World on Fire (The Ballad of Kathy Boudin)

Here's a ballad of a red diaper kid, a child of the little red schoolhouse
Came of age in the days of rage, damn near died in the townhouse
Naked in a strangers clothes, the ashes were still smoking
Left herself for a life underground on half a subway token

A decade passed, and the winds of change
Seemed to grow ever weaker
Meanwhile love and a baby came grown to a 14 month toddler
A little boy she left behind to show her commitment was strong
Thought she'd pick him up that afternoon, but things went horribly wrong

What do we do in a world on fire
How do we change how we live
Face the truth and speak with our deeds
Just one life to give

Went to the hills on a 20 year bid, haunted by the lives that were severed
Remorse is not a single act, it's something that you wear forever
Found her faith with the other moms who'd left a kid outside
Helped create a sanctuary
Where they could braid the hair of their child
Help that love to thrive

What do we do in a world on fire
How do we change how we live
Face the truth and speak with our deeds
Just one life to give, Just one life to give

There's a time to put your life on the line
And there's a time to be patient
Takes a lot of water under the bridge to learn how to tell the difference
How to make a system bent on revenge
Lean toward change and forgiveness
No one's free if anyone's a slave everyone's a prisoner of conscience.
No one's free if anyone's a slave everyone's a prisoner of conscience.
No one's free if anyone's a slave everyone's a prisoner of conscience.

What do we do in a world on fire
How do we change how we live
Face the truth and speak with our deeds
Just one life to give

What do we do in a world on fire
How do we change how we live
Face the truth and speak with our deeds
Just one life to give, Just one life to give, Just one life to give