"Have you noticed that America's on fire?" - contemporary protest song lyrics

“Uncivil Rights”
Written and performed by Adam Brodsky

Hey Mr. President, you can have my civil rights
Just leave me one or two to use when I go out Friday night
Lots of evil-doers out there who hate democracy
So we must give up our freedom to preserve our liberty

Well, you should question my neighbor, search his place, take him downtown
He’s either Buddhist or he’s Muslim, I forget, but hey, he’s brown
Either way, what I’m trying to say is he ain’t like me and you
And listen here, why should I fear, y’know everybody loves the Jews

Well stop me on the highway, search my car and my cavities
Delve into my past like I’m a Supreme Court nominee
If I don’t got nothing to hide, then why should I complain?
And if I don’t like it I can always go live with Castro or Hussein

Well I’m a real American, I bought a little flag
To prove that I ain’t no Commie Fascist Muslim pinko fag
I hang it from my window to show how much I care
Just don’t ask me if I owned it when them big buildings still stood there

Well I’m an atheist, so I won’t get pissed
If you take away Amendment the First
Freedom of the press, who do I look like,
William Randolph Hearst?

Peaceable assembly, redressing grievances,
Boy, that sounds like hippie talk
We don’t need your words, man, ain’t you heard
All the doves have turned to hawks

Well, I love the Constitution, but we need a new edition,
not a total demolition, just a small redefinition.
Let’s commit now to the mission, make a couple small additions -
like the use of intuition to declare the opposition.
As I'm thumbing through the articles I offer admonition
at the dangerous omission of a law against sedition.
You needn’t be a politician or a nuclear technician
to make a requistion for a couple new submissions.

I heard Mr. Bush say that there’s a new war out there
Apparently it’s the kind you don’t gotta get Congress to declare
I heard Mr. Lott say there ain’t no minorities
Then he stared at Mr. Gephardt, who nodded sheepishly

Hey Mr. Ashcroft, you can have my civil rights
Just leave me one or two to use when I go out Friday night
Lots of evil-doers out there who hate democracy
So we must give up our freedom to preserve our liberty