Rancid - Arrested in Shanghai lyrics

They assured me I was guilty
But, I committed no crime
They said confessions bring lenience so they
Put me on the line
So I protest the massacres
At the Tiananmen Square
My friends said, "Yo, stay away man
You better not go fuckin' back there"

Wouldn't let me write about my
Opinions about the state
And the freedom of expression
They would never tolerate
And the military secrets that
I never did steal
I didn't start no violence, no, there
Was nobody that I killed, no

So I had a clear account of
All the abuses of power
And the memories of homeland now gone sour
And I only got one weapon
It's so plain for me to see
My only weapon I call poetry

And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai

Now, into wealth and privilege I was not born
But a devotion to freedom and
Liberty I was sworn
So every emotion is studied
Watched and controlled
Who gets paid, who gets disciplined
Who gets rolled

So transmitter beams my coordinates
Anywhere on earth
And as radio waves surveillance
Satellite burst open up your skull and let
Some knowledge come in
Crack open the cranium and
Let awareness begin

And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai