She was told she had two choices Jail or the back of the bus My advice is move he said But it doesn’t matter to us Nevertheless she resisted She saw no other way Nevertheless she persisted Making history that day The Senator from Massachusetts Was silenced the other day The old boys club refused to hear What it was she wanted to say Nevertheless she resisted She saw no other way Nevertheless she persisted She saw no other way The fight goes on every day There’s never an end in sight The struggle goes on forever In the fight for human rights She defied Taliban death threats Fighting for children’s rights A gunman shot her down And she almost died that night Nevertheless she resisted She saw no other way Nevertheless she persisted She knew no other way Malala, Warren and Parks Among millions who’ve had to face Men like Mitch McConnell Telling them to stay in their place Nevertheless they resisted And they fight back still Nevertheless they persisted And they always will

Living in a land of lies We’re living in a land of lies And it’s right before your eyes We’re living in a land of lies Post Truth nincompoops President in cahoots With propaganda liars Plain truth deniers Standing at the podium Can’t you see his pants on fire Now we’re in a real mess Shouting down the free press Wonder where the truth went Stolen by the government People in the streets and The flames keep getting higher Living in a land of lies We’re living in a land of lies And it’s right before your eyes We’re living in a land of lies Sign posts and epitaphs Pointing down the wrong path Congress full of misfits Liars and hypocrites Lies falling out of their mouths Scatter in the wind Climate change liars Holocaust deniers Calls for White Power Keep getting louder Who was it who said that the South was gonna rise again Living in a land of lies We’re living in a land of lies And it’s right before your eyes We’re living in a land of lies Russian connections Stolen election Who’s he think he’s fooling Cutting deals with Putin Won’t show his taxes or Tell where he hid the loot Glaring at the button Head full of nothing Constitution undone Finger on the big one Staring in the mirror while The world is shaking in its boots Living in a land of lies We’re living in a land of lies And it’s right before your eyes We’re living in a land of lies

Hard times come they will Hard times come they will When you can’t pay all the bills Hard times come they will Dark clouds they are gatherin’ Hard times are ahead All we want’s a living wage All we get is screwed instead Millionaires have got too much And we ain’t got enough The rising tide they talk about Never seems to lift us up Hard times come they will Hard times come they will When you can’t pay all the bills Hard times come they will We wait for an election To pick a President But they’ve redrawn all the districts To rig the government The Rich Man’s doing fine But we can’t get ahead They get all the tax cuts And we get Trumped instead Hard times come they will Hard times come they will When you can’t pay all the bills Hard times come they will Now the Bible that I read from Says hard times always come And the poor will live in Mansions When the Kingdom comes I’ve always been a patient man But I hope it gets here soon ‘Cause a Notice of Eviction Arrived this afternoon Hard times come they will Hard times come they will When you can’t pay all the bills Hard times come they will Hard times come they will Hard times come they will So you have to keep on fightin’ ‘Cause Hard times come they will

Pull that blanket of sleep over me I toss and I turn restlessly Can’t cut you loose from my mind Or the love that you left behind I see a rider approaching at dawn When I look back again he’s gone Was it just a trick of my mind Or an angel sent as a sign The hand of God moves unseen Sometimes He speaks in our dreams I remember you said when I see A rainbow “remember it’s me”

The “Alternative Facts” were flyin’ so fast I couldn’t keep track of ‘em all They came through the door and covered the floor They piled up against the wall They were coming thru my smart phone Damndest thing I’d ever seen They were flying outta my tablet And my 52-inch TV At first I thought they were some new bug I’d never seen before Or maybe a germ war weapon Left over from the Second World War But then my mind got fuzzy Was it whispering I heard? Things got weird time disappeared And the strangest thoughts occurred Like the sun comes up in the west each day And goes down in the east Vanilla tastes like peanut butter And vinegar tastes sweet In my mind I became convinced That the Savior had arrived But he wasn’t preaching love and peace And his hands were smaller sized When I came back to my senses I went and got myself a beer And I remembered “The truth shall set me free” And the Alternative Facts disappeared Now a chunk of coal may turn into A diamond by and by But the truth is that facts are facts And lies, well, they’re just lies Like the sun comes up in the west each day And goes down in the east Vanilla tastes like peanut butter And vinegar tastes sweet Now a chunk of coal may turn into A diamond by and by So remember what the Good Book says It’s a sin to tell a lie

