I will not be a joke
I will not be an ad
I will not be a prop on the tv stand
Of a wealthy man
Who doesn't know, this is our land.

These days when I go out, I have a shorter fuse
It's not that I'm against different points of view,
But I won't tolerate trampling human rights
Or dressing up a nazi, and calling him alt-right.

If you don't agree, watch the company you keep
and don't barter freedom for a promise on the cheap.

I will not be a joke . . .

Hey there journalists, are you the fourth estate
Or just kids clamoring for dessert on your plate?
For these sugar coated blues, we share a little blame
We ask for the truth, but put no money in the game.

Don't give us the easy route, that leaves a country divided
We can make room for truth, if you don't save face to hide it.

I will not be a joke . . .

Now, I'm talking to you, Congress – elected men and women
Are you there for us, or is our flag the victim?
To two sad jokes, like, “How bad could it get?”
Or “How many fascists does it take to tip the Cabinet?”

Now is the moment, for you to take a stand
And prove you're stronger than these sad corrupted men.

I will not be a joke . . .

Hey there, old man, in the center ring
Looks like a circus, with these words you're brandishing
Tossin' promises like knives, then bowin' for applause
And when it doesn't come, you say, the game is flawed.

Is our country the caravan, with you up on the stage?
Is anyone driving, can we be governed by pure outrage?
With world leaders watchin' and Putin laughin'
I think of that old film, and you look a lot like John Iselin.

But we are not a joke . . .

Now, I'm singing for the queers, the muslims and the blacks
The women, the immigrants and everyone else under attack
Our difference is our strength, and our strength can prevail
If we remember, one man's comfort, can be another man's bail.

This democracy's an experiment,
And most experiments fail
In the name of love and freedom, let's blaze a brighter trail.

'Cause, we are not a joke
We are not an ad
We are not a prop on the tv stand
We are here to stay
Because, this is our land.

Yeah, we are here to stay
we are here to stay
we are here to stay
cause this is our land

From woody guthrie to today.