People of the Revolution
"With this album, we dedicate our lives, our futures, and all our energies to the people of the revolution…and the revolution in all its forms." --Chicago, on the release of their album Chicago II in 1970
You believed in that revolution,
with a fire in your heart
that blazed golden
among the weaker,
fallen hearts.
It blazed through your fingers
and your mouth
with the words and chords
of passionate songs
never destined to hit number one,
yet loved by those
who shared your fire.
You thought your music
could change the world.
And it did, for those
who really listened,
yet their numbers were few.
You died a cold night in ’78.
The legend goes
that gunshot
was an accident.
But I don’t know.
Maybe you see what I see now,
that so many have forgotten
the promise made back
in the early days
when hope seemed endless
and music could cure
everything.
Now all the chords
sound the same.
Talent is lost,
in the greedy hands
of the suits who own
the music.
Passion no longer burns
in the glistening guitar strings
and the sweet timbres of voices
with a cause.
They say they’re alive again
and life goes on without you,
but the music has changed,
the fire dwindled,
to smoldering ashes.
You fanned that flame,
now without you
the revolution
burns no longer.
