Was it Cesar Chavez
Maybe it was Dorothy Day?
Some say Dr King or Ghandi
Set them on their way
But no matter who your mentors are,
It’s pretty plain to see:
If you’ve been to jail for justice,
You’re in good company.
Chorus:
Have you been to jail for justice?
I wanna shake your hand!
Sitting in and laying down
Are ways to make a stand.
Have you sung a song for freedom
or marched that picket line?
Have you been to jail for justice?
Oh you’re a friend of mine!
You law-abiding citizens
Listen to this song.
Laws were made by people;
People can be wrong.
Once unions were against the law,
But slavery was fine;
Women were denied the vote
and children worked the mine.
The more you study history
The less you can deny it:
Rotten law stays on the books
Till folks like us defy it!
(Till folks with guts defy it!)
(Chorus)
Now the law’s supposed to serve us
And so are the police.
When that system fails,
It’s up to us to speak our piece.
It takes eternal vigilence
For justice to prevail.
So take courage from your convictions:
let’em haul you off to jail!
(Chorus)