It Won't Take Long

They said, some men would be warriors
Some men would be kings
Some men would be owners of land
And other man-made things

False love as the eternal flame
Would move some to think in rings
And gold would be our power
And other foolish things

And you who dream of liberty
Must not yourselves be fooled
Before you get to plea for freedom
You've agreed to being ruled

If the body stays in shackle
Then the mind remains a chain
That will link you to your destiny
By other souls are slain

It won't take long
It won't take too long at all

Three men in a desert, wandering
One is knowing and two are scared
They say time is in the river
Oh, but the river is not there

Dry in spirit, dry in body
Two will lend themselves to death
And in grief, one weeps into his hands
And drinks his bitter tears

'Cause it don't take long
It don't take too long at all, no, it don't take long
You might say, "I don't know what you're talking about"
And I say, "You mean to tell me, that's all"

And I stand before you now
I am hopeful in my rage
You know, love has finally called for me
I will not wilt upon it's stage

But you know, still smaller than my nightmare
Now, do I print upon the page?
And do we have to live inside it's walls
To identify the cage

'Cause it takes so long
Why does it take so long? And it takes so long
You might say, "I don't really care what you're talking about"
I'm gonna ask you, you trying to tell me, you don't belong

I am my mother's daughter
I have seen myself in you
It's this blessing that I follow, now
So I must be true

I dreamed of thousands dying
It was you and you and you
And while the city sleeps so quietly
There is something we must do

And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all
It won't take long, I might say
I don't know if I wanna know what you're getting at
It makes me wanna say, "So long"

Grief shall come in measures
Only grief alone will know
And you'll see it on your family
And on your own face, it will grow

Then, they'll try to keep you hungry
And they'll tell you to eat snow
You know, pride can be a moving thing
If we learn the strength of no

And it won't take long
It won't take too long at all
No, it won't take long
You may say, "I don't think this has anything to do with me"
Did you ever think, you could be wrong?

At noon, on one day coming
Human strength will fill the streets
Of every city on our planet
Hear the sound of angry feet

With business freezed up in the harbour
The kings will pull upon their hair
And the banks will shudder to a halt
And the artists will be there

'Cause it won't take long
It won't take too long at all, no it won't take long
And you may say, "I don't think I can be a part of that"
And it makes me want to say
"Don''t you want to see yourself that strong"

Division between the peoples
Will disappear that honored day
And though oceans lie between us
Lifted candles light the way

Half will join their hands by moonlight
The rest under the rising sun
As underneath the sun and moon
A ritualed wailing has begun

And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all
And it won't take long, and you may say
"I don't know how to be a part of what you're talking about"
And it makes me want to say, "Come on, come on"

And beware, you sagging diplomats
For you will not hear one gun
And though our homes be torn and ransacked
We will not be undone

For as we let ourselves be bought
We're gonna let ourselves be free
And if you think we stand alone
Take a look around, and you will see

We are children in the rafters
We are babies in the park
We are lovers at the movies
We are candles in the dark

We are changes in the weather
We are snowflakes in July
We are women grown together
We are men who easily cry

We are words not quickly spoken
We're the deeper side of try
We are dreamers in the making
We are not afraid of why