Stain on My Shirt

We touched down in Beirut-town
Watching the Buildings bleed
Off to the camps we went
To tend to those in need

We were seen coming
Told we weren't wanted there
Hate for our kind was brewing
So we had best beware

We hold no flag high, I said
For we come in peace
No stain on our shirts
From that warring grease

Doesn’t matter, he said, for too much
Trouble comes from your home
Best clean out your house first
Leave the rest of us alone

On my way back I was switching planes
To Cali by JFK
Some men came to me as my bags were checked
And asked me to come this way

They searched me and searched me and searched again
As my eyes stared at the floor
Finally I asked why all the abuse
They said, “Well what’d you wear that for?”

It was the stain on my shirt they objected to
Something I wore unplanned
A phrase promoting rights and peace in
A language they didn’t understand

No, I wouldn’t take it off
For I’ve supposed rights
They tried hard to cover it up
With threats of jail and vice

But I came here to speak my mind
To take what others disregard
Where I came from I would have been shot
For trying too hard

So now I’m here and shat on again
An airport incident
But I’ve got the world on my side now
And I won’t be silent

But I came here to speak my mind
To take what others disregard
But I’ve got the world on my side now
And I won’t be silent

I won’t be silent
I’ll never be silent
Don’t ever be silent

© 2006 Helen M. Sventitsky-Rother/Jane of All Trades Music. Rights reserved as per CC Copyright

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