Talking Voting Booth

First Line:

People keep telling me I got to vote

Artist & Tune

Composed by:

Si Kahn

Reference

Genre:

composed folk US, talking blues

Topic:

voting

About the Song

People keep telling me
I got to vote
Stop me in the street
Call me on my iPhone
Seems like I can’t get
A minute alone
Texts and emails
Tons of tweets
Say I got to get
That voting religion
I even got a note
By carrier pigeon
Good thing I’m a vegetarian

Now I’ve never voted
And it’s just not clear
Why I should break my streak
And vote this year

Now listen real carefully
‘Cause this is true
I don’t like people telling me
What to do

But just this morning
There’s a knock on my door
It’s my kid sister
Says, “Can I come in?”
Well, I can’t say no
To my next of kin
But she’s up to something
I just got to note
The hat she’s wearing
Says “Today We Vote”

She says, “Is this the year
You break your streak?”
I tell her she’s crazy
She says, “Well, I know
It’s not because you’re lazy
You take to the streets
Raise a clenched fist
Shout out for freedom
Tell us all to resist

“Now it’s always good
To march and shout
This year we’ve got to throw
Some people out!

“When it all comes down
To push & shove
We’ve got to protect
The ones we love
Friends & lovers
Sisters & brothers
If we’re gonna be free
We got to help one another”

Now Mother Jones
Is a hero to me
Kind of a 19th century
A.O.C.
One day she visited
A man in prison
I’m not making this up
It’s really true
“Son", she asked him
"What did you do?”
“Mother,” he said
“I stole a pair of shoes”
“A pair of shoes?
You couldn’t do better?
Steal a railroad
You’d be a U.S. Senator”

“Look, the country is drowning
In hate & fear
If you’re ever gonna vote
This is the year

“But vote for something
Not the autocracy
Not the kleptocracy
Not the theocracy
Not the corporatocracy
Cast a vote
For you & me
Cast a vote
For being free
Listen to your sister
Vote for democracy!

“These people have pushed us
Down a deep hole
We’ve got to rise to the top
And throw them all out
So you & me
We’re going to the polls
It’s not enough
Just to take a stand
It’s time to take power”

And she reached out her hand…

I remember when
She was a little kid
I was her hero
Everything I did
She wanted to do
Everything I was
She wanted to be
Sometimes what matters
Is flesh and blood
Sometimes what counts
Is my sister & me

Maybe she’s right
Maybe she’s wrong --
But she’s going to the polls….

And I’m going along