Memorial

Mothers would awake to feed their children
 our brothers would awake to mend their nets and sails
 mothers would awake to feed their children
 our brothers would awake to mend their nets and sails
 they had the boundless light of a new day dawning
 and a burning living driving will
 they had the light of a boundless new day dawning
 they had a burning living driving will
 meanwhile the old men sit on the top of a hill
 waiting through your legislation
 wading trudging through your debate
 about whether or not to send
 another hundred thousand young men and women
 off
 into the hurricane
 no taxation without representation
 we will not pay a toll in blood
 the old men were sitting on top of the hill
 while the younger
 ushered a place for both down by the creek
 singing they are following
 cold and fishing to their marked graves
 the old men sit on top of the hill
 of 58, 000
 walking
 walking across the plain i am descending
 six feet underground
 you send me here
 every name
 every name
 upon this wall
 you send me here
 six feet under
 why don't you take a short walk
 walk out of your oval office
 walk out of the state house
 take a short walk across the lawn
 and descend to six feet under and read those names
 you're debating still debating whether or not to send me here
 you're debating you're debating whether or not to send more over there
 six feet under
 you really do carry my weight
 bats grazing
 in the lighted sky above our houses
 lightning bugs rising higher and higher
 bats grazing in the sky
 in the night sky above our houses
 lightning bugs rising higher and higher
 as the sun leaves behind
 as the sun leaves behind
 this valley
 this waking valley song
 a memorial
 oh six feet to be under you really did
 carry my weight
 the earth i confess is not made to our unhappy state
 and you're still debating
 debate
 debate
 what is this?
 a voice in his head
 a voice comes quick and it fades on
 it is this waking valley song
 archaic and bent with time
 it is this memory
 it is his memory.