Maybe The Poet

Maybe the poet is gay But he'll be heard anyway Maybe the poet is drugged But he won't stay under the rug Maybe the voice of the spirit In which case you'd better hear it Maybe he's a woman Who can touch you where you're human Male, female, slave or free Peaceful or disorderly Maybe you and he will not agree But you need him to show you new ways to see Don't let the system fool you All it wants to do is rule you Pay attention to the poet You need him and you know it Put him up against the wall Shoot him up with Pentothal Shoot him up with lead You won't call back what's been said Put him in the ground But one day you'll look around There'll be a face you don't know Voicing thoughts you've heard before Male, female, slave or free Peaceful or disorderly Maybe you and he will not agree But you need him to show you new ways to see Don't let the system fool you All it wants to do is rule you Pay attention to the poet You need him and you know it --- Maybe the Poet - Bruce Cockburn