The Song of the Exiles

60s R&B soul revue; saturated tube-mic vocals, clipped rhythmic staccato phrasing doubled on hooks; stomping midtempo backbeat with pounding piano, tambourine, and Gospel back choir in an almost painful wail; male contralto, raw gritty gravel, church-like soulful shouts and a snarling edge, call-and-response

[Verse 1]
The war was over and they lost
Now they’re locked in a line, wrists tied tight
Eight hundred miles of dust ahead
No shade, no home, no coming back tonight

It feels like yesterday they ran the place
Judah’s money, Judah’s name, Judah’s doors
The king’s palace, temple steps, altar smoke
Bankers, merchants, all of it was theirs before

They were the ones people had to listen to
Their calls shaped the way the whole country moved
Now the palace is rubble, the temple’s gone
And the streets they owned are all blackened through

[Chorus]
How did it turn this fast?
How did we end up here?
Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths
Walking through the fear

We had the power, we had the gold
Now we’re part of the haul
And somewhere in the noise of the march
The same question hits us all

Why did this happen to us?
Why did this happen to us?

[Verse 2]
The soldiers around them don’t even look surprised
Just hard-eyed men with spears and routine
They’ve done this before, they know the drill
Load up the captured, move the machine

And these people who once sat at the front
Now they’re counted like spoils, like stock
Paraded in Babylon for somebody else
To point at, laugh at, talk about in shock

And under all that dust and iron
One thought keeps dragging at their feet
If gods control the whole damn world
Then who did they fail? And why us, in the heat?

[Chorus]
How did it turn this fast?
How did we end up here?
Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths
Walking through the fear

We had the power, we had the gold
Now we’re part of the haul
And somewhere in the noise of the march
The same question hits us all

Why did this happen to us?
Why did this happen to us?

[Bridge]
Was it the altars?
Was it the kings?
Was it all the signs we missed?
Was it the loud prayers in the wrong direction
And the life we thought could never slip?

[Final Chorus]
How did it turn this fast?
How did we end up here?
Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths
Walking through the fear

We had the power, we had the gold
Now we’re part of the haul
And somewhere in the dust of Babylon
That question breaks through all

Why did this happen to us?
Why did this happen to us?
Why, WHY, WHY! 
Why did this happen to us?
Why, WHY, WHY USSS!

2460/7500

[Spoken Word] Babylon attacked Judah in five hundred ninety six B.C.E. and totally conquered it in five hundred eighty six B.C.E. – and took the final group of captives to Babylon. You can just imagine what they musta thought. [Verse 1] The war was over and they lost Now they’re locked in a line, wrists tied tight Eight hundred miles of dust ahead No shade, no home, no coming back tonight It feels like yesterday they ran the place Judah’s money, Judah’s name, Judah’s doors The king’s palace, temple steps, altar smoke Bankers, merchants, all of it was theirs before They were the ones people had to listen to Their calls shaped the way the whole country moved Now the palace is rubble, the temple’s gone And the streets they owned are all blackened through [Chorus] How did it turn this fast? How did we end up here? Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths Walking through the fear We had the power, we had the gold Now we’re part of the haul And somewhere in the noise of the march The same question hits us all Why did this happen to us? Why did this happen to us? [Verse 2] The soldiers around them don’t even look surprised Just hard-eyed men with spears and routine They’ve done this before, they know the drill Load up the captured, move the machine And these people who once sat at the front Now they’re counted like spoils, like stock Paraded in Babylon for somebody else To point at, laugh at, talk about in shock And under all that dust and iron One thought keeps dragging at their feet If gods control the whole damn world Then who did they fail? And why us, in the heat? [Chorus] How did it turn this fast? How did we end up here? Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths Walking through the fear We had the power, we had the gold Now we’re part of the haul And somewhere in the noise of the march The same question hits us all Why did this happen to us? Why did this happen to us? [Bridge] Was it the altars? Was it the kings? Was it all the signs we missed? Was it the loud prayers in the wrong direction And the life we thought could never slip? [Final Chorus] How did it turn this fast? How did we end up here? Chains on our hands, sand in our mouths Walking through the fear We had the power, we had the gold Now we’re part of the haul And somewhere in the dust of Babylon That question breaks through all Why did this happen to us? Why did this happen to us? Why, WHY, WHY! Why did this happen to us? Why, WHY, WHY USSS!

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