the clatter of keys

RACHEL MADDOW AND I WRITE A SONG VIA TEXT

this originally appeared on my blog on 6 SEP 2010. i’m not sure why it didnt migrate over here when i changed hosts… anyway, i was thinking of this song today and wanted to look up the lyrics…

yes, it’s true. maddow, an old friend from the 413, made time in her busy schedule and corresponded with me via text on the subjects of the gulf, oil, iraq, and the ways everything is all connected. i took our conversation, wrapped it up in a slow second line, and called it a song. my new friends barkuna backed me up, and we debuted it in the low-pressure confines of The Town Hall, NYC. all of this to benefit the American Bird Conservancy. watch how it turned out below. the lyrics as they were written (but maybe not sung) are below:

from baghdad to the bayou
in the desert or plaquemines
for every gallon of oil drilled
we wanna know where the payoff is
in the strip mines or the lower 9th
fallujah to la fourche
for every gallon of oil spilled
we’re gonna organize for truth

who is watching the watcher?
whose hand is in the pie?
who is reaping profits
on the back of our coastline?
for every feather oiled
for every katrina refugee
for ever soldier in harm’s way
we want accountability