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10 Cent Patriots

from Blue​-​Eyed Devils by Walter Ehresman

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I had this song title around for over 10 years, but was paralyzed by choice when it came down to writing the lyrics. Once I found a handle on it, though, it came in about fifteen minutes. Lots of cheap patriotism in the US.......

lyrics

10 Cent Patriots
(© 2014 Walter Ehresman)

He screams to “Save the Babies!”, but he’s brutal with his kids;
He hangs those teabags from his hat, and tightens up his fists;
And he doesn’t think of details, when his eyes roll back to red
--and his life is fits of rage.

She proudly walks two steps behind, just like the pastor said;
She pulls the lever to the right; lies passive in the bed;
And she wave the flag-stained package deal, with all the family
--and her life is fields unsown.

[chorus]
Won’t you tell me what all this means to you,
when you strip away the volume and the sneer?
Are there words there in your Bible about “love your fellow man”?
Are there words down in your logic about corporate greed and fear?
Are there notions in your pride about you being such a sucker
for those think tank boys downtown?
Please turn around.

[break]
One-stop hateful “isms” are so easy to digest, with all the
kids home soon from practice, and the house in such a mess;
and with the herd all going one way out there in the neighborhood,
and when every force upon your life just wants you to be good
--if by “good” you mean “the same.”

They’ve fallen in there way too deep to ask these questions now;
They’ll ride this string out to the end and then they’ll wonder how
they’ve ended up out on the street for all the world to see
--with no net to catch their fall.

[chorus #2]
Won’t you tell me what all this means to you,
when you strip away the volume and the sneer?
Are there words there in your Bible about “love your fellow man”?
Are there words down in your logic about corporate greed and fear?
Are there notions in your pride about you being such a sucker
for those think tank boys downtown?
for those PR flacks downtown?
Please turn around.

credits

from Blue​-​Eyed Devils, track released November 22, 2014
Walter Ehresman--vocals, acoustic guitars.

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Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

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