Powerful political poetry by Benjamin Adair Murphy

Republican Death Cult Blues (Part 1) 

Here comes the red wave
The worst of the worst days
         The holes growing under your shoes 

Here comes the last breath
Here comes the sad death
          Republican Death Cult Blues

Here come the long clubs
Here come the young thugs 
            This gauntlet we’re all running through 

Here comes the same shit
Here comes the same split 
               Republican Death Cult Blues

                 At the end of this road
                There’s a door that won’t close
                And the snake is sliced up
                Into parts

              At the end of this day
              There’s nothing to say
              That we haven’t all said 
              From the start


Here comes the same rage 
Here come the same names 
                McConnell, Rubio, Cruz… 

The killers in white sheets 
The assholes with nice teeth 
            Republican Death Cult Blues 

Here comes the same fear 
Here comes the nightmare 
          There’s nothing to say or to do 

You know this feeling 
Say a prayer for your children 
           Republican Death Cult Blues 

Yes, you know this feeling 
Hold on to your children 

            Republican Death Cult Blues 

Republican Death Cult Blues (Part 2) 


Birds say “tweet” 
Puppies say “woof” 
 
And Republicans  
Murder police officers 
 
Babies like milk 
Children like sweets 
 
And Republicans  
Murder police officers 
 
Fish jump in the summer 
Love blossoms in the spring 
 
Republicans smashed the doors 
Of the Capital Building 
 
The sun rises in the morning 
In the evening it will set 

Who will 
Republicans  

Murder next? 

Republican Death Cult Blues (Part 3) 

I'm on a  
Quarantined ship 
And we're stranded 
In the harbor  
 
You think you're used  
To all this shit 
But then it just keeps 
Getting harder 
 
We said goodbye 
To all our friends 
Who we used to 
Know as lovers 
 
It gets lonely  
When it’s quiet 
But at least we’re 
All together 
 
We’re a crew  
Of loyal patriots  
Who can’t understand
Our fathers 
 
We chose the 
Loudest ones to lead 
And we silenced
All the others 
 
We’re sliding back 
From where we came 
The shore is hidden 
By the weather 
 
I thought that we 
Were close to land 
But then the tide 
Pulled us out further 
 
I wrote a letter  
To my mom 
But then I ripped 
Apart the paper 
 
She doesn’t need 
To know what’s up 
It’s never really 
Worth the bother 
 
I might be killed 
For my beliefs 
But I’ll look good 
When I get murdered 
 
We built a trampoline 
With fishing net 
And each day  
I’m jumping higher 

Yes, each day 
I’m jumping higher 

And I can hear 
My sad heart sing

But then they shut down 
The whole thing--- 
 
Cause someone had a seizure  
On that motherfucker 

What’s Wrong with Your Ears? 

They're speaking   
To you straight 

But you block them 
Off with fences 

Then you  
Dig down 

Deeper in  
Those trenches 

You know about  
The troubles  

You know about 
The fears 

So, tell me 

So, tell me 

What’s wrong 
With your ears? 


I ask you  
About water 

You say it  
Runs uphill 

I ask you 
About time 

You say it  
Just stands still 

You know  
About the violence 

You know  
About the tears 


So, tell me 

So, tell me 

What’s wrong 
With your ears? 


I ask you  
About the world  

You tell me  
That it’s flat 

I ask you 
For the truth 

You go on
The attack 

I don’t know 
What’s confusing 

I don’t know 
What’s not clear 

So, tell me 

So, tell me 

What’s wrong 
With your ears? 

What’s wrong 
With your ears? 

What’s wrong 
With your ears?

Republican Death Cult Blues (Part 4)

There will always be Republicans  
So do the best you can 
 
There will always be the hatred 
There will always be the Klan 
 
Every night is Kristallnacht
It’s always January 6th 
 
There will always be the lies 
There will always be the tricks 

There will always be a Donald Trump 
There will always be a Nixon

There will always be the men
Who spread fear and drive division

There will always be Republicans  
I know it’s hard to understand 
 
So do the best you can, 
My love 
 
Do the best you can 


Bio: 
Benjamin Adair Murphy’s music will soon be heard in the film ‘Nine Bullets’ starring Lena Headey, Sam Worthington, and Barbara Hershey.  His lyrics have been published in Fevers of the Mind, Headline Poetry and Press, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Rabid Oak, Coven Poetry, Goat’s Milk Magazine and others.  His last album 'Let’s Make a King' was named one of the best albums of 2020 by multiple publications.  He lives in Mexico City. 
benjaminadairmurphy.com