This is about racism, plain and simple. I wrote this song during the peak of the riots in Ferguson. I wanted to write a more Rancid-type ska song with counter-racist ideals and was inspired by the riots, the Trayvon Martins and Eric Garners of the world. It sickens me to no end that we have come so far as a society and yet still hold on to such idiotic bigotry and narrow-mindedness towards anyone. It is partially a tribute to my father, who was born and raised in Birmingham Alabama during the peak of the civil rights movement and used his position as a reporter for The University of Alabama newspaper to publicly condemn the acts of many of his "peers", even getting himself into serious trouble with local KKK affiliates and receiving death threats. He fought for what he believed in at a time and place where that was not socially acceptable. How tragic is it to know that almost 50 years later we still haven't seemed to learn anything? Now there is a presidential candidate who is running on a platform of ignorance and intolerance and millions of people are coming out in droves to support this stance. I do not believe that we are doomed as a people or a nation, I believe that we must redouble our efforts to educate the future generations on a culture of love and acceptance. We will not in our lifetimes see the end of bigotry in our world, nor will our children but the seeds are being planted and it is up to us to help them grow. We are all one, we are all mostly struggling just to make ends meet and doing the best we can but we all have to do our part to open the minds of our fellow man. This is not free...
lyrics
refrain
We're suffering from asphyxiation
Now I can't breathe in this racist nation
They're using fear and intimidation
Our basic rights are in violation
From Staten Island down to Ferguson Missouri
The biggest cities to the smallest towns
Determined threat by your state of pigmentation
Police man come and shoot you down
chorus
Hands up, don't shoot
A broken system guards the truth
Now I can't breathe again no
Hands up, don't shoot
A broken system guards the truth
Now I can't breathe again no
refrain
We're suffering from asphyxiation
Now I can't breathe in this racist nation
They're using fear and intimidation
Our basic rights are in violation
Every single day we get more and more frustration
Blood on the hands of the man in blue
Riot police with their tear gas come and shut down the protest
Better keep it down or they're coming for you
chorus
Hands up, don't shoot
A broken system guards the truth
Now I can't breathe again no
Hands up, don't shoot
A broken system guards the truth
Now I can't breathe again no
He'll never breathe again no
It's something unpredictable, it's something I was waiting for so long. This is the perfect combination of what I love and what punk rock should be. A bit garage in some points always worth. The Unknown
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