I'm Not A Patriot But... Far away in Central America Young men and women fight to make their country free To kick out a foreign army The enemies of freedom What will you say when someone asks you "Whose side are you on?" In your fight, sisters and brothers far away I'm on your side But not far away Young men and women fight to make their country free To kick out a foreign army The enemies of freedom What will you say when someone asks you "Whose side are you on?" In your fight, sisters and brothers not far away I'm not on your side Differences? Don't bother me with differences Just let me think of it I'm not a patriot, but It's British boys you're gunning down It's our good boys you kill I'm not a patriot, but I won't turn against my land There's a great difference between liberators and those who only kill You are terrorists and they are freedom fighters You are murderers and they are revolutionaries In your fight, sisters and brothers not far away I'm not on your side Differences? Don't bother me with differences Just let me think of it I'm not a patriot, but It's British boys you're blowing up It's our good boys you kill I'm not a patriot, but I won't turn against my land, no, no I'm not a patriot, but I won't turn against my land [I want you to repeat after me: I am (I am) a revolutionary] notes: Malcolm:
This was written by Tim in waltz rhythm, which
is Ambiguous lyrics for an ambiguous subject. The speaker here seems torn between his affinity with Central American revolutionaries (such as the Sandinistas in Nicaragua?) battling foreign (American) imperialism and his unease over the similarly motivated Irish Republican Army "blowing up British boys." The parallel verses symbolize the seeming moral equivalence, and yet the speaker cannot go so far as to accept the terrorism on his own shores as justified. Many of Malcolm's speakers are satiric, and one wonders if this character is to be viewed as a hypocrite, or as just your average Briton adhering to what appears to be common sense. While I might be misinterpreting the line "you are terrorists and they are freedom fighters," this song resonates with me personally in the context of my government's alleged war on terrorism. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," or so the adage goes. Yet in hindsight, the speaker seems to be attempting a distinction between domestic and foreign rebels, not great powers and militant radicals, as I had thought. Still, I feel this track can be greatly appreciated in today's environment, particularly with those of us on the far left. Listen closely and you'll notice the verses are in 5/4 timing, with the chorus in 3/4. The version on That's All Very Well... sounds slightly different, and is also played a bit faster. In the newer version, "keep" is sang instead of "make" in the second verse. found on: The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth, That's All Very Well, But...
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