Let Us Be the Mountains

Soundcloud. Written in solidarity with the revolution in Rojava, against their betrayal by all world and regional powers, and for global working class solidarity with the revolution across Kurdistan and beyond. Written in the Phrygian mode, which has the same structure as Maqam al-Kurdi. 

​Dm  Cm Dm
What’s that banner like smoke over the desert?
Dm  Gm A 
the devouring machine they call the State
Dm Cm Gm
Rising out of the fires of Aleppo
F Gm Dm
from bitter wounds of empire bleeding hate? 

See the women marching with the red star,
down to the land of the Yezidi?
When they broke through the lines at Mt Sinjar
Did they break down the wheel of history?

Chorus:
Bb C7 Dm Gm 
they say the Kurds have no friends but the mountains 
F Gm A
No trust for empires and their lies
Bb C7 Dm Gm
Oh Friends, come let us be the mountains
Eb F Gm
Let us stand for one another, let us rise


In Kobane the rocket fire glowing
Lit the sky with blood, and burned the trees
Now the councils set the orchards growing
Green above the graves of the shahid
Block by block, the partisans took Raqqa
Did the army want to use you as a pawn?
The trade winds set the eagle turning
To leave you to the wolves of Erdogan

Chorus

[instrumental break, showcasing saz-like playing on the bouzouki]

Our factories make guns for foreign nations
The masters are the men who own the town
And weapons left from the occupation
Are sold back to the cops who beat us down
There’s a seed that comes rising out of the ashes
There’s a prairie fire from a single spark
against the Empire and against the fascist,
For the dawn, come rising out the dark
​