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The Key
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Sami Al-Arian is currently being held in solitary confinement in the US for the crime of being an outspoken Palestinian. This song is for his grandmother.
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"If the great Phil Ochs were to rise from the dead today, he would probably be hailed as the new David Rovics." Andy Kershaw, BBC
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic Folk
Charts
Peak #73
Peak in subgenre #9
Author
David Rovics
Rights
David Rovics 2003 All Rights Reserved
Uploaded
May 26, 2005
Track Files
MP3
MP3 11.3 MB • 128 kbps • 0:00
Story behind the song
I was trying to write a song for Sami Al-Arian, currently being held in solitary confinement in the US for the crime of being an outspoken Palestinian. In one of the interviews with him I found on-line he mentioned his grandmother, and the key around her neck. This song is for her.
Lyrics
Let me tell you about a lady Known as grandma to me She died back in 1982 She liked to tell stories Of how things used to be Just like other old ladies do She talked about her neighbors Muslims and Christians Arabs, Britons and Jews They'd come over for dinner In her house in Jaffa And they'd talk about business and news We got along fine A long time ago Before everything started to change I never imagined Back in those days I'd end up here on this firing range (Chorus) There on a string around her neck Danging in front of her heart The key to her home The key to her people The key to her world blown apart I recall the days well 1948 The year of the Catastrophe With machine guns and torches They drove us away To the land of the refugee We all thought it would pass But the decades dragged on And my heart turned to flame To those who live in my home Where is your conscience Do you feel the remorse and the shame (Chorus) Now after two generations I and her grandchildren say The key is theirs and mine And all over the world We cry for Al-Awda Home in Palestine Maybe we will prevail But come what may As empires fall and rise Nothing will change The memory Of the tears in my grandmother's eyes (Chorus) ---- Created March, 2003 Copyright David Rovics 2003, all rights reserved
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