The Noughties 2000/2009

Dan Bull: The Noughties Rap-Up.

We came out of the nineties nicely
with our eyes on the prize, it was pipe dreams
But surprise, surprise, there were crises
and we learned that the world wasn’t quite as sweet
as we’d have liked it to be. The price to be free--- 5
skyrocketed and what we did was a sight to see
America, the nation that Westerners obey
in exchange for protection engaged in an election
It was famously contested so with baited breath
the world’s gaze headed Westward ---10
With the battle of the ballots hanging in the balance
There was a lack of ballast in who would inhabit the palace
And in Bush and Gore’s manic rush to the door
there was a panic and all planning was pushed to the floor
The winner was a mystery, so it was handed to the courts ---15
who handed it to George and Bush was given victory
And in an instant, Clinton’s stint
of stability, – well it was history
We met the neighbours, they made us get acquainted
with the daily dangers that they’re facing ---20
They took a plane and they made it change destination
to shake a great Western nation
And the pain of that day made the next generation
of patriots praying for good or baying for blood
Terror attacks in America taxed ---25
the president’s head to the max, not yet to mention Iraq
The inevitable reaction in Afghanistan
was the centre of a grander plan
And to spread democratic values
they sent in the tanks to get the fanatical Taliban radicals ---30
The massive collateral damage
was classed as manageable. Act casual
and the militant killing of a million civilians
is merely a stat on the graph on the manager’s wall
So that was war number one, ---35
and it’s all going on still but there’s more to come
After the Taliban in Afghanistan
we attacked Saddam in Baghdad, Iraq
They said “trust, he’s hiding weapons of mass destruction”
but it’s come to light that that was a construction ---40
There was a hurricane, too, and a tsunami
that harmed more humans than a crusading army
or a Jihadi militant targeting Madrid,
ripping innocents apart in the name of Allah
In the Blitz Brits used to shelter in tube stations ---45
Now there’s a new danger and they’re not too safe
but everything’s going to be alright now
Everything’s going to be alright (x2)
There’s a new fellow in the White House
It was a momentous event cos he’s light brown--- 50
I guess America should be quite proud
But he’s already won the peace prize – how?
He needs to pull the peace pipe out
and have a draw before he can ease my doubts
But evidently the presidency can go to any man --- 55
who reckons, “Yes He Can”
It’s a messy planet, full of stress and panic
We’d better learn from the lessons
of the past and do better than it
There’s many bad things we can prevent with action--- 60
so forget the distractions and accept the challenge
Darfur, Georgia, Iran, Palestine
Famine, Swine Flu, and Michael Jackson died
Global warming, CFCs, global war, WMDs
HDTV, DVDs, Blu-Ray, MP3s, PCs ---65
I-Pods, laptops, Blackberries, flatscreen
Broadband, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter feeds
And there’s still killings in the Middle East
we don’t even see, on the BBC news stream
We’re like the people in Korea, being deceived ---70
The real world’s hiding behind a screen of fear
Immediate media means that we’re free to believe
anything that we see or read in Wikipedia
we’re in a different league to those a decade ago
though it was only yesterday – no? ---75
They brought back Die Hard, brought back Rambo
Rocky Balboa and Indiana Jones
Throwbacks to the days where we felt safe
That’s why Take That are back again
The twelfth of May two thousand and eight--- 80
A hell of a day; a powerful mountainous quake
killed thousands and razed the surroundings
down in its wake, how can we take it?
Tell me it’s fate ’cause I’m doubting my faith
But hope takes more than a foul thing to break ---85
Trust, look around and there’s faces counting on change
We’ve got the power to get out of the chains
Does it sound very strange right now that there’s slaves
that are labouring eighteen hours a day?
We can help them to break out when we say ---90
“Down with the pain,” now we’ve found ourselves again
The smell, the taste, it’s real, can you feel that?
Now, today; the people have a real chance
Everything’s going to be alright now
everything’s going to be alright (x2) ---95
Well, that was the noughties
And not since the nineteen forties
have we seen this much economic recession;
have we seen this much aggression
But we’re still going strong, still holding on tight ---100
We’re going to be alright
because we’re still going strong, still holding on tight,
We’re going to be alright