Thanks to John Amato’s Crooks and Liars for reminding me of Jackson Browne’s song “Lives in the Balance” first released in 1986. (It was written about Ronald Reagan the USA involvemet in El Salvador. For bacground, see this on the PBS film Enemies of War with the story, a timeline, talkback, resources and more.)
Lives in the Balance
They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they’re never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
Full lyrics for this song on lyricsfreak.com are here.
Click here to read John Amato’s entry on Lives in the Balance.
Also thanks to Chris ~ someone adding a comment to John Amato’s blog entry with these lyrics to the song “For America” from the same album:
For America
As if freedom was a question of might
As if loyalty was black and white
You hear people say it all the time-
My country wrong or right
I want to know what that’s got to do
With what it takes to find out what’s true
With everyone from the president on down
Trying to keep it from youThe thing I wonder about the dads and moms
Who send their sons to the vietnams
Will they really think their way of life
Has been protected as the next war comes?
I have prayed for america
I was made for america
Her shining dream plays in my mind
By the rockets red glare
A generation’s blank stare
We better wake her up this time
Click here for the full lyrics.