parade was long –  her friends sang vengeful songs - With promises to even out this wrong 

The bus was nearly full and she felt the fuse’s pull - And her hands were sweating underneath her vest
And the tears started to come as she saw the children run - Up the aisle to grab their mother’s dress		
(Refrain) And she thought back once more to the life she’d had before - And wished that today was tomorrow 

Her hands were frozen cold despite what she’d been told - That this was the only way they’d understand
She couldn’t pull the fuse and she knew she be abused - If she came back without making her stand			
(Refrain) Now she’d waited far too long and the passengers were all gone - And she knew she’d be arrested before long 

Some say the bomb was bad – others that she was mad - But she only killed herself that day
She’ll go to eternal grace with the others of that race - That died to serve their countrymen that way		
(Refrain) The funeral line is a mile for this girl who showed such style - She fought back the only way she knew

Hold On Tom

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – February 2006

Tom Bradley was my best friend we used to live next door
We both joined the army reserve not thinking we’d ever go to war
The Cold War was now over – we could use the extra dough
Tom’s Cora was expecting her third boy in a row 

Chorus: Hold on Tom you must be strong
I’ve called for help now
It won’t be long 
Hold my hand and together we’ll pray
That we’ll make it out some day

Our fathers were war heroes; Tom’s died over there 
We always played being soldiers and now we’re here
Stuck out in the desert, our HumVee on its side - Someone firing at us
hey, don’t they know we’re the good guys?

This is not what we expected – we seem so out of place 
We’ve made such a mess here – it’s a wonder they can stand our face 
We killed a little girl yesterday – about the age of our Jenny dear - She wouldn’t stop when we hollered
why don’t they teach them English here?

Tom, I hear a chopper – there’s a doctor on the way
They’ll get you to a hospital and fixed up in less than a day 
Tom, can you hear me? – Please just nod your head 
How many times have I told you – that we won’t leave here dead

What’s The Matter with Peace?

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – June 2006

I was born many years ago – after the war to end all war
Poppies grew upon the graves – of the ones who died so brave	      
Fighting over little bits of land – across the ocean they made a stand
The battles they claimed for ever more – never no need to fight another war 

Chorus: So what’s the matter (wrong) with peace today?  
Why can’t we find a peaceful way? - Why these troops all bearing arms?   
Weapons meant to cause great harm? - Didn’t we all agree one time?  
Killing each other was too (so) unkind?
We’d raise our children peacefully?  
All the world in harmony?

I know we meant it – but it must have slipped our minds
Then war brings such profits to the corporate bottom line
Now we call it terrorist - and each other by that name 
Car bomb or warplane – the children die just the same

I was born many years ago – after the war to end all war
Weeds now grow where poppies were – because we’re fighting another war
All the riches we spend on arms – while we leave so many to starve
May the leaders go to hell – for breaking faith with the ones who fell

Liberty

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – November 2005

Give me your tired, poor masses to breathe free
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me 
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
And all will bask in freedom for ever more (repeat once)
 
Welcome to America – the best democracy
The President got elected by the Supreme judiciary 
He breaks the laws and spies on people here
And stays in power by keeping us in fear (repeat once)

We jail more people here than almost anywhere
And we’re real proud of our electric chair 
With so many guns - someone’s always shot
And if you’re coloured they’ll arrest you on the spot (repeat once)

We’re building a wall to keep the Mexicans out
Their crime is taking jobs that Americans don’t want  
English and Christian are what you have to be
If you want to live here like us – hassle free (repeat once)
 
 So keep you poor and homeless away from our door
You could be a terrorist we don’t want you here no more 
And just in case you get here – how I don’t know
We’ll send you off for torture to Guantanamo (repeat once)
Repeat 1st verse (no repeat on last line)

It Matters

Words and Music by Ray Rivers – October 2005

I watch the leaves come falling down landing gently on the ground
Turning into piles of gold and red and bronze and brown
And I wonder how they know to fall, wonder if they feel at all
Knowing they can’t overcome this path that’s set for them 
Our lives are like the leaves that grow we fill this space and then we go
It doesn’t matter what we do, we know we all will die

Chorus 1:So what does it matter how we spend our time
How we treat each other and this earth oh so fine

It matters that so many poor pain and suffering must endure
Like the leaves that break and spoil at the bottom of the pile
It matters when we change the clime - extinguish species before their time
Poison the earth with chemicals that were never meant to be
It matters that we built the bomb can kill each other a million strong
Can tear apart this paradise that we call Mother Earth

Chorus 2
So it matters how we spend out time
How we treat each other and this earth so very fine

So I reflect on the leaves that pile and think about life for a while
How blessed to live in this here and now - and how little I give back
I thought that I should write a song to point out all we do that’s wrong
But all that we do that’s right, I never can recall
There’s people who go into the flame fight these fires and give no blame
Take the risks and really help - wish I were one of those 

Chorus 3: So I’ll make it matter how I spend my time
I’ll look after my brothers and this earth so fine