The sparrow flits from bough to bough,
The cur that roves the streets is free;
The only slave is Mighty Man,
In a world of liberty.
The babbling brook, the sunshine
The trees, the grass, the glinting sea,
All things enjoy, but as for Man
They might as well not be.
The beast that prowls the jungle,
The fish that swim the sea,
Enjoy their little span of life,
Because they're free, they're free.
They're free, ah, God, the meaner things
Do they creep or crawl or climb ;
'Twas left for man to forego the chains,
With his tow'ring mind sublime.
Oh !, the dinging chain and the prison wall
Are the work of human minds,
'Tis the will of God that Earth is free,
'Tis the will of Man that binds.
The fool has fancied himself the lord
Of all inhabiting Earth,
While his grinding toil for the prime of day
Despoils his life of mirth.
The birds are singing, the fishes flash,
The household cat's at play;
But Man is sweating between four walls.
Deprived or the joys of Day.
How long, O Slaves, will ye suffer this?
How long will ye still slave be?
When the master minds of the martyred past
Deliver ye Freedom's key.
O! the locksmith's work was truly done,
And your chains are riveted well ;
But the might o£ a thinking working class
Could shatter the bonds, of Hell.
With a soul of the things of Freedom,
Usurped by the lordly few,
You can open the doors of your natal gaol,
And fashion the world anew.
W. H. LEVY.
Notes
From the NSW Newspaper Direct Action 31 Mar 1917 p. 4.
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