l u c i e   t h o r n e  

operation beggar

i was busking one night down on swanston street
when i befriended tom and helen who were just trying to make ends meet
asking for a bit of loose change from passers by
and the way those cops were behaving you'd think it was a crime to try to survive

they were getting hassled by a couple of cops
so i went over to where they were standing and i gave tom a couple of bucks
one cop he turned to me, stared at my breasts and said hey sweetheart, why don't you get lost
why do you have to be such an asshole, and since when has it been a crime to be kind to someone

so i called the cop an asshole, i guess that's the wrong thing to do
you've got to watch what you're saying when you're talking to the boys in blue
you see lately in this city they've been charging people on the street
and it's just too bad if they don't like the look of you,
if you've got the wrong coloured skin, or you just can't get enough to eat

i went back to my guitar and started packing up my stuff
and that same cop followed me over and said sweetheart, you're pushing your luck
nobody calls me an asshole
well at that point, i had to laugh

but then after all, he's the cop
he's the one in the uniform
he's the one with the big black baton
he's the one with the gun

so as for tom and helen, and all the other thousands on the streets
our governments and businesses are waging war with some kind help from their police
so take a closer look at this pseudo-democratic capitalist violent state
are you relaxed and comfortable?

and so to kennett and his cronies from your law-abiding fools
give us race tracks and casinos, not hospitals or schools
and don't forget to let us have some great big private prisons too
and tell me again, who is it who's guilty?