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State of the Union

by Mardell McCombs

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1.
AMERICAN DREAM Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing We were beautiful under spacious skies If only we'd been wise I love my country, but I hate what I see So I speak my mind in the Land of the Free I had a nightmare, woke up with a scream I witnessed a murder The American Dream They worked by stealth, then out in the light There was no army to fight the good fight We sat at home and watched on the news Believed what they told us Missed all the clues I had a nightmare, woke up with a scream I witnessed a murder The American Dream The American Dream What was the cause do you reckon The motive was greed Poison the weapon We have a sickness, it's out of control It rages through us body spirit and soul We've got to work and find us a cure For it's not too late Of this I am sure I had a nightmare, woke up with a scream I witnessed a murder The American Dream We killed it dead The American Dream
2.
THE HOPE OF FREEDOM Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing You say the country's too full And you can't take anymore So you're dimming the lamp And closing the door You say we're breaking your laws Patience is wearing thin But we're your tired and poor And we want in The hope of freedom was in my heart It was a light that sustained me Through those perilous miles The hope of freedom was in my heart The dream of a better life I vowed to break poverty's curse For the sake of my child and my wife When there is no work, when there is no bread When the soldiers come in the night What is a man to do? But seize the chance for flight And now you say you must send me back To do the best that I can If you could just understand There's no dignity to live in fear So I beg you please keep me here For my heart holds a dream so dear The hope of freedom in my heart The hope of freedom in my heart The hope of freedom in my heart
3.
NO PLACE TO LAY MY HEAD Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing Look at me now Things may not be what they seem I wasn't always like this Used to be living the dream Nice home, nice car, nice job, nice life Loved and respected, a happy wife The shelter's not bad, when you can get in Lord knows, by now there's worse places I've been Spend my days in the library trying to keep things on track Dinner at McDonalds from the dumpster out back Now there's no place to lay my head Lord, Lord There's no place to lay my head These old bones are aching and I'm barely fed And there's no place to lay my head We lost our jobs one at a time First went his, then went mine We held on just as long as we could Now we've lost everything And our credits no good He just couldn't take it and he left me flat No idea now what or where he's at Lived in my car till they towed it away Now I wander the streets Trying to make my way But there's no place to lay my head Lord, Lord, there’s no place to lay my head These old bones are aching and I’m barely fed Got no place to lay my head I keep on trying but it wears you down Looking for work when there's none to be found Going broke, getting older, that was no plan of mine What can you do against hard luck and time I hear folks complain about this, about that But you're so damn lucky to be where you're at Sleeping in your own bed, had enough to eat Then give thanks that you're not out on the street Where there's no place to lay your head Lord, Lord no No place to lay your head Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead For there's no place to lay my head There's no place to lay my head Lord, Lord No place to lay my head I'm old and I'm cold, I"m scared and alone Don't everybody need a home
4.
MAKE ME FAMOUS Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing Hey Look at me! It's my turn Make me famous now I'm ready for the spotlight Make me famous now I ate a thousand goldfish They say I'm just like Elvis I won the Cha-cha contest Make me famous now Make me famous now Please notice me, I'm special Make me famous now Whatever it takes, it's worth it Make me famous now I'll starve and be a model I wanna star in movies I don't mind the nude scenes Just make me famous now Make me famous now Just 15 minutes of fame And everybody knows your name You're always a celebrity You can say guess who I used to be Watch out for me, I'm desperate Make me famous now If you won't give it, I'll take it Make me famous now I held a school bus hostage Burned 10,000 acres I gunned down John Lennon Make me famous now Make me famous now Just 15 minutes of fame And everybody knows your name You're always a celebrity You can say guess who I used to be Make me famous now, make me famous now Make me famous now, make me famous Make me famous now, make me famous now Make me famous now, make me famous
5.
Monotone 02:36
MONOTONE Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing Don't be too stupid, don't be too smart In kindergarten that's when they start Molding minds, in the churches, schools and homes So you'll conform to their monotone Everybody wants to win By trying to just fit in We'll settle for less, not to be alone Live out our lives in monotone Before you realize, you've wasted years Building a prison out of your fears Set your soul free, take a chance Hear the music, join the dance Media controls what we perceive In our own voice we don't believe We sit and stare listening to their endless drone Fill up our minds with it's monotone It's all vanilla, it's all grey You've played it safe, but you're scared each day Set your soul free, take a chance Hear the music, join the dance Monotone, monotone Monotone, monotone, monotone, monotone, monotone Monotone, monotone MONOTONE
6.
PERFECT THINGS Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing I have a house full of perfect things By them I set great store I have a house full of perfect things And each year I get more I shop and stalk and find them I cash and charge and buy them I work and save and earn them I protect and insure them I have a house full of perfect things That I can't do without I have a house full of perfect things They're me, without a doubt I polish, clean and dust them No tarnish or no rust then I add subtract and bill them To the favored ones, I'll will them All my lovely perfect things Things I really need Are filling rooms and closets till I'm crowded out by greed I have a house full of perfect things They cushion stress and strife And fill the empty spaces in My dull imperfect life
7.
Junkyard 03:32
JUNKYARD Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing The wretched refuse huddle round They don't look up, cause they're going down Going down, going down slow You never thought it would be like this You thought that you could handle the risk But you kept on making the same mistake Guess a habit is a hard thing to break Going down, going down slow Going down slow So you found life a little too hard And you ended up in the junkyard Skin and bone, vacant stare Too many others like you there In the junkyard Hanging out, hanging around Waiting for the man to come round Going down, going down slow Rats and garbage at your feet Gangs and weirdos on the street You said you could quit, when you wanted to Now look what you've turned into Going down, going down slow Going down slow So you found life a little too hard And you ended up in the junkyard Skin and bone, vacant stare Too many others like you there In the junkyard Going down, going down slow Going down, going down slow In the words of Billie Holliday Drugs just kill you the slow hard way
