Steppenwolf - Monster/Suicide/America

[JohnnyCougar]

Words and music by John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas and Larry Byrom

(Monster)
Once the religious, the hunted and weary
Chasing the promise of freedom and hope
Came to this country to build a new vision
Far from the reaches of kingdom and pope
Like good Christians, some would burn the witches
Later some got slaves to gather riches

But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light

And once the ties with the crown had been broken
Westward in saddle and wagon it went
And 'til the railroad linked ocean to ocean
Many the lives which had come to an end
While we bullied, stole and bought our a homeland
We began the slaughter of the red man

But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light

The blue and grey they stomped it
They kicked it just like a dog
And when the war over
They stuffed it just like a hog

And though the past has it's share of injustice
Kind was the spirit in many a way
But it's protectors and friends have been sleeping
Now it's a monster and will not obey

(Suicide)
The spirit was freedom and justice
And it's keepers seem generous and kind
It's leaders were supposed to serve the country
But now they won't pay it no mind
'Cause the people grew fat and got lazy
And now their vote is a meaningless joke
They babble about law and order
But it's all just an echo of what they've been told
Yeah, there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watchin'

Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin' the land
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can't understand
We don't know how to mind our own business
'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us
Now we are fighting a war over there
No matter who's the winner
We can't pay the cost
'Cause there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching

(America)
America where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster

[Nomad559]

1. Monster - MP3

Steppenwolf - Monster

[H2O Man]

2. Great song!

It's long been one of my favorites. I bought it on a CD for my teen-aged son a couple years back.

[Sporadicus]

3. I Had Quite Forgotten About That Album/Song

It didn't get a lot of airplay at the time, and nobody else had the album (LP), so I listened to it all by myself most of the time. Steppenwolf is an underrated band IMO...shame their most enduring work is 'Magic Carpet Ride,' played mostly on 'golden oldies' stations. On edit: 'Born to Be Wild' gets more play, but it's mostly relegated to the same venue.

[Penndems]

4. Every bit as relevant today as it was in 1970

Scary, isn't it? :scared:

[JohnnyCougar]

5. Yes, but it's inspiring, too!!

This country is out of control, and we have to take it back!

[Penndems]

7. It does make for a great "take back our country" anthem

What's so scary about this is the parallels to the war in Iraq in 2004 to Vietnam in the late 1960s.

[DBoon]

6. John Kay was a talented songwriter

Started out as a folkie working with Hoyt Axton.