This song should be delivered like a talkin' blues with the basic G/C/D progression transposed into the minor key of your choice. I prefer Em because it affords more bass runs and moods.

                      POLICE STATE: DO NOT CROSS
                copyright 2004 by Stephen Lee Rich

Way out on the edge of town
Where the grass and corn still grow
There's a little bitty coffeehouse
Where caffeine and ideas flow,
Opinions freely spoken        
Great poems and songs composed.
But, when I got there last Tuesday
The coffehouse was closed.
The owner stood in the parking lot
His face a paniced frown.
He said, "Homeland Security buffaloed in
And shut the whole place down."
Then he pointed to the doorway
And that explained the loss.
It was blocked by big, wide yellow tape that said,
"Police State! Do Not Cross!"

He said, "They rounded up the patrons
And took them all away.
They trashed trashed my new espresso machine
Burned the books and magazines
Said we all were traitors
And we'd burn in Hell some day."

Then he just went silent
And stared down at his shoes.
I said, "We can't just sit here!
Ain't there something we can do?"
"It's way too late," he said at last.
"They've gone and lost their senses.
While we were building bridges
They were out there building fences.

Between Homeland Security
And the USA Patriot Act,
The Bill Of Rights is no longer
What you'd call a solid fact."
We had our chance to change it
But, we threw that away
And the loss of all our freedoms
Is the price we had to pay."

This tale, of course,is fictional.
But, let me ask you this,
Which way do we move
Here at the edge of the Abyss?
Do we finally get angry
And show our "leaders" who's the boss
Or stare at yellow tape that says,
"Police State! Do Not Cross"?


Stephen Lee