You were there in Chile, 11 September '73
Twenty eight years to the day - what a dreadful irony
Victor Jara singing 'midst the tortured and the dead
White House glasses clinking as Allende's comrades bled...
You were there in '79 in the hills above Kabul
Teaching a bunch of psychopaths the fastest way to kill
Just pawns in your global strategy, another little right wing war
But now you reap just what you sow - the monster's at the door
CHORUS
And you don't understand why those people are so angry
And you don't understand why they don't go shopping too
And you don't understand why your garish colours blind them
Dismiss, exploit and bully - then you wonder at their hate
So many cruel deaths
But these are different, these are American
Now death counts - death of a salesman
You use the world as your sweatshop on a bare subsistence wage
Then along come medieval murderers to exploit the people's rage
And Europe takes the profits too, then grovels on its knees
Saying 'after you, you rule the world, so do just as you please'
CHORUS
And you don't understand why those people are so hungry
And you don't understand why they don't go shopping too
And you don't understand why your garish colours blind them
Dismiss, exploit and bully - then you wonder at their hate
So many cruel deaths
But these are different, these are American
Now death counts - death of a salesman
We don't need your religion, whether Allah, money or God
We won't cheer on your armies, won't wield your avenging rod
We stand for justice, for the future,
For the millions of women and men
Who see through the lies and work for the day
When sanity rules again
CHORUS