Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Don't Play that Song
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
12 Sep 2018
🖨️ Print Article
this is what we do overseas
Don't Play that Song....

Don’t Sing That Song ‘bout

Bombs bursting in air,

Rocket’s red glare

Gave proof through the bus

40 children were dead.

Don’t Sing That Song

that “supports the troops”

Kicking in doors at 4AM;

Urinating on bodies

of Afghan fighters;

Defecating on

the Koran; Cutting

off ears and fingers—

Sporting them like

macabre trophies…

Don’t Sing That Song of

twilight’s last gleaming;

and perilous flight of

Hellfire Missiles from

Predator Drones—

white boy toys draining

treasure and blood:

Bankrupting us morally

Don’t Sing That Song—

‘bout a warfare state

with money for missiles,

Leaden water; collapsing

bridges; broken down

trains; Tent Cities and

citizens curled up on

cardboard—chanting,

“Spare change—

you can believe in?”

Don’t Sing That Song—

that slave masterpiece—

‘bout broad stripes on

brown backs; bright stars

in scrambled brains—Home

of the brave—gunning

down Black men in the streets

Don’t Sing That Song

Giving comfort to

War House Hitler-lovers

on Capitalist Hill,

White Supreme Court, slave

master statues, and military bases

named for confederate traitors

Don’t Sing That Song

Marvin prosecuted

for its soullessness—

Rene Marie face-

lifted with Every Voice—

as Nobel Drone Ranger

rammed her under the

bus with his Peace Prize—

Don’t Sing That Song

Jimi’s guitar tried

for war crimes at Woodstock!

Our poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner is an accomplished performing artist. Find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Karin Stanford
    Afterlife of a Hijacker
    11 Aug 2026
    Former Black Panther Deputy Minister of Defense Byron Booth's journey from Compton to Cuba, Algiers to Lagos, reveals the global reach of Black radicalism in a 2016 interview.
  • Orinoco Tribune
    ‘To the Victor Belong the Spoils’: Trump Flaunts US Plunder of Venezuela
    11 Aug 2026
    The U.S. is not shy about proclaiming its control of Venezuela and its resources.
  • Kit Klarenberg
    Collapsing Empire: US Creates New African Psyops Unit
    11 Aug 2026
    From boots on the ground to battles for the mind, an examination of the Pentagon's new psychological operations unit illustrates Washington's bid to reclaim influence in Africa.
  • Ali Ridha Khan
    The Assassinated Word: Kanafani at 54
    11 Aug 2026
    "54 years after his assassination by the Zionist entity, Ghassan Kanafani’s career, politics, and dedication to the Palestinian Liberation struggle remain instructive for anti-imperialist struggle in…
  • Coalition for the Elimination of Imperialist in Africa
    Declaration Expressing Pan-African Solidarity with the Republic of Cuba
    11 Aug 2026
    "Cuba has remained a shining example of internationalism and holds a special place in the history of people's struggles against imperialism."
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us