It Won't Take Long - Ferron

They said some men would be warriors

And some men would be kings

And some men would be owners of land

And other man-made things

And false love as the eternal flame

Would move some to think in rings

And gold would be our power

And other foolish things

But you who dream of liberty

Must not yourselves be fooled

Before you get to plea for freedom

You have agreed to be ruled

If the body stays a shackle

Then the mind remains a chain

That’ll link you to a destiny

Wherby all good souls are slain

And it won’t take long

It won’t take too long at all

It won’t take long, and you may say

«What has that got to do with me?»

And I say «You mean to tell me that’s all?»

Of three men in a desert wandering

One is knowing and two are scared

They say time is in the river

But the river is not there

Dry in spirit dry in body

Two will lend themselves to death

And in grief one weeps into his hands

And drinks his bitter tears

'Cause it don’t take long

It don’t take too long at all

It don’t take long, and you may say

«I don’t know what you’re talking about,»

And I say «You mean to tell me that’s all?»

And as I stand before you now

I am hopeful in my rage

You know love has finally called for me

I will not wilt upon its stage

But still smaller than my nightmare

Do I print upon the page

Do we have to live inside its walls

To identify the cage?

'Cause it takes so long

Why does it take so long

But it takes so long, and you may say

«I don’t really care what you’re talking about,»

And I say, «Are you trying to say you don’t belong?»

I am my mother’s daughter

But I have seen myself in you

It’s this blessing that I follow now

And so I must speak true

I dreamed of thousands dying

It was you and you and you

And while the city sleeps so quietly

There is something we must do

And it won’t' take long

It won’t take too long at all

It won’t take long, and you may say

«I don’t know if I wanna know what you’re getting at,»

And it makes me wanna say, «So long.»

Because grief will come in measures

Only grief alone will know

And you’ll see it on your family

On your own face it will grow

And they’ll try to keep you hungry

Then they’ll tell you to eat snow

You know pride can be a moving thing

If we learn the strength of «NO!»

And it won’t take long

It won’t take too long at all

It won’t take long, and you may say

«I don’t think this has anything to do with me,»

«But did you ever think you could be wrong?»

At noon on one day coming

Human strength will fill the streets

Of every city on our planet

Hear the sound of angry feet

With business freezed up in the harbour

The kings will pull upon their hair

And the banks will shudder to a halt

And the artists will be there

'Cause it won’t take long

It won’t take too long at all

It won’t take long, and you may say

«I don’t think I can be a part of that,»

And it makes me want to say

«Don't you want to see yourself that strong?»

Division between the peoples

Will disappear that honoured day

And though oceans lie between us

Lifted candles light the way

Half will join their hands by moonlight

The rest under a rising sun

As underneath the sun and moon

A ritual’d wailing has begun

And it won’t take long

It won’t take too long at all

It won’t take long, and you may say

«I don’t know how to be a part of what you’re talking about,»

And it makes me want to say, «Come on!»

And beware you sagging diplomats

For you will not hear one gun

And though our homes be torn

And ransacked we will not be undone

For as we let ourselves be bought

We’re gonna let ourselves be free

And if you think we stand alone

Look again and you will see:

We are children in the rafters

We are babies in the park

We are lovers at the movies

We are candles in the dark

We are changes in the weather

We are snowflakes in July

We are women grown together

We are men who easily cry

We are words not quickly spoken

We’re the deeper side of try

We are dreamers in the making

We are not afraid of «Why?