Song Lyrics

The policemen broke my door down
Dragged me from my bed
I asked them what was happening
They just ignored the words I said

They waved their guns in my face
Kept screaming out my name
Something terrible had happened
And somehow I was to blame

O freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name
In thy name
O freedom, what liberties are taken
What liberties are taken
What liberties are taken in thy name

My accusers formed a jury
The judge and the defense
The charges were made known to me
But not the evidence

There was no guilty verdict
Yet, still I was detained
Flown to another country where
Their methods are less constrained

O freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name
In thy name
O freedom, what liberties are taken
What liberties are taken
What liberties are taken in thy name

In our determination
To defend democracy
We must not destroy the safeguards
That underpin our liberty

For who will pay the price if
Injustice such as this
Turns our protectors to oppressors
And angry men to terrorists?

O freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name
In thy name
O freedom, what liberties are taken
What liberties are taken
What liberties are taken in thy name

Billy Bragg

The duration of O Freedom [Solo Version][*] is 3:28 minutes and seconds.