❤️ 🎶 Rambling On with Brother Lefty Smith, S.O.B.* 🎶: The Flame of Liberty Lyrics

The Flame of Liberty Lyrics

The Flame of Liberty

By dawns early light, what a sight, oh say can you see?

Though they were sprayed and swept away

Their Spirit's soared on free.

So proudly we hail Peaceful Assembly

Though the powers that be can always trash a camp

You can't sweep away Liberty.

(Chorus)

You can't sweep away the Spirit

You can't close a Gateless Gate

You can't cage the dove of Truth and Love

With steel bars and hate.

So proudly we hail

All those who take a stand

99%, we will prevail

The Spirit is on the Land

We'll Occupy this land.

In the shadow of Freedom Tower

Zuccotti Park danced free.

Speaking truth to power

Doing Democracy

So proudly we hail

Peaceful assembly

There in the park they lit the spark

The flame of liberty, you see.
(Chorus)

So we stand with those whose spirits chose

To Occupy Wall Street

They lit the flame when in our name

The challenged power and greed

How proudly we hail

Peaceful assembly

99%, we will prevail

It's Our Democracy, you see.
(Chorus)

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My Humble Take on the Real Deal

I believe that the movement for peace, economic democracy and social justice is a Spiritual Quest. No mean feat, what is called for is a True Revolution of the Heart and Mind--and it starts with each of us.

This revolution has to be Peaceful. The Hippies (and Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King, et al) had it right. It really is all about Peace and Love. Besides being a total drag, violence just doesn't work. It keeps our wheels spinning in fear, anger and pain. Who needs that?

Besides some hard work, I think the Revolution also calls for dancing, plenty of laughter, and some sitting around just doing nothing. (Some folks call it meditation.)

As Stephen Gaskin, proclaimed years ago:

"We're out to raise Hell--in the Bodhisattvic* sense."

Doesn't that sound like some serious fun?

(*The Bodhisattva Vow is a set of commitments made in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. It basically says I vow to get my act together and figure it out well enough to really help out--and I ain't gonna stop until everybody is covered.

I've found that doesn't necessarily have to happen in that order. It's best to try to help out even before you have it all together! Like right now.)

-----Brother Lefty Smith, Founding S.O.B*

"I think the hippies had it right. It IS all about Peace and Love. I came to realize, though, this is easier said than done. Living a life of kindness, clarity, and compassion takes effort, discipline and patience.

I also came to realize that, contrary to what we had been led to believe in a capitalist society, "rugged individualism" is a dangerous distortion of reality. It denies that fact that we are, each of us, connected to everyone and everything else. So, Peace and Love are relational, a collective experience. None of us can really get it together independently.

So, as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr King showed the world, finding others to work with, rolling up your sleeves, and engaging in non-violent political action is a freakin' no-brainer.

What else is there to do? "
--Brother Lefty