We the People

A few words by Sudhananda about his song

The name of my song, We the People, comes, of course, from the opening line of the US Constitution, but more directly from a radio talk show of the mid 1990s, called We the People. It was hosted by former California governor Jerry Brown and was broadcast on KPFA, a San Francisco Bay Area “progressive” listener-sponsored station. This was a period when Jerry Brown was out of politics and was interviewing a wide variety of interesting and inspiring guests on political, social, ecological, scientific and spiritual topics.

I included my song, We the People, on my 1997 CD album, titled Sudhananda (for which Maniko sang the harmony vocals).

I recently felt like revisiting this song and made a YouTube video out of it.

Osho says, “Politicians are successful criminals.” I think that, generally, politicians and the ones who own them just give lip service to peace, freedom, ending wars, poverty, etc. but their real interest is money, power, control, manipulation and the exploitation of the masses.

It is rare for someone of true integrity, with an honest and caring heart and some real spiritual depth, and who works to promote peace, love and freedom, to somehow get into a position of power. And if they did so, they usually get corrupted, bought out, smeared out, squeezed out or knocked off, as they threaten the status quo, the big $ interests, the powers that basically control the governments and the media.

Any real change for the good of people does not come from the top down. It comes from the bottom up, from ‘we the people’ demanding, pressuring, being courageous activists, persistently struggling for positive change. It comes from grass-roots movements, from people who have seen through the facade, through the propaganda, through the lies, hypocrisies and hypnosis that keep the masses asleep and enslaved.

That’s what this song is about – it’s about waking up, reclaiming our power and working to make change – basically taking responsibility and not waiting for those in power to do anything. This song is about freedom on the basic social level of seeking life, liberty, the pursuit of health, happiness, prosperity and freedom of choice.

Osho teaches us about REAL freedom, the freedom from all the social, cultural, religious and political conditionings, and ultimately the freedom from identification with body and ego. He masterfully pulls the rug out from under our conditionings, and leaves us naked to seek and find truth – through our own exploration and direct experience.

And like the quest for social freedom, the search for spiritual freedom also requires of us to wake up and take responsibility for our own growth and realization. Not relying on some priest, pope, politician, god, guru, to save us and dictate the way.

Only once in awhile I write a song addressing the more social like We the People. Most of my songs are reminders to myself, and others, about the real FREEDOM, LOVE, TRUTH that Osho points us toward – deeper into the mystery. In fact, I’m currently working on a new album of songs that I hope to have finished by the end of this year. We will keep you posted.

Lyrics

We the people have had enough hypocrisy
so let’s make this the land of the brave
and the home of the free
let’s reclaim our liberty

We the people are joining our hearts and hands
we’re taking back our power
we’re cleaning up the land
we the people are not gonna stand by
and let this world go to waste
we’re making it a better place

We the people have been asleep for far to long
the dream’s over it’s time to wake up
and fix what’s gone wrong
let’s stand up and make ourselves strong

We the people believe in peace and unity
so let’s make this the land of the brave
and the home of the free
let’s reclaim our dignity