Lyrics

NOT A HERO

ROBERT KENNEDY:
“What has violence ever accomplished?
What has it ever created?
No martyr’s cause has ever been stilled by an assassin’s bullet.
No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders.
A sniper is only a coward, not a hero

VERSE 1:
“I’m pro-gun” … “I’m anti-gun” … both short sighted perspectives/
man the conversation is more complex than some fools might have expected/
you should have the right to protect yourself, and defend your life cuz it’s precious/
hell yeah it’s a sensitive subject, (…all bloody kinds of…) all kinds of contentious/
and I hear you Ta-Nehisi Coates, …I hear you Colion Noir/
man, I hear you Joe Rogan too, …I hear you Bill Maher/
real talk, and I swear on both kids/
that Bonez is/
(…not a hero…)
but I just watched ‘Under The Gun’/
and I’m shocked at what we’ve become/
Oh-Snap! … a country stuck repeating this cycle of patterns/
there’s breaking news, a grieving public, how and why did it happen?/
but no solutions, only pundits telling you who to blame for problems/
so point the finger at Nino Brown - but ain’t no uzis made in Harlem/
yo, we’re not stupid, and we’re not easy to fool/
and I don’t expect to change your minds or even sound reasonable/
but if it’s not for killing, and it’s really just for protection/
then - what’s wrong with rubber bullets? … it’s just a question/

HOOK:
We’re gathered here today to say goodbye to another one gone too soon/
(…man - I’m not a hero…)
and we confuse solving problems with taking lives, there must be something we all can do/
(…I said - I’m not a hero…)

BRIDGE:
…somebody’s son, …somebody’s daughter/
…somebody’s mother, …or their father/
…somebody’s wife, …somebody’s husband/
…somebody’s friend, …somebody’s cousin/

SAMPLE:
“Yes she has a gun, and I went and got her a gun permit.
Now - they didn’t have to shoot that old lady down like a dog.
They didn’t have to do that. It’s one old woman in that house…
I’m as mad as hell!”

VERSE 2:
(…said I’m not a hero…)
My brother Sino told me some stories that - man - you wouldn’t believe/
reality is more terrifying than any tales from the hood you could dream/
there’s nothing scarier than imagining some one you love dying/
my brother Nick told me that his home was invaded more than one time and/
when situations get dire/
break out the equalizer/
I’ve felt the power in my hands too when I squeeze & fire/
the power of a god in my own two hands, no cap/
but you’re still (…not a hero…) cuz you made a “budguy”s brain go splat/
and Oh-Snap! … there’s nothing like what you fuckin’ feel/
when you’re clutching steel/
a power that we’re just clearly not responsible enough to wield/
all day and night/
we stay taking life/
so many families will never get to say goodbye/
picture you never look again into your baby’s eyes/
cuz there was too much damage to be stabilized/
I wouldn’t wish that an enemy pay that price/
and we could be more/
like a peace corps/
maybe cease wars/
press a big, green button on Mother Earth that says restore/
cuz all these shooting sprees/
that keep stupidly/
riddling you and me/
is so bad for health/
and time fades away/
but we can change our ways/
and have a face to face/
maybe ask ourselves … really ask ourselves/

“What has violence ever accomplished?”

…somebody’s wife, …somebody’s husband/
…somebody’s friend, …somebody’s cousin/

HOOK:
We’re gathered here today to say goodbye to another one gone too soon/
(…man - I’m not a hero…)
and we confuse solving problems with taking lives, there must be something we all can do/
(…I said - I’m not a hero…)

ROBERT KENNEDY:
“And an uncontrolled or uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.”

THE PEOPLE (from the 2017 D.C. Women’s March):
“…love trumps hate …love trumps hate …love trumps hate …love trumps hate …”