Silent Protest (A Modest Proposal)

By Open Mike Eagle

On Prometheus

Released on March 11, 2011

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Hellfyre!


[Verse 1]

I'm done picketin', it's no fun bein' ticketed

It don't accomplish nothin' and I'm sick of it

I've been in riots where cops use mustard gas

To kill crowds full of turned-up undergrads

That just walked off campus from a sculpture class

And treated like a cultural clash

A whole lot of marchin', a little fight music

Does not mean civil rights movement

Kumbaya with privileged students

A pre-ten weekend revolution (No Justice, No Peace)

And we can front like it's risky

But we can never win doin' shit from the '60s

For refusin' to work, proletariats died

Was never about marchin' or carryin' signs

I got a new technique for those who want to do more

And stop usin' old school tricks for brand new wars, yo


[Chorus]

May I suggest a protest of street silence

Stop hollerin', sit still, and be quiet

Attack the beast with somethin' unique

And have 'em fucked up nervous on the edge of their seat

And I suggest a protest of street silence

We tried marchin', fight songs, increase violence

Let's make it look like we're cookin' up a coup de grâce

And don't stop until you hear police sirens


[Verse 2]

Yeah, this is a call for a new reaction

So will you stop makin' moves in the loser's bracket

Those demonstrations show no intimidation

What I propose can change the whole situation

I know your First Amendment rights entitle you to yell

But imagine fightin' fools with quietude

Instead of validatin' what they're calculatin'

Let them create the reaction in their imagination

Have patience, let 'em stew in their juices

Silence, the inner persecution is ruthless

Ya moms got mad she can grab belts from purses

If she gave you the silent treatment, then you felt the worst

Maybe that was just my house, but fuck a time out

Silence is purgatory, I'm stuck till I find out

I notice [?] full of militant guys

But I'm willin' to try any idea that's on some new shit


[Chorus]

May I suggest a protest of street silence

Stop hollerin', sit still, and be quiet

Attack the beast with somethin' unique

And have 'em fucked up nervous on the edge of their seat

And I suggest a protest of street silence

We tried marchin', fight songs, increase violence

Let's make it look like we're cookin' up a coup de grâce

And don't stop until you hear police sirens


[Verse 3]

Fuck yellin' at toy cops and stressin' out your voice box

None of that shit works as well as a boycott

It may seem cliché, but these days

Where we put our money is more important than what we say

And you can yell until you're blue in the throat

But you do with a buck is just as good as a vote

And if you know a little civics, then you know your math

Then you know that a buck is the only vote you have

You can alleviate stress by lettin' it out

But the real protest is with your checking account

And if you really wanna know what an election's about

Just watch you spend out in separate amounts


[Outro]

And the moral of the story is... shut the fuck up

Um, y'know, when you're angry and you have that impulse to scream [?]

Stop for a second and shut the fuck up

Not sayin' it's the best advice, but y'know

That other shit ain't workin'

So, just try it, y'know what I mean, just try it