Bruce Cockburn Live . Call It Democracy

"Call it Democracy" is perhaps the only song ever written about the International Monetary Fund, which Cockburn accuses of fostering "insupportable debt" in Third World countries. Typically not pulling any punches, Cockburn charges that the IMF doesn't "really give a flying fuck about the people in misery." That earned it a few bleeps on radio and video channels, but no one seemed to notice the chorus, "IMF, dirty MF." We won't spell out here what "MF" stands for, but it can easily be imagined."



Padded with power here they come
International loan sharks backed by the guns
Of market hungry military profiteers
Whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared
With the blood of the poor

Who rob life of its quality
Who render rage a necessity
By turning countries into labour camps
Modern slavers in drag as champions of freedom

Sinister cynical instrument
Who makes the gun into a sacrament --
The only response to the deification
Of tyranny by so-called "developed" nations'
Idolatry of ideology

North South East West
Kill the best and buy the rest
It's just spend a buck to make a buck
You don't really give a flying fuck
About the people in misery

IMF dirty MF
Takes away everything it can get
Always making certain that there's one thing left
Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

See the paid-off local bottom feeders
Passing themselves off as leaders
Kiss the ladies shake hands with the fellows
Open for business like a cheap bordello

And they call it democracy
And they call it democracy
And they call it democracy
And they call it democracy

See the loaded eyes of the children too
Trying to make the best of it the way kids do
One day you're going to rise from your habitual feast
To find yourself staring down the throat of the beast
They call the revolution

IMF dirty MF
Takes away everything it can get
Always making certain that there's one thing left
Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

Category:

Music

Tags:

• alternative
• blues
• folk
• jazz
• religious
• rock
• world
• music

[ChrstphrClrk]

anyone know what kind of guitar Bruce is playing here?

[tarkineWild]

@ChrstphrClrk

I believe it is a Charvel Surfcaster

[FullersDuck]

Such a good song.

Interviewer to Eddie van Halen " What's it like to be the best guitarist in the world?"

Eddie van Halen "Ask Bruce Cockburn."

[jaslinc1]

Looks like we have arrived after all these years at the point where more than "1%" will know what the hell the IMF is.

"Kiss the ladies/Shake hands with the fellas/And it's, open for business like a cheap bordello/And they call it Democracy..."

[ambit1234]

@eldorado61guy

Actually it's about the IMF , you know what that is right?

[eldorado61guy]

Shove it Obama.

[doctorsumatra]

@cpkcpk2001 not enough.............

[00CaptainDan00]

Anthem for a revolution

[worldoctopus]

Lucid, Searing and stunning Bruce.

[juanunderground]

Bruce Cockburn is still a very avant-garde performer who really has been attached what he really believes in his own philosophy in music. Now with the WallStreet movements against greed this song points what we are really living in what it really calls democracy

[cpkcpk2001]

How much money did he make from shitting on capitalism



[StillHorse1]

this is my morning alarm every day.

Peace to Bob Hunter. forever

[StillHorse1]

this is my morning alarm every day.