Big Ugly Review: If You Tell a Lie by Blame Sally

If You Tell a Lie

by Blame Sally

On January 20th, 2001, George W. Bush, appointed President of the United States formally took office. I had been asked to sing a song that night at the Bazaar Café in San Francisco where Les, the proprietor was producing a counter-event called "The Night of the Burning Bush." That afternoon, depressed and restless, I couldn't make myself practice the song I intended to sing, Bob Dylan's "Masters of War". Instead, I sat down and turned on the TV. I had honestly forgotten that I would be subjected to live coverage of the inaugural parade. It was a bleak day in Washington, and I remember experiencing an overwhelming feeling of sadness and fear as I watched the Presidential limousine drive down Pennsylvania Avenue. I turned off the TV, sat down at the piano and wrote this song in about 25 minutes. I performed it for the first time that night. Last spring, I wrote an additional verse that addresses the war in Iraq .
-Monica Pasqual, Blame Sally

Lyrics

If you tell a lie again and again
It does not become the truth in the end
If your voice is loud and your lies are well heard
Still it does not mean transformation has occurred

Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told

If you take the forest, if you steal it tree by tree
If you blacken the river if you desecrate the sea
You can wave your arms, you can shout out from on high
But the truth is still the truth and a lie is still a lie

Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the priceless things you sold

You can speak of God while you lead your Holy War
As if your hands weren’t stained by the oil you adore
More innocents will die and more soldiers will fall
You name your church for God but it was greed that built those walls

Water isn’t wine
Brass isn’t gold
One day you’ll account for all the lives that you stole

Two faced yes fool
Pin striped suit ghoul

You can make a promise and some people might believe
That you are not beholden to the power, to the greed
But if they should fall ill, or their schools should fall down
Should they fall on hard times well I doubt you'll be around

Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
And it's wrong that we should pay for that crown that you stole
Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told