I’m taking the day off from all things Trump My anger is growing and I’ve had enough Of all of the hatred that comes with his name I’m taking the day off to focus on love The beauty of Nature will rinse my soul clean I’ll let God’s creation just wash over me Like the sound of the breeze as it rustles the leaves And tickles the blossoms on Magnolia trees I’m taking the day off from all things Trump To stare at the beautiful sky up above And all of the beauty that shines around me I’m taking the day off to focus on love The beauty of Nature will rinse my soul clean I’ll let God’s creation just wash over me Like the sound of the breeze as it rustles the leaves And the sweet smell of blossoms on Magnolia trees I’m taking the day off from all things Trump My anger is growing and I’ve had enough Of all of the hatred that comes with his name I’m taking the day off to focus on love The beauty of Nature will rinse my soul clean I’ll let God’s creation just wash over me Like the sound of the breeze as it rustles the leaves And the sweet smell of blossoms on Magnolia trees

Half the country knows he’s nuts SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? There ain’t no ifs ands or buts SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? Rule of law going down the drain SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? Ain’t about his great brain SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? We’re gonna stand together with each other Just like sisters and brothers We’re gonna stand together with Christians and Jews Muslims and Catholics and Hindu too Accomplices are in DC SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? Traitors in the GOP SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? Democrats are silent types SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? As they take away our Rights SO WHAT WE GONNA DO We’re gonna stand together with each other Just like sisters and brothers We’re gonna stand together with Christians and Jews Muslims and Catholics and Hindu too Ain’t no room for Nazis here SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? We won’t live in hate and fear SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? They spread division with fake news SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? Propaganda is all they spew SO WHAT WE GONNA DO? We’re gonna stand together with each other Just like sisters and brothers We’re gonna stand together Christian and Jew Catholic and Hindu and Muslim too

A single voice barely heard Came from the choir loft Singing a simple hymn of praise In a voice both low and soft It carried not much further Than the last few rows of pews A voice that sounded frail with age And slightly out of tune I wondered who the woman was In the choir loft that night From where I sat the choir screen Had hid her from my sight A second voice and then a third Began to fill the the air In ones and twos folks left the pews To climb the choir stairs Soon their voices filled the church And soon they spilled outside The Preacher stopped his preaching then And joined the rising tide Amazing Grace how sweet the sound That filled the church that day A single voice that did resound To fill that church with Grace Now skeptics say things can’t be changed By a single person’s words And you can protest all you want But your voices won’t be heard I have no way of knowing If they’re right or if they’re wrong But don’t tell that to the worshipers Who filled that church with song Amazing Grace how sweet the sound That filled the church that day A single voice that did resound To fill that church with Grace

She wanders through the place In her Dorian Gray face paint And her tomahawk tongue Vilifying everyone She can hide behind her lies And her Cinderella sister eyes And disguise what is corrupt With a little pixie dust Nothing’s new beneath the sun And when’s Truth ever done Any good for anyone? I’ve heard all of the claims But where is Truth today? Trust The Only One He is The Only One There are portraits on the wall Pictures big and small And the sign says “Enter here” And in this house of mirrors Pontius Pilate looks away From that ancient Passion Play Then he washes his hands And gives up a guiltless man But What is Truth? This Truth of which you sing He never was a King Or accomplished anything I’ve heard all of the claims But where’s your Truth today? Trust The Only One Trade Your Truth for Trump For What is Truth?

