[Hook]
This is the ballad of the black gold
They call it Texas tea
But it's bigger than a cowboy with a lasso
It's deeper than a black hole
Create monopolies
Except they collect your fee when you pass go
Crises international
The government de facto
We got no control in this fiasco
Darker than the backroads
Bubble hotter than Tabasco
More than what you bargained for or asked for
I
You never see happy-hungry people that ain't rational
They blasting through the gates and they attack you at the capital
Run up in your palace, find the heads of state and crack a few
Get a taste of power then they become fascists too
The fiscal conservatives, don't know what they purpose is
Put money on the war, then they cut your goods and services
Murderous, corporate monsters is breaking records
Exxon is at 40 billion a year
They raking in record profits, stop it
How they banking while auto industry is tanking?
Leadership is sinking
The pollution in the water, stanking
Loyalty to petroleum
Royalty spoiled the economy
We won't get it poppin' till we're oil-free
If you're oil-rich then we invade it
They call it occupation but we're losing jobs across the nation
Drill, baby, drill, while they make our soldiers kill
Baby still, the desert where the blood and oil spill
[Hook]
II
Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of independence
They still feel the colonial effects of Great Britain's presence
Dictators quick to imitate the West
Got in bed with oil companies and now the place a mess
Take a guess, which ones came and violated
They oiled up the soil, the Ogoni people was almost annihilated
Still they never stayed silent
There was activism, poets using non-violent tactics
That was catalyst for soldiers to break into they crib
Take it from the kids and try to break em like a twig
And make examples of the leaders
Executed Saro-Wiwa
Threw Fela's mom out the window right after they beat her
In an effort to defeat hope
Now the people feed soap to [noir]
So they youth is doing drive-bys through speed boats
They kidnap the workers
They blowing up the pipelines
You see the fires glowing in the nighttime
[Hook]
III
History a slippery creature
Its full of blind twists and surprise endings
like a mystery feature
This oil s*** is slicker than preachers
it makes the problems in the region
amplify like victory speeches
poison the water, lead the boys to the slaughter
go in somebodys country rearrange the order
and destroy the borders
you see them dancin through the fields of fire
world dominantion the real desire
the devil is still a liar
[Hook]
This is the ballad of the black gold
They call it Texas tea
But it's bigger than a cowboy with a lasso
It's deeper than a black hole
Create monopolies
Except they collect your fee when you pass go
Crises international
The government de facto
We got no control in this fiasco
Darker than the backroads
Bubble hotter than Tabasco
More than what you bargained for or asked for
I
You never see happy-hungry people that ain't rational
They blasting through the gates and they attack you at the capital
Run up in your palace, find the heads of state and crack a few
Get a taste of power then they become fascists too
The fiscal conservatives, don't know what they purpose is
Put money on the war, then they cut your goods and services
Murderous, corporate monsters is breaking records
Exxon is at 40 billion a year
They raking in record profits, stop it
How they banking while auto industry is tanking?
Leadership is sinking
The pollution in the water, stanking
Loyalty to petroleum
Royalty spoiled the economy
We won't get it poppin' till we're oil-free
If you're oil-rich then we invade it
They call it occupation but we're losing jobs across the nation
Drill, baby, drill, while they make our soldiers kill
Baby still, the desert where the blood and oil spill
[Hook]
II
Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of independence
They still feel the colonial effects of Great Britain's presence
Dictators quick to imitate the West
Got in bed with oil companies and now the place a mess
Take a guess, which ones came and violated
They oiled up the soil, the Ogoni people was almost annihilated
Still they never stayed silent
There was activism, poets using non-violent tactics
That was catalyst for soldiers to break into they crib
Take it from the kids and try to break em like a twig
And make examples of the leaders
Executed Saro-Wiwa
Threw Fela's mom out the window right after they beat her
In an effort to defeat hope
Now the people feed soap to [noir]
So they youth is doing drive-bys through speed boats
They kidnap the workers
They blowing up the pipelines
You see the fires glowing in the nighttime
[Hook]
III
History a slippery creature
Its full of blind twists and surprise endings
like a mystery feature
This oil s*** is slicker than preachers
it makes the problems in the region
amplify like victory speeches
poison the water, lead the boys to the slaughter
go in somebodys country rearrange the order
and destroy the borders
you see them dancin through the fields of fire
world dominantion the real desire
the devil is still a liar
[Hook]