General Grant

Come with smiles, come with gold,
they stow their guns in darknened fold,
delighting children with tales untold,
like men of God, like the Gods of old

'I will not harm I come for peace',
the flesh is human and gripped at ease,
to sleep, to sleep, the guarded trees,
but before you lie, they dig your knees

night by night the shadows run,
grow long by night, short by sun,
a tusk, a tail, a useless one,
dig the earth, until it turns to crumbs

and sing this song for piety of favor,
'no food greater than the fruits of labor'

no food greater than the fruits of labor.

one fell dead.

sing again.

no food greater than the fruits of labor.

two crosses for Christ.

no food greater than the fruits of labor.

and again, like you mean it this time.

and with an eye bent at so slight an angle,
the straight-lined sticks begin to mangle,
the flags of Kings begin to dance,
to crack through air, to plummet and lance,

down on your back, splitting your spine,
collapsing your lungs, coughing the mine
you reach for words to grab to scream
to kill to bleed to wake to dream
one by one, brothers hung low,
one less soul in the choir show
no food greater than the fruits of labor
no food greater than the fruits of labor.

split the Earth with protest, show them for sinners,
they feed open mouths with muskets for dinner,
yet they said, oh they said, with smiles with grins!
for love, for Jove! for Christ! for King!

keep working, oh vigilant one, till one day you fall,
on the ground with leaves like lives winter stalls.


for the best fruit indeed it comes from the soul.

so dig, so dig, this time for heart,
but its gone, its gone, twas a hole from the start
with lies they bought it, with smiles they sold,
for they came with nothing, but left with gold.