The Devil and Donald Trump (with apologies to Stephen Vincent Benét) by Dan Sullivan Jan. 27, 2017 Old Scratch showed up at the White House. He was on the lookout for souls. He’d heard new tenants were moving in; At least that’s what he’d been told. He’d been banned by the previous couple When they moved in 8 years ago. But he’d heard some talk the new resident Had a weakness for silver and gold. So what could it hurt to visit, To pay respects perhaps. You’d be surprised how easy you can make new friends With just a tip of the cap. So he showed up at the Portico In a long black overcoat, Let himself in through a side door While the guard was sneaking a smoke. He noticed the place hadn’t changed much Since the times he’d been there before. There were new drapes on the windows New carpeting on the floor. They come and they go, he thought to himself; Such a life had no appeal To a man of Scratch’s stature, To a man who lived for the deal. But business is where you find it To a salesman on the road, And many a soul had been gathered In much more humble abodes. The man at the desk looked up with a start When Scratch walked into the room. For a minute no words were spoken; It was silent as any tomb. As they took each other’s measure In the distance a church bell pealed. It was Scratch who broke the silence first, “I heard you like to deal.” After a pause came the answer, “I buy and I sell” Donald said. “In a crooked world it’s the only way A man can get ahead.” “You’re a man after my own heart, And a deal always takes two sides.” “Have a seat,” the Donald offered. “I will,” Scratch replied. “But let’s get down to cases, Like me you’re a man of the world. I’m not here to barter in trinkets, In diamonds, gold or pearls. “It’s a nice little place you have here. I’m sure you’re proud of your home, But why settle for this throne of yours When there’s a whole world you could own?” The Donald leaned back in his chair, “And in return?” he replied. “I was just about to get to that. There is nothing that we have to hide. “Do you believe in all this nonsense That men have immortal souls?” “I’ve never thought much about it. But no, I don’t, I suppose.” “That’s good,” Scratch said softly, Not wishing to sound too keen. “I suspect the fee I require Is a price you’ve already gleaned. “For in this life where fate assigns To each of us a role, You were born to rule the world And I? I collect souls. Now both of us are men who deal And know what the market will bear. And whether souls exist or not, Why should either of us care? “It’s just a little game I play, You might call it a fantasy. But if you want to rule the world You’ll give your soul to me.” Donald’s gaze was steady As he weighed which move to make. He’d seen suckers come and go before, But this one took the cake. “Draw up the papers tomorrow,” he said “Then bring them back to me.” Reaching into his pocket Scratch said, “I have it here as you see.” That should have been a tipoff As to who was the fish on the line Beware of the man in a hurry To get the other fellow to sign But the Donald was feeling his greatness, “Slide it over here” he said. He scanned the sheet of paper And reached in his pocket for a pen. In a childish scrawl he wrote down One addendum to the pact: “Any post hoc false claim discovered Will void the entire contract.” And with a grandiose sweep of his pen He signed on the bottom line, Then passed the paper back to Scratch, “Now give me what’s rightfully mine.” “And what might that be?” the Devil replied, Sounding almost amused. “You made a deal to give me the world.” “No, I think you’re a little confused.” “Then the whole thing’s off,” The Donald said, “If you lied that voids our deal.” “Lied?” the Devil said with a smile, “It’s only the truth I’ve revealed.” “You promised the world,” The Donald screamed, “But that was no lie in fact.” And now the Devil was laughing out loud “That was just an alternative fact.” “And now I’ll take my end of the deal. I’ll take your soul here and now. You can sue me later for all I care But right now you’re going down.” And then in a cloud of sulphur and smoke The Donald faded to black. The Lying Press was informed the next day And told the Alternative Facts. By agreement among the authorities There was no formal inquest. The funeral was held at Trump Tower At the grieving family’s request. And so the myth was born that day That he died of a heart attack. But the truth is he died as he always had lived Destroyed by Alternative Facts.