Burn It Down
David Rovics
The Commons (2008)

Rodney Coronado was arrested for a speech
That he gave one evening by the San Diego beach
He stated his opinions, they sounded just like mine
And now they want to put him behind bars til 2029

The prosecutor said the problem was the speech it showed intent
I couldn’t figure out exactly what he meant
You can’t describe an action and say you thought that it was swell
So what’ll happen when we sing this, who the heck can tell

(Chorus)
We don’t like the condo (bulldozer, Wal-Mart) and we’re gonna burn it down
Corporate terrorists, drive them out of town
We’ll bring a lot of gasoline, pour it on the floor
Light a match, say a prayer and run right out the door
Burn it down, burn it down, we’re going to burn it down
Burn it down, burn it down, burn it down

Now if you just sang that chorus then you just broke the law
To be an eco-terrorist now you just gotta flap your jaw
And hey who knows by the time you have a chance to blink
Whether you’re a criminal might depend on what you think

(Chorus)

Now they come for Rod, maybe next they come for you
And I’ll tell you what I think all of us should do
Sing this song with me, raise your fist and caterwaul
If we fight together they can’t arrest us all

(Chorus)