The Central Park Five
I'm sure you've already forgotten
about the five black teenagers convicted
of beating and raping a white woman
the crime of the century, o tabloids!
and the mayor called them monsters
and many wanted the death penalty
for kids so we could fry them
with their confessions on video, freely given
a slam dunk because nobody cared
that their stories were different, incompatible
and nobody cared their timeline made it
impossible to be at the crime scene
when everything happened, no problem
these wilding teenagers should fry
and off to prison they go
for not enough years because
they're just kids, after all
but long enough if you're living it
and who would imagine the real rapist
would get a conscience and confess
years later and match DNA
no doubt he did it
so the teenagers are released
their convictions overturned
home sweet home at last
after so many years
but for some reason the press
the eyes and ears of the nation
find this incredible story less interesting
no banner headlines to match
the earlier monstrous wilding teenagers
no hoopla, no widespread celebration
late justice being better
than no justice at all
and the bungling prosecutors, o tabloids
don't make good copy
like monstrous wilding teenagers
so let's just forget the whole thing
sorry about that
o America, the tabloid nation
will you ever own up
to your sins? must you forever
celebrate the over reach of power
the Central Park Five
Columbus Day
on and on and on
and when you finally get it right
become suddenly silent
as if mistakes never happened?
don't you see, o mythical nation
you are your own worst enemy?
I'm sure you've already forgotten
about the five black teenagers convicted
of beating and raping a white woman
the crime of the century, o tabloids!
and the mayor called them monsters
and many wanted the death penalty
for kids so we could fry them
with their confessions on video, freely given
a slam dunk because nobody cared
that their stories were different, incompatible
and nobody cared their timeline made it
impossible to be at the crime scene
when everything happened, no problem
these wilding teenagers should fry
and off to prison they go
for not enough years because
they're just kids, after all
but long enough if you're living it
and who would imagine the real rapist
would get a conscience and confess
years later and match DNA
no doubt he did it
so the teenagers are released
their convictions overturned
home sweet home at last
after so many years
but for some reason the press
the eyes and ears of the nation
find this incredible story less interesting
no banner headlines to match
the earlier monstrous wilding teenagers
no hoopla, no widespread celebration
late justice being better
than no justice at all
and the bungling prosecutors, o tabloids
don't make good copy
like monstrous wilding teenagers
so let's just forget the whole thing
sorry about that
o America, the tabloid nation
will you ever own up
to your sins? must you forever
celebrate the over reach of power
the Central Park Five
Columbus Day
on and on and on
and when you finally get it right
become suddenly silent
as if mistakes never happened?
don't you see, o mythical nation
you are your own worst enemy?
