1969 ................
I love both versions, imagine his live! It’s gonna rock!
Was also thinking of how it could have fit onto one of his last two albums.
2019 and still rings true today
School bell go "Ding! Dong! Ding!"
The children all line up
They do what they are told
Take a little drink from the liar's cup.
Mama don't really care
If what they learn is true
Or if it's only lies.
Just get them through the factories
Into production
Ah, get them into line.
Late in the afternoon
The children all come home
They mind their manners well
Their little lives are all laid out.
Mama don't seem to care
If she may break their hearts
She clips their wings off, they never learn to fly.
Poor Mama needs a source of pride
A doctor son she'll have
No matter what the cost
to manhood or to soul.
Sun shine down, brightly shine
Down on all the land
Shine down on the newborn lambs
A butcher's knife is in his hand.
Mama, she keeps them unprepared
To meet the enemy
That's comin' unto us.
Teach them that evil dwells
across the sea
Lives in a mountain
Like they see on TV.
Down in the heart of town
The Devil dresses up
He keeps his nails clean
Did you think he'd be a boogeyman?
Oh, Mama's stuck with sagging dreams
She'll sell a son or two into some slavery
That's lucrative and fine.
Just teach them not to criticize
Say "Yes" to bosses, impress the clients
Ah teachers of the world teach them to fake it well.
School bell go "Ding! Dong! Ding!"
The children all line up
They do what they are told
Take a little drink from the liar's cup.
