[Lyric] We’re A Very Young Country (Sabertooth Swing)

[Verse 1]
We’re a very young country
And violence has worked for us in the past
It began with the settling of this continent and the genocide against Native Americans
Then continued when we brought slaves over
Now we tend to blame the poor and see them as a criminal element
And use coercion and violence to control them

[Verse 2]
It’s part of a cultural understanding
That says the only way to subdue evil is with violence
But it’s not part of human nature
Look at all thе countries in the world that don’t have thе death penalty
To some extent violence is part of our nature, but compassion is too
Seeking justice for everybody is also part of human nature

[Verse 3]
The death penalty is the most important civil-rights issue of our time
It’s a politically symbolic issue
Because it says that the way we’re going to solve problems is by violence
It says that some among us are such a danger to who we are and what we stand for
That they must be eliminated
To arrive at this mind-set, human beings have to flip a moral switch inside that says
“The Other is not human like us”
And so we can do whatever we want to them
And of course, the execution must be removed from the public eye
The chamber is behind prison walls
And we don’t hear about what goes on inside it