Jackson Browne - THE WORD JUSTICE lyrics

A man stands up before God and country

Raises his right hand and takes an oath

Swears he has acted in the line of duty

And he more than anyone wants to tell the truth

But there is a need to keep some things a secret

Some weapons shipments--some private wars

In the future democracy will be defended

Behind closed doors

Now the men of Congress who convene to determine

If covert war is a business or a crime

Are the same men who routinely give their permission

For the shedding of blood in security's name

And there is a need to keep some things a secret

The names of some countries--the terms of some deals

And above all the sound of the screams of the innocent

Beneath our wheels

Does the word justice mean anything to you?

Are the features of a lie beginning to come through?

In the streets of America the children are buried

Caught in an avalanche of weapons and drugs

They live and they die in the bowels of a business

That's disguised as a war between The Crips and The Bloods

And there is a need to keep some things a secret

The C.I.A. deals protecting the source

And the government policies directly connecting the drugs and our wars

Does the word justice mean anything to you?

As the battlefield comes home and democracy falls through

I am waiting for the time to come

When the word will be real for everyone

And not just a word but a thing that can be done

But justice must be won