Lyrics Ballad of a Cluster Bomb - David Rovics

Ballad of a Cluster Bomb

I was born
Between factory walls
And I was conceived
Amongst the ivory halls
And in this world
I knew my role
I went to work
With a single goal
I traveled the earth
To far-off lands
From the Asian jungles
To the African sands
I flew in planes
Of camoflage green
Before I settled
Upon this scene
Like a shooting star
I came to rest
And this farmer’s field
Is where I nest
Just watching the seasons
Come and go
Watching the long grass
Grow and grow
Years go by
And I lay here still
For my purpose is clear
For me to fulfill
The sun was out
It was the middle of May
When the farmer’s three children
Came out to play
They ventured near
I lay in wait
One unknowing step
Sealed their fate
One thousand shards
Of plastic rose
From where I lay
And through their clothes
Into their bodies
The shrapnel sank
Here in this field
By a river bank
The blood poured down
Shone in the sun
And one cluster bomblet’s
Job was done