Don’t (Just) Vote

Your uncle's old saying is still the same:
"If you don't vote, then you can't complain"
But you wonder after all these years:
"Could one vote put a stop to all the tears?"

Tears of frustration, tears of loss
Tears of oppression, tears of the cross
It's easy to hide on the web
Not so easy when you're on the other end

This ain't no 3D movie, there's a choice
Imagination fuels the voice
Your vote is your magic wand
Vote for whipped cream clouds if you want

Don't just vote for a candidate
A persona because you relate to it
Don't just vote along party lines
There's more than two colors in your mind

Vote for rivers and salmon in the streams
Vote for oceans flowing from inside your dreams
Dreams of equality, life is divine
Musical dreams of a sweeter time

Vote for Breonna Taylor, vote for George Floyd
Vote for Oscar Grant, render racism void
Vote for Eric Garner, vote for Tamir Rice
Vote for change or pay the price

Vote for wonderful architecture and better movies
Vote with secret humor, but vote truly
Every word, every gesture, you elect
This system isn't great, but it's perfect

Don't just vote

Don't just vote
We have to excise a malignant cancer from the
Bloody politic but that's just the beginning
Real politics is what you do before and after
You push the lever, you have to keep
The shoulder, the wheel
Engagement, activism, organizing
That's what'll make the difference

Don't just vote