PHIL OCHS' FLAG
(Christopher Forbes)

You turned the lantern off because
your words of upstart would not stop
Without the fire nobody could see
That you were rolling up your left sleeve

So, you put your photograph into a
Bindle stick with a New York map
They took it when you were young
And there was nothing to it

And your fighting flag was a chin that wagged and another song
Don't you live to bury the very thing that you're counting on

Stars twinkle in your eye when they
Project your name on a marquee sky
They heard your heart beating
But open ears are fleeting yes

And your fighting drums were the clapping guns of another song
Don't you live to bury the very thing that you're counting on

So, why would we get along and let you sing
The last of your protest songs?
When all the candles and the lights go out
It gives you something you can talk about
You found peace without a doubt.

Notes:
This song appears on the Ochesraville album 'Poison Berries' (Anyway Records) released in 2005.
RP aug07