Cops And Artists: What Do You Stand For?
Dressed up like an outlaw from bottom to tops
Question authority, scrutinize cops drinking tea in my flipflops
It’s a day job being a bobby, you supposed to stop robbery and
Stand up for justice, not kneel on the neck, let’s discuss this
I ask all cops and bobbies to search their soul
To look into their title, their stereotype and role
I do the same as a musician and artist
I ask myself, am I lazy, contributing to society
What are my morals ethics and code of conduct
Just try to be nice, just don’t fucking murder anybody.
So cops hear me now, what is it you stand for?
The protection of people requires more candour
The origins of the word Police is polite
What the hell are you doing out there tonight?
The Polis is the state
And the policy is the state, but
Polite is the plight of the people with all due respect
The people YOU are supposed to serve and protect
Just try and be polite when you break up a fight
Consider who’s bidding you’re doing
To be blunt, who’s agenda in office are you serving?
Who do you stand for, for who do you kneel?
I don’t want to give all police a hard time
There’s good cops and bad cops like butchers and Taxi drivers
But now’s the time to stand up, once again, and shout NO!
There’s a clear racist agenda in many cop gangs
Let’s not escalate into pop-shots and bangs
Stand up and protest with us
Join the calls for justice for justice
Look your partners in the eye and talk about this
No, it’s not as bad as it is in the U.S
But all cops worldwide should confess
They distance themselves from this murder mess
Prove their benevolence and stand up
To a public scrutiny test.
Like if a popular rock drummer strangled a security guard
For demanding he show his wrist band or card
Live on stage live on film, you might understand
I would write a statement on behalf of all good drummers
I would distance myself from this monster with a passion
This killer who happens to share my profession
Why don’t you, coppa?
I’d sit down with any of you motherfuckers over a cuppa’
We can trade stories, tit for tat
You tell of your terror and I tell of mine, how’s that?
We can trade footage of beatings, murder and crime
You show me your criminals, I’ll show you mine
Of non-violent crime, like growing weed which is fine.
And what about the culture, ever thought to protect that
How many raves, festivals, and parties have you shut?
How many corporate CEOs, Royals, Ministers
Presidents and Tsars did you protect?
You weigh it up for me, I’m here twisting my drum sticks
Ready for your cop marching band of rednecks
Ready for your bullhorn with my mic, tongue flex.
No violence just words and video and sounds
We do art battle, peaceful yet piercing
Not violent but inciting thoughts
Artists don’t need policing like the fans of foot sports
So celebrate your good cops whomever they may be
Just don’t show me Dirty Harry, he’s fiction from TV
I ask you again as I’m spread up on the wall
Cops, what, who and why do you stand for who you stand for?
--Squintin Quarantino
30/05/2020
