[[Verse 1] Am G F Am I met a man on the side of the street Am G F Am With a cardboard sign and worn-out feet C G F Am It read: “Truth got sold in a discount bin— C G F Am Right next to mercy, tossed in a tin.” [Verse 2] Am G F Am He hummed a tune like a rusted bell Am G F Am Whispered stories no one dared to tell C G F Am I stood there quiet in the autumn breeze C G F Am While the world spun blind with a sick disease [Chorus] F C G Am Oh, what did we trade for the empire’s rot? F C G Am Hope for a flag and a name we forgot F C G Am They preach real loud from their golden thrones F C G Am But the truth gets crushed under sticks and stones [Verse 3] Am G F Am He wore the years in the lines of his face Am G F Am Each wrinkle a warning we chose to replace C G F Am With comforts and slogans and glittering lies C G F Am We sold our hearts just to sanitize [Bridge – spoken-sung, Dylan style] C F C Am He said, “I watched kings rise and beggars fall C F G Am Saw silence built into every wall C F C Am Don’t waste your rage on a screen and a scroll— F G Am This ain’t a war, it’s a rigged rigmarole.” [Final Chorus – slow down, weary delivery] F C G Am Oh, what did we trade for the empire’s rot? F C G Am A memory blurred and a truth we forgot F C G Am He vanished then like a dream long gone F C G Am But I still hear him when the news comes on
