Dawn bird

Family’s tears on an open grave
People down there too late to save
Crying is never going to bring them back alive

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Every struggle is a struggle now under one flag
Red with blood and black from the fire
If it hurts that bad, you’ve got to fight back

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Could be you who’s living in a town somewhere
Waiting for the time when the uniforms say:
“Tomorrow it’s you—you’ve got to give way”

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Hoping there’s a chance you’ll get your share
But all you hear is ‘for your own protection’
You can stand like a wire in the wind—let me see you

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Don’t cut too high don’t stand too proud
Or you’ll be a short time in this world
You’d better learn your lesson or keep to the gutter
(Garbled in recording as “ if you think you keep the gutter”

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Your mothers and fathers were long in this land
Be a long time coming, be a long time gone
The evil grows fast so it’s easy cut down

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Nothing grows slower than the hardest wood
Be a long time growing, be a long-time fruit
The seeds that fall going to grow real tall
(Garbled in recording as “gonna real fruit”!)

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

You’ve got to keep on pushing ’til the wall comes down
keep on shouting ’til the heads all turn
they will love you with a bullet if they think it’s necessary

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

Fight so strong that it doesn’t leave a scar;
There’s an army out there waiting for the word
And they keep on coming, can’t stop the river flowing

Saying: world, oh world, you’ve got to turn round
This time, this time you’ve got to hear this voice
World, oh world, oh take some action

That’s when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches,
when the dawn bird approaches

When the dawn bird approaches (x6 or whatever)