Story Behind The Song
Walking down 23rd Street in Manhattan, the first line came to me: "When political leaders see what they have wrought," and the rest of the song wrote itself (melody, lyrics and structure) in less than an hour!
Also, I happen to be a 76-year-old unreconst
Song Description
Condemns political leaders, then religious leaders, and then business leaders, but suggests the people will finally "arise and hand their leaders a big surprise."
| Song Length |
4:28 |
Genre |
Pop - Alternative |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Incensed, Livid |
Subject |
Anti, Liberal, Progressive |
| Similar Artists |
Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1960 - 1969 |
| |
Lyrics
TALKIN' ABOUT WORLD LEADERS
1.
When political leaders
see what they have wrought
With all the guns and votes
that they have bought
And all the power that they have
sought
Do they ever give another
minute's thought
To those who died and those who
fought
And say, Oh, my God!
It's all my fault!
The answer is No.
They don't give a damn.
Just take another look at
Vietnam.
If that's not enough
To stiffen your back,
Then take a closer look at the
new Iraq.
2.
When religious leaders
see what they have done
With the web of lies
that they have spun
The holy wars that they've begun
Do they ever regret all the lives
undone,
Their shameful deeds in the
name of God's son,
And say, Oh, my God!
I'm the evil one!
The answer is No.
They're havin' too much fun
But the war of Armageddon
has just begun.
If you cannot believe
It can get that bad,
Think Christian Crusades
and Islamist Jihad.
3.
When business leaders
see the world that they have made,
With all the graft and bribes
that they have paid,
All the workers that they
betrayed,
Do they ever regret all the games
they played,
The shameless greed that they
displayed,
And say, Oh my God!
I'm so depraved!
The answer is No.
They just don't care.
All they want to be is a billionaire.
If it was up to them,
If they had their way,
We'd all be living on a dollar a day.
4.
When all the people
see what lies ahead
Because of the stories
that they've been fed
In a cynical scheme
to fill them with dread,
Will they ever wake up,
get it into their head
That their leaders don't care
who ends up dead,
And say, Oh my God!
We've been misled!
The answer is Yes.
They will arise
And hand their leaders a big
surprise.
When that will happen
there's no way of knowin'
But the times are changin'
and the wind is blowin'
Yeah, the times are still achangin'
And the wind is still ablowin'.