Smoke is Rising - G20 protest song

A protest song in honour of the Toronto G20 detainees - original composition: non-commercial (yeah, right!) cover versions welcome.

Dear Mr Harper
Or can I call you Steve?
I saw George Bush address you that way once
But you looked kind of peeved

It's about this G20
And the money that we spent, we didn't
Seem to get much value
And so we wonder where went

'Cause you saved a lot on bulk arrests
You saved on food and beds
When an old cheese sandwich doubled as
A pillow for the bleeding heads

And you saved a lot on potty doors
And we know you did your best
To make the summit green by going
toiletpaperless

Oh Toronto
Smoke is rising in the air
But it's just four worthless junkers
That the cops abandoned there.

Dear Mr Harper
You nearly burned down Steves
The firetrucks were held back as the
Cruisers burned like autumn leaves

And the windows all were vandalized
And outrage filled the land
While your hired goons looked the other way
Was that exactly what you planned?

And you turned the cops against us
For a little extra pay
The innocent were rounded up
And you let the guilty walk away

But was it really necessary
For five cops to take him down
To choke her til she peed her pants
And grind his face into the ground?

And did you think of them as cattle
To be kettled in the storm?
Did they really have a chance to leave
Before they faced your brutal swarm?

Oh Toronto
Smoke is rising all around
From the muzzles of your goon guns
As you dragged the people down.

Dear Mr Harper,
I think it's time for you to leave
I wish your name could fade away like letters
Melting off the sign at Steves

But we can't forget what happened
And we can't ignore the scars
They're seared into our consciouness
Like the hollow shells of burned out cop cars

So we'll let your visage linger
On that lone and level ground
And mock your name like some old king
Who failed to tear the city down




Oh Toronto ,
Smokescreens only last so long
But the truth lives on in video,
First hand accounts and even song




And your legacy of fear and lies
Will soon go down the drain
Like the blinding sting of tear gas
Washed away by summer rain


Chords
C Dm G E (first two lines of each verse)
Am G F E (rest of verse)
Am G F G (break)
finish on A major

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Toronto
• G20
• acoustic
• guitar
• protest
• original