On Bloody Thursday…
On Bloody Thursday, a few words to the Arabs…
And the Police used force
showing their true colors
their underbelly of hate
What are we to say?
safely snug in our homes in the West…
we are happy, our happiness is our sin
Resignation, oh fair Manama
a bloody Thursday descends on you
may your lives be as my life is to me, dear.
And the Police beat you to a bloody pulp,
that is their job, beating people, beating them
they’ve been doing it ever since they put on the uniform
What are we to say?
our rights are secure in the West…
we have pieces of old paper protecting them
The dessert island is stained with blood
the Pearl Roundabout cracks
the road is a river of red, mop it up, someone will have to.
And the Police killed the citizens
they are meant to protect and to serve
don’t worry, they were trained to do just that, maybe by us
What are we to say?
happy with our big-screen TV’s in the West…
here, pass the pop-corn, it’s another third world calamity
Benghazzi burns, just like Tunisia, Yemen and Cairo
oh what a day of rage, fill your lungs with freedom!
may your veins carry the elixir of liberty to get drunk on.
And the Police will kill the rest of you
in the dark when you disperse and go home to rest
that is how they always do it, a knock on the door at night
What are we to say?
we are free in the decadent, sybaritic, hedonistic West…
our decadence makes us meek and passive, controllable
I ask you only what is your plan when you succeed?
will you become like us, saturated and fat…
half asleep in front of the TV, popping Prozac & Viagra?
And the Police don’t give a damn who they defend
as long as they pay, and pay them well
it’s just a job, and they got bills to pay, who doesn’t
What are we to say?
we’ve forgotten what it’s like
to fight for freedom in the West…
I ask only because I hope you understand
we were caught off guard by your desires
don’t blame us for being shocked you want to be free.
And the Police have to keep the businesses running
that’s what the Police does, it’s a job
just look at Superman, he’s always catching the bank robbers
What are we to say?
“Liberty and Freedom for All…” but that’s only in the West…
we didn’t think you’d actually take us seriously!
It’s just a clever marketing strategy
to sell T-shirts to the idealist youth
not an excuse to make the price of oil go up!
And the Police will have their day
beating back the waves of weary poor, tear gassing them
they have hand wipes for the blood on the batons
What are we to say?
we are happy you want to have what we have in the West?
that’s hopelessly idealistic, we are far too jaded for that
I personally wish you freedom, because I do understand
I too saw oppression first hand, with my own eyes
I saw it in the eyes of the downtrodden Poles.
And the Police used force there as well
that’s what the Communists paid them for
that was their job, to keep the Reds in power
What do you think the West had to say?
Rise up? Fight? No, they urged restraint, film at eleven
a peaceful transition of power, hope for cooperation
I cannot tell you otherwise… but I can say one thing now:
don’t let freedom slip from your hand’s grasp
once tasted, it is your road to Salvation and Paradise.
February 17, 2011 – Konrad Tademar
