Border Town
Big Mountain Lyrics

Living in a border town
The struggles of being a resident of a town near a political border.

You see good men get pushed around
Witnessing injustices and discrimination against innocent people.

It's not hard to see that they are my brothers
Regardless of any perceived differences, the people being abused are brothers who deserve compassion.

If it one for faith we might be each other
If the situation was reversed, these people could have easily been the ones suffering.

You see women and children get hunted down
Witnessing heinous acts of violence against vulnerable groups.

Silly fools in their big green vans
The perpetrators of these crimes are foolish, as their motives have no real justification.

Viciously attempt to keep our people from their fatherland
The perpetrators are attempting to forcefully keep people out of their rightful homeland.

Power, they really feel the bad good christians
The powerful people who support these actions may believe that they are good Christians, but their actions are far from righteous.

As they defend this evil system
The perpetrators believe that the system they are defending, which allows these abuses to continue, is just and fair.

Abillybopa they
This line serves as a refrain in the song with no discernible meaning or context.

A bloodstain is drear
The stain of blood caused by these violent acts is a depressing reminder of the ongoing injustices.

Has been glorified in this society
The society in which these acts are accepted as normal has glorified the violence.

The glut is put in pace for submission
The policies in place to maintain control over these people are oppressive and designed to keep them submissive.

Araising memories
Bringing up the painful memories of those who have been oppressed and pushed to the margins.

Is to crucify the poor men's identity
For many of these people, their identity has been stripped away through years of marginalization and oppression.

(Stolen land)
A refrain in the song emphasizing the idea that the land was stolen from its rightful inhabitants.

Five hundred years of misery
The oppression and marginalization of Indigenous peoples has been ongoing for centuries.

Could never be redeemed so easily
Undoing the injustices and harm caused by centuries of oppression cannot be done without significant work and recompense.

How can we call these people aliens
It is hypocritical and unjust to refer to people as aliens when we ourselves are living on stolen land.

When we here are standing and stoling brow
We who are living on stolen land have been able to own land and build wealth while preventing others from doing the same.

And them wanna keep in mistery
The oppressors want to keep the truth hidden and maintain an unfair advantage.

The biggest scam in all of history
The theft and oppression of Indigenous lands and people is one of history's most massive and harmful schemes.

Them have to pay
Those who have perpetrated these injustices must eventually be held accountable.

Nuestra paciencia ya se acabo
Translated from Spanish: 'Our patience has run out.'

No quieres acertar mi gente
Translated from Spanish: 'You don't want to understand, my people.'

Nos de gracias en nuestra propia tierra
Translated from Spanish: 'Thank us in our own land.'

Jah no nos puedes despreciar
Translated from Spanish: 'Jah (God) cannot despise us.'

Ay Dios mio no hay mas que dar
Translated from Spanish: 'Oh my God, there is nothing left to give.'

A poor example of democracy
The United States, built on the exploitation and oppression of Indigenous peoples and African slaves, cannot be held up as a beacon of democracy.