Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
Who calls the shots, who makes the rules
Who holds the strings, who are the tools
Who counts the gold up there in the tower
Whose hands are pulling the levers of power?
In ancient days priests told us what to do
The Gods spoke to them, then they spoke to you
From the Temple steps, up on Babel’s Tower
Behind that curtain pulling levers of power.
The king replaced the priest, the altar now a throne
By divine right he ruled the realm alone
Raised armies and taxes from the castle tower
Royal hands pulling the levers of power
Who calls the shots, who makes the rules
Who holds the strings, who are the tools
Who counts the gold up there in the tower
Whose hands are pulling the levers of power?
Above the cold city, buildings scrape the sky
God and King are dead, money rules on high
All the world in debt to the sharks in the tower
Bankers pulling the levers of power.
Money making money, the global Ponzi scheme
When it all falls down banksters get off clean
Politicians prostrate at the foot of the tower
Beg to serve bullies who pull levers of power.
Who will call the shots, who will make the rules
Will there be strings – will we be the tools?
Pull back the curtain-there’s no gold in the tower
Just a naked Emperor pulling levers of power?
We don’t need the bankers, the priests or the kings
Childhood has ended- a new age begins
Serving each other we toil outside the tower
Creating a world with no levers of power. (2x-last 2 lines)
C C F C
C C Am C
C C F C
C C G C
(Modulates to D for break and last 2 stanzas)
You can contact Abraham Entin at [email protected].
An important fundraising appeal: 9 Days to raise $50,000
Donations are down for Truthout at a time when media is under immense pressure. Google’s AI search has driven our traffic down by 15 percent, Trump is arresting journalists, and many independent media organizations face heartbreaking cutbacks and closures.
At the same time, movement media is vital in the fight against Trump’s authoritarian reign. Our mandate to tell the truth, share strategies for resistance, and speak against fascism is ever more urgent in this deluge of political censorship and misinformation. Yet, we are struggling to meet our publishing costs when our work is so urgently needed.
We are fundraising right now for those basic operating expenses — we need $50,000 in the next 9 days. If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Anything you can do makes a difference.