My people know false gods when they see them
It is the foundation upon which our religion was built
This instinct for distinguishing the night from the day
The ruach from the nefesh
The spirit from the clay
My people know false gods when they see them
And now they see them on the nightly news
My people know plagues
My people know pharaohs
My people know darkness, sorrow and hate
My people know what it means to be scapegoated
By rulers who exploit the fears of their subjects
My people know what it means to be free
What it means to be caged
What it means to rebel
My people know what it is to be a stranger in a strange land
To suffer repression
The sting of the whip
The blow of the rock
The weight of the knee
My people know the weight of the knee
Daniel David Joseph