8.
WAITING IN THE LOBBY BLUES Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing Don't worry how we invest We're the government, we know what's best We'll take care of you just like a mother Yeah, Uncle Sam's turned into your Big Brother But there's a cost for all this care And it's a cost you're going to have to bear We're counting on your apathy We'll manipulate you with TV And if there's an intelligent reaction A little war somewhere provides distraction Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call Is it the choice of the people back home That powers the vote in the capitol dome Thanks to the lobbyists I'm sorry to say It's the size of the bankroll that carries the day When you are a lobbyist, it's influence that counts Contribute to a campaign fund in six-figure amounts Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call Do something for me, I'll do something for you That's how the game is played, I thought everyone knew But when the stakes get higher and there's more to lose Right from wrong becomes harder to choose How did it get so out of hand Excuse my ignorance But aren't bribery and graft a capital offense A Capitol Offense A lobbyist does well these days Ask him how influence pays Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call Waiting in the lobby, standing in the hall The special interests gang has come to pay a call They've come to pay a call, they've come to take it all
9.
WE'VE GOT A FILE ON YOU Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing Freedom of expression, that's the American Way Just remember that our agents take down everything you say Should your words prove influential and oppose our policies We'll have to start observing you And see what we can see We've got a file on you We know everything you do We know everywhere you go We know everyone you know We've got a file on you, it's growing thick and stout Give us any trouble, we'll go and pull it out Our specialty's surveillance, though it's pretty dull stuff The fun part's when we raid your home and haul you off in cuffs You'll probably be acquitted if your lawyer is well known But buying back your freedom will take every cent you own We've got a file on you We know everything you do We know everywhere you go We know everyone you know We've got a file on you, it's growing thick and stout Give us any trouble, we'll go and pull it out La la la, la la la la La la la, la la la la When the constitution stood strong our hands were fairly tied But now thanks to the Patriot Act, that documents been fried And that old fourth amendment will trouble us no more An assessment from the NSA will get us through the door We've got a file on you We know everything you do We know everywhere you go We know everyone you know We've got a file on you, it's growing thick and stout Give us any trouble, we'll go and pull it out Give us any trouble, we'll go and pull it out
10.
Foreign Aid 03:11
FOREIGN AID Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing We didn't ask you to come And tell us how things should be run We have our own ways here And we don't need you to interfere America, America You're so rich and powerful You can afford to give there We don't like America We just want to live there You like to throw your weight around And say just dare to defy us You're offering your foreign aid But you're just trying to buy us America, America You're so rich and powerful You can afford to give there We don't like America We just want to live there Your corporations come to loot us Your foreign culture will pollute us How can we be in accord When our needs and traditions are ignored America, America! You're so rich and powerful You can afford to give there We don't like America We just want to live there You say we have just the place To build your next military base Should we refuse your loan Our leaders will be overthrown America, America You're so rich and powerful You can afford to give there We don't like America We just want to live there We just want to live there
11.
THIS MEANS WAR Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing We wave the flag, rally round Sing that Old Glory song Of might and fight, truth and right But something is terribly wrong This means war, war, war, war This means war Brainwashed into a killing machine To follow wherever you're led We just did what they told us to do Say the living that bury the dead Brave gallant soldiers? Or political pawns There's a great deal of money tied up in arms War, war, war, war This means war The war profiteers Maneuver the gears Till Their profits are assured Then the war machine Unleashes it’s flood Manufacturing death and blood Death and blood Shell shocked eyes relive the horror With their terrible vision Trapped inside they peer through the bars Of their mental prison The maimed and the wounded return home To receive a medal and a G I loan War, war, war, war This means war This means war
12.
A Great Man 06:08
A GREAT MAN Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing What use to be a great man In a world grown small Where people grasp at nothing And think they have it all Why put yourself forward Alone in your stand A target for hatred In an unhappy land Why speak words of wisdom And risk your life? When your pleas fall on deaf ears Stopped up by violence and strife Why do the right thing? When the efforts in vain We've all seen the outcome Again and again We want a leader to save us A Kennedy, Ghandi or King But are we ready For the message they bring Well that's how I feel sometimes When my thoughts shade to blue But someone's got to make a stand Stare down Power and speak Truth This world is worth fighting for And it's our own responsibility Each child born in innocence Has the right to be free We want a leader to save us A Kennedy, Ghandi or King But are we ready For the message they bring What use to be a great man In a world grown so small They'll lean on you and use you And watch you fall
13.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE Mardell McCombs ©Talking Rock Publishing When you're a bunch of sheep, easily policed Is it any wonder that you get fleeced The economy's got you on your knees All your jobs went overseas It's up to you to make a choice It's up to you to use your voice Singing power, power to the people Power, power to the people Many recent laws of our great nation Only benefit multinational corporations Small farm, small business, small bank account They will control you or squeeze you out When you're fed garbage, don't just tamely swallow They may try to lead But you don't have to follow Power, power to the people Power, power to the people But don't moan and groan, complain and holler Use your vote, then vote your dollar Everyone white and blue collar Show your power and vote your dollar What can I do I'm telling you Be a vigilant consumer or be consumed Speak the language they understand A fistful of greenbacks in your hand Money talks, gold glistens I guarantee, that'll make em' listen Power, power to the people Power, power to the people You've got to vote your dollar, vote your dollar Power, power to the people

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released January 1, 2019

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Mardell McCombs Talking Rock, Georgia

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