Ethan Daniel Davidson - Cops Kill Rights Dead Lyrics

Come all who have ears that you may hear
Come all who have eyes that you may see
And I will tell you of a land that lies not far from hand
A town that they call New York City

Now New York is a town of many monuments
But the greatest monument you'll ever see Is that lady with a flame callin everybody's name
Singing come ye huddled masses and breathe free

Now her call had drawn a man up out of Haiti
And he was called Abner Luima by his name
For bein black he was stopped and he was tortured by the cops
In such a way that he may never breathe free again

Now you may feel that these crimes just don't concern you
They may as well have been committed on some foreign shore
But when it's all that easy to violate one man's rights
Think how easy they can violate yours

Now come all who have a tongue that sings of freedom
Come gather round and listen unto me
And while that refugee's lighthouse gleams I shall unfold another scene
From the streets beneath the Statue of Liberty

Now from Africa came a man they called Diallo
Well he'd come here for the promise of living free
And by his home in the Bronx he was approached by four cops
Who fired forty-one shots at his life and liberty

Now you may feel that these crimes just don't concern you
They may as well have been committed on some foreign shore
But when it's all that easy to annihilate two men's rights
Think how easy they can annihilate yours

Now come all who have a faith that speaks of Justice
And come all you defenders of liberty
And turn your attention one last time to this humble voice of mine Tell one last tale of New York equality

Now the cops in New York preach their law & order
But one hundred women attacked by a mob don't count somehow
In Central Park they were raped and abused while the cops just watched amused
So tell me what might service and protection be worth now

And you may feel that these crimes just don't concern you
They may as well have been committed on some foreign shore But when it's all that easy to ignore one hundred women's rights
Think how easy it'll be for them to ignore yours

Now come all who have a heart that you may feel
And come all who have a mind that you may know That this is not Beirut I sing Johannesburg nor Beijing
This is New York, L. A., Seattle and Navajo
No this is not the Warsaw Ghetto and this is not Sarajevo
This is Detroit, Pine Ridge, Nashville, Chicago

So come all you sons and daughters of America
You who feel secure in your life and liberty
And after all that we have seen tell me what your rights might mean
Beyond a promise more hollow than the Statue of Liberty

And you may feel that these crimes just don't concern you
But keep in mind they were committed at your neighbor's door
And if it's all that easy to violate one man's rights
Think how easy they can violate yours