Skipping Ropes

Down by the river, down by the sea
Johnny broke a bottle and then blamed me.
When he doesn’t blame me, he will blame you
And I can’t tell if his lies are true.

The game is up, the game is down.
The rules are bent and turned around.
We’ve got no access to the facts.
The words on the page have all been cracked.

The news is fogged and the page is torn.
The road they tread is so well worn.
They’ll find a way to bend the law.
These games are played behind closed doors.

I saw a broadcast on TV,
I’ll blame you, you blame me.
The same this time as the time before.
Jump the rope and head for war.

The wind, the wind, the wind blows high,
It blows little Shana through the sky.
She was young and she was pretty
She was the girl from the target city.

The News

I think of your sorrow
and of my own
and my troubles to come
but the news burbles on
in the background
a constant horror
what have I got to cry about?
there are no bombs in my street
my kids are nearby
I still have a floor under my feet
the tap gives me water
there’s no blood at my gate
or local slaughter
babies are born in this town
they survive
they have love
I’m alive