Rent Strike
Each year there are more people living on the streets
Their ranks growing geometrically
And in fact the numbers are increasing
By the exact same degree
As the rents are rising
The situation is clear
If we don’t change this reality
This ain’t no civilization here, but
What if all the renters stopped paying the rent
And showed our collective might
What if we kept on refusing until
Housing was a human right
Each year things get grimmer
Feels more like the sting of defeat
More and more people working two or three jobs
Who still can’t make ends meet
What if we all said to our neighbors
Here’s what we will do
If the authorities come to evict anyone
We’ll all come stand with you
Each year is more dystopic
Beyond what anyone can stand
But there was a time in this country
When evictions all were banned
When the union of the unemployed
Organized and then
They passed rent control 90 years ago
We can make them do it again
New song: "Rent Strike"