Roots of Karametra - There Can Be No Compromise

The clinic’s full on a Tuesday morning Waiting room stretched to the door A mother counting out her dollars slowly Trying to buy a little more The grocery shelves shine bright as ever But fewer carts are rolling through The signs all promise endless progress The numbers say it isn’t true You can dress it up in slogans You can paint it any shade But a hungry child still knows the difference Between a promise and a plate There can be no compromise When community is in danger There can be no compromise When children are starving There can be no compromise When there are more sick than healthy There can be no compromise When earth is compromised The creek runs brown behind the factories The old folks say it once ran clear Now warning signs stand where the herons nested And nobody wants them here The landlords talk of market forces The bankers talk of sacrifice But somehow every burden travels To the same shoulders every time If the roots beneath the pavement Can still crack apart the stone Then people standing side by side Can build a future of their own There can be no compromise When community is in danger There can be no compromise When children are starving There can be no compromise When there are more sick than healthy There can be no compromise When earth is compromised We’re not asking for permission We’re not waiting for a throne Plant a garden in the vacant lot Turn the empty house to home Feed the neighbor Share the seed Heal the soil Meet the need There can be no compromise When community is in danger There can be no compromise When children are starving There can be no compromise When there are more sick than healthy There can be no compromise When earth is compromised There can be no compromise When profit stands above the people There can be no compromise When greed is wearing virtue’s face There can be no compromise When life is treated like a number There can be no compromise When we all share the same place There can be no compromise