They said some men would be warriors and some men would be kings<br />
And some men would be owners of land and other man-made things<br />
And false love as the eternal flame would move some to think in rings<br />
And gold would be our power and other foolish things<br />
But you who dream of liberty must not yourselves be fooled<br />
Before you get to plea for freedom, you've agreed to being ruled<br />
If the body stays a shackle then the mind remains a chain<br />
That'll link you to a destiny whereby all good souls are slain<br />
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all<br />
It won't take long, and you may say<br />
"What has that got to do with me" and I say,<br />
"You mean to tell me that's all?"<br />
Of three men in a desert wandering, one is knowing and two are scared<br />
They say time is in the river, but the river is not there<br />
Dry in spirit dry in body two will lend themselves to death<br />
And in grief one weeps into his hands and drinks his bitter tears<br />
'Cause it don't take long, it don't take too long at all<br />
It don't take long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't know what you're talking about," and I say<br />
"You mean to tell me that's all?"<br />
And as I stand before you now, I am hopeful in my rage<br />
You know love has finally called for me, I will not wilt upon it's stage<br />
But still smaller than my nightmare now do I print upon the page<br />
Do we have to live inside it's walls to identify the cage?<br />
'Cause it takes so long, why does it take so long,<br />
But it takes so long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't really care what you're talking about," and I say,<br />
"Are you trying to say you don't belong?"<br />
I am my mother's daughter, but I have seen myself in you<br />
It's this blessing that I follow now, and so I must speak true<br />
I dreamed of thousands dying, it was you and you and you,<br />
And while the city sleeps so quietly there is something we must do<br />
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,<br />
It won't take long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't know if I wanna know what you're getting at,"<br />
And it makes we wanna say, "So long."<br />
Because grief will come in measures, only grief alone will know<br />
And you'll see it on your family, on your own face it will grow<br />
And they'll try to keep you hungry, then they'll tell you to eat snow<br />
You know pride can be a moving thing if we learn the strength of "NO!"<br />
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,<br />
It won't take long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't think this has anything to do with me,"<br />
"But did you ever think you could be wrong?"<br />
At noon on one day coming, human strength will fill the streets<br />
Of every city on our planet, hear the sound of angry feet<br />
With business freezed up in the harbour, the kings will pull upon their<br />
Hair<br />
And the banks will shudder to a halt, and the artists will be there<br />
'Cause it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,<br />
It won't take long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't think I can be a part of that," and it makes me want to say,<br />
"Don't you want to see yourself that strong?"<br />
Division between the peoples will disappear that honoured day<br />
And though oceans lie between us, lifted candles light the way<br />
Half will join their hands by moonlight, the rest under a rising sun<br />
As underneath the sun and moon, a ritual'd wailing has begun<br />
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,<br />
It won't take long, and you may say,<br />
"I don't know how to be a part of what you're talking about," and it makes<br />
Me want to say, "Come on!"<br />
And beware you sagging diplomats, for you will not hear one gun<br />
And though our homes be torn and ransacked we will not be undone<br />
For as we let ourselves be bought, we're going to let ourselves be free<br />
And if you think we stand alone, look again and you will see:<br />
We are children in the rafters, we are babies in the park,<br />
We are lovers at the movies, we are candles in the dark,<br />
We are changes in the weather, we are snowflakes in July,<br />
We are women grown together, we are men who easily cry,<br />
We are words not quickly spoken, we're the deeper side of try,<br />
We are dreamers in the making, we are not afraid of "Why?"