I went to sleep at midnite, still hoping there would be a stay of execution, but when I woke up, Stanley Tookie Williams was dead-murdered by the state of California...I was so disgusted and sad and angry, and I wrote this song. I want to give a shout out to Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors who was staying at my house with his brother my bandmate and roommate at the time, Jake Longstreth (a fine artist-look for his website), and Dave sat in on a band practice, and I liked his take on the song so much it made it into my final arrangement (with the other addition of a bit of Gnawa clapping thanks to Dr. Tim Abdellah Fuson, PhD in Gnawa). Gracias muchachos.
lyrics
REQUIEM FOR TOOKIE WILLIAMS by Nora Roman 12-13-05
They killed Tookie Williams this morning at twelve thirty five
He grew to reject killing, so they couldn’t leave him alive.
Kill kill kill it’s the american way, Kill Kill Kill it’s the american way (coro)
I want to go into hiding, not know about all this pain.
I do not belong to your evil land, I’m not gonna share the blame.
I won’t Kill, kill kill cause it’s the american way (repeat)
You evil beings who make the guns, who torture and who bomb,
How do you sleep, how do you live, with all the pain you cause?
You kill kill kill it’s the american way, (repeat)
No war is a good war, and no execution is just.
You who want these awful things, you’re infected with blood lust.
You kill, kill kill it’s the american way (repeat)
None of your warped values will get me to join in,
I will not buy, I can’t be bought, I have no original sin.
I won’t kill, kill, kill cause it’s the american way (repeat)
I am not an american, I belong to no man’s state
Patriotism is a social disease, wake up before it’s too late
Don’t kill, kill, kill cause it’s the american way.
Don’t kill, don’t kill, don’t kill, don’t kill, don’t kill.
credits
from I Belong to No Man's State,
released June 1, 2011
Requiem for Tookie Williams
Guitar1-Nora Roman, Guitar 2-Camilo Landau; Bass-Ayla Davila, Drums: Antonio Roman-Alcalá, Darbouka-Karim Amrani, Conga-SUKI, Oboe-Markos Major, violin-Nao Nakawaza, Coro-Tim Abdellah Fuson, Johnny El guajiro Escobedo, Nora
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