Glory and Fame
David Rovics Lyrics

I pulled the stones for the emperor,
I was a laborer who extracted stones and used them to construct a wall for the emperor

Stacked ′em up and made that wall
I piled up the stones to construct the wall

I thought, a mountain lasts forever
I believed that the mountain made of the stones I extracted would last forever

But the rain must always fall
But the wall cannot withstand the effects of rain and other natural elements

I worked the mines in Chile
I worked in the mines of Chile

For conquistador
For a Spanish conqueror

Died there in the pitshaft,
I died in the pitshaft of the mine

Joined my family with the ore
I was buried with the ore in the same mine where I died

I tapped the trees for Leopold,
I harvested sap from trees for Leopold, a king of Belgium

And then he took my hands
And then Leopold amputated my hands as a punishment for falling behind on sap production

The sap sailed to Brussels
The sap was sent to Brussels for commercial purposes

And my blood stained the lands
My severed hands bled on the land where I was punished

I cut down the sugar cane
I harvested sugar cane

On the islands off the coast
On islands located near the coast

Oh but the sweet taste of freedom
But what I enjoyed the most was the feeling of being free

Is the stuff I love the most
Freedom is the thing that I cherished above all else

Tell me who am I
I am asking for recognition of my identity

Do you know my name
I am asking if you know who I am

Will I lie forgotten
Am I destined to be forgotten after I die?

Or arise in glory and fame
Or will I be remembered and honored for my contributions?

I fought with Poncho Villa,
I fought alongside Poncho Villa, a revolutionary leader

Stood with him side by side
I fought alongside him, standing next to him

When the Bluecoats took the land,
When the United States Army took control of the land

I thought how long is freedom's ride
I thought about how difficult it is to achieve and maintain freedom

I was there at Haymarket
I was present at the Haymarket affair, a labor protest rally

With the martyrs eight
With the eight labor activists who were executed as a result of the protest

For striking in Chicago,
For participating in a strike in Chicago

Death would have to be my fate
I knew that death was a possible consequence of protesting

I cut the timber in Centralia,
I worked in the lumber industry in Centralia

Nearly broke my back
I worked very hard and almost injured myself

Tried to organize a union
I attempted to form a collective workers' organization

And they tied me to the tracks
As a punishment, they tied me to the train tracks

I fought in Barcelona,
I fought in the Spanish Civil War in Barcelona

Kept the fascists there at bay
I helped prevent the fascists from seizing control of Barcelona

Then when Hitler's tanks came rolling in,
But when Hitler's military tanks began to invade

I knew we couldn't stay
I realized that I had to leave because it was too dangerous to stay

I mined the ore in Arizona,
I worked in the mines to extract ore in Arizona

Last of the Navajo
I was the last surviving Navajo worker in that mine

Got the radium a-glowin'
I was involved in the process of producing luminescent radium

Then it was time for me to go
But it was eventually time for me to move on

I marched in South Africa,
I participated in a march in South Africa

Found myself in Sharpeville
I ended up in Sharpeville, a settlement in South Africa

Once the police came and went
After the police showed up but then left

I was lying oh so still
I was hurt and unable to move

I campaigned for Allende
I vocally and actively supported Allende, a political leader in Chile

For a nation without fear
For a country that is free from fear and oppression

Didn't look behind me
I didn't think about the possibility of retaliation against me

For the day I'd disappear
For the day when I would suddenly vanish or be harmed

I spoke at Tienanmen
I gave a speech at Tiananmen Square in China

To revive the revolution
To reignite the peoples' desire for change and action

Didn't think for Deng Xiaoping,
I did not anticipate the brutal response of Deng Xiaoping, a Chinese leader

Rolling tanks were his solution
He responded by sending tanks to crush the protests

I grew the mangoes in Somalia
I cultivated mango trees in Somalia

For the people in the west
To export and sell the fruit to western countries

And when the price for fruit went down,
But when the market price for fruit fell

I went down starving with the rest
I faced the same hardship and poverty as others in my community

I worked the plant in Bangkok,
I worked in a factory in Bangkok

Breathed the dusty air
I inhaled the dusty air polluted by the plant

When the cotton started burning,
But when the cotton materials caught on fire

I knew my life would not be spared
I knew that the fire could endanger my life

The cops beat me in Los Angeles
I was beaten by the police in Los Angeles

But I would not be scared
But I refused to be intimidated

When they sent the Army in,
But when the government sent the military to intervene

I thought next time we'll be prepared
I vowed to be ready and better organized for future resistance

Yes I've been yearning for a new day,
I have always wished and hoped for a better future

All the world wide
For the whole world to experience positive change

Someday my time will come
I believe that someday I will get the chance to contribute to that change

And you will have to step aside
And those who do not support change will have to move out of the way