FOREVER GREEN (PEOPLE’S PARK)
(Hali Hammer)

It started back in ‘69, the time had come to cross that line
And Reagan’s troops gassed, killed & maimed
But still, the people refused to be tamed

Bathed in struggle, blood sweat & toil
- up came the concrete, back to living soil
People’s Park, more than a grassy spot
It became a symbol for what could not be bought

For several years it was left alone, and there the homeless
     finally found a home
There was food when there was no wage,
Speeches and music from the concert stage

We put in swings and we planted trees
Laid down the plumbing and the flower seed
But late at night, the university still
Came to destroy what they refused to build

And now the city’s signed the devil’s pact
Tearing out the heart of our park on their map
Do they think they can lay down rules? Do they think
     we’re so easily fooled?

Don’t they see that the spirit remains
- one they can’t stop with their fiscal games
We’ll work & fight if the need arise to keep the park green
     before our eyes

So tell me where will it go from here?
Can they own this land? Can they own the air?
And I swear, no building will be seen
Where the land must stay forever green…Where the land must stay forever green…Where the land must stay - forever green.