Written & recorded in late 2003 to protest tthe wartime antics of
U.S. President George W. Bush and other self-proclaimed ‘super heroes’,
Californian hip hop artist and poet, Ithaka, teamed up with Brazilian
superstar Gabriel O Pensador for a true collaborative meeting of the
minds.
Ithaka adapted the lyrics of one of his early songs, Erase The Slate
Of Hate (from the album, Flowers And The Color Of Paint) to mesh with
the Gabriel O Pensador’s additional verses.
Musically, the song was pre-produced by Ithaka in Los Angeles, who
later worked it at Studio Monoaural in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Gabriel O
Pensador’s hometown).
Note: The world renowned musician and producer, Liminha (from the Brazilian group, Os Mutantes) played the bass on this track.
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Lyrics for "Who's The Enemy?"
Ithaka:
Did ya ever notice that governments of the globe
Try to generalize each other as friend or foe ?
But what is a country, but a dividing wire
Of who pays taxes to which vampires ?
Just try to see that folk that live in tyranny
Ain't anymore the enemy than you or than me
I remember back when I was fourteen
Of the news on TV and of the films on the screen
Tried to have us all hatin' the Soviet Union
The Evil Empire, I believe was their slogan
But later on, when the heat began to cool
Russian exchange students arrived at our school
They dug computer games, rock and hip-hop
Studied hard, drank like fish, smoked a lot of pot
Two brainy dudes and four goddess like girls
Didn't exactly look to me like, Enemy Of The World
Ithaka & Gabriel O Pensador:
IS THIS THE ENEMY?
IS THIS THE REAL ENEMY?
DON'T LOOK LIKE THE ENEMY
NOW TELL ME WHO'S THE ENEMY
Gabriel O Pensador:
I learned once, now I try to unlearn
That some countries' flags should be shredded and burned
But I live in a country which by force of fate
Has developed a culture of more love than hate
It's a country where people vote peace, not war
And where any foreigner finds an open door
Here we have many colors and many religions
Many ways of seeing things and of thinking these visions
But sometimes you just see what they shove in your eye
And the easiest way of thinking is believing a lie
That's why some accept the unacceptable
And soldiers go, where no one has to go
And leaders tell just what they want us to know
But where the hell is the real truth they never show?
Talking about hell, where does the devil reside?
And in a war, how come god has to choose one side?
Don't be fooled by your pride, when a guy with no wisdom
Wants to be a super hero in the name of freedom
Even sacred words can be excuses for killing
What you really want to know is
Who's the real villian ?
Ithaka & Gabriel O Pensador:
IS THIS THE ENEMY?
IS THIS THE REAL ENEMY?
DON'T LOOK LIKE THE ENEMY
NOW TELL ME WHO'S THE ENEMY
Ithaka:
The commander-in chiefs of this planet
Put the population control on automatic
By planting the the seeds of hate in our lands
And watering the seeds with propaganda...
Among the black, the brown, yellow, red, and the white
The Muslim, the Hindu, Christian and Israelite
But the enemies of The Man, ain't my enemies
Just individuals trying to make ends meet
So please, don't believe everything you hear and see
Ulterior motives runs miles and miles deep
Basic need became basic greed
Globalizing economy, while ignoring ecology?
Bombs kill folk and pollute the air both
Eradicate species, but guarantee market growth
Got money for arms, but not for schools and medicine?
Now you tell me, who's got the enemy doctrine?
Ithaka & Gabriel O Pensador:
IS THIS THE ENEMY?
IS THIS THE REAL ENEMY?
DON'T LOOK LIKE THE ENEMY
NOW TELL ME WHO'S THE ENEMY
WHO IS THE VICTIM HERE?
WHO IS THE ONE I FEAR?
WHO IS THE ONE I BLAME?
WHO PUTS THE WORLD IN SHAME?
WHO MAKES THE WORLD INSANE?
WHO MAKES THE BOMBING RAIN?
WHO MAKES ME CRY IN PAIN?
WHO MAKES ME DIE IN VAIN?
Gabriel O Pensador:
Who's chasing who?
You better think twice
Who's the hunter? Who's the hunted?
Who are the cats? Who are the mice?
I see politicians, how they speak so nice
I see how suspiciously they roll the dice
I see how they lie and control our lives
I see, I see they're just cold like ice
I simply can't stand all this sacrifice
In the name of the law, when the laws are lies
Don't rely on those who preach that same old speech
That many should be poor, so one or two can be rich
I've been walking and talking across the five continents
I've seen hunger and humility, anger and arrogance
The more I see
The more I feel this shame
The more I see we're different
The more I feel we are all the same
I've seen a lot places, a lot of faces
A lot of so-called races of humanity in front of me
I've seen some pictures on the wall
And on the TV screen
But I still haven't seen the real enemy
Ithaka & Gabriel O Pensador:
IS THIS THE ENEMY?
IS THIS THE REAL ENEMY?
DON'T LOOK LIKE THE ENEMY
NOW TELL ME WHO'S THE ENEMY
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Lyrics and Vocals by:
Ithaka & Gabriel O Pensador © 2004
