We stood in front of tanks at Tiananmen Square
From Berlin to Chiapas we are everywhere
And over the sirens of the police cars
You can hear us shout ï¿½The streets are ours!ï¿½

'61 Chicago ushered in a new age
We brought The war home with the days of rage
And over the sirens of the police cars
you can hear us shout: 'These streets are ours!'

In Seattle we chased out the World Trade Organisation
On Mayday we gave Winston Churchill a mohican
Kept the water for the people in Cochabamba
Demanded autonomy on the dawn of NAFTA
So send in the clowns, someone send in the clowns
The black bloc, The antiFA and the undergrounds
A big, pink, marching samba band
And we'll take our own route that ain't pre-planned

From the social centres and the Brighton Schnews
From Indymedia reporting our own news
Over the sirens of the police cars
You can hear us shout ï¿½The streets are ours!"

We threw the bomb at Haymarket Square
We fly the black flag everywhere
And over the sirens of the police cars
You can hear us shout ï¿½The streets are ours!ï¿½

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This song is about the achievements of anarchists, focusing particularly on their role within the anti-capitalist movement.

Tiananmen Square, China, was the site of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the most famous photo of which was a protestor standing in front of a tank. I don't know whether Berlin is of any particular significance other than historically being a city with a militant anarchist movement - perhaps a reference to internal sabotage of the Nazi state. Chiapas is the region of Mexico controlled by the Zapatistas, an anarchist community composed mainly of Mexicans of indigenous ethnicity. The second verse refers to the militant protests against the Vietnam war.

Seattle was the site of the famous WTO talks that led to the Battle Of Seattle, while a statue of Winston Churchill in London had turf lain over its head to look like a green Mohican, on Mayday 2000. Cochabamba in Bolivia was saved from the privatisation of its water supply, and "send in the clowns" is a reference to the Clandestine Insurgent Revolutionary Clown Army, a bloc of protestors dressed as clowns, performing circus skills, playing the fool, and generally irritating police. Antifa is a european-based antifascist organisation which advocates physical opposition to fascists.

Schnews and Indymedia are both alternative/independent news media focusing on political analysis and protest/direct action reports, etc. The start of the last verse is referring to the Haymarket Square Riots, which led to the execution of the Haymarket Square Martyrs, and was a vital point in the history of the American labour movement and anarchist movement. The black flag is one of the most famous and potent symbols of anarchism. Lastly, the title and chorus are presumably a reference to the popular protest chant "Whose streets? Our streets!" which is featured in the song just before the samba-band interval.

This song is about the achievements of anarchists, focusing particularly on their role within the anti-capitalist movement. Tiananmen Square, China, was the site of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the most famous photo of which was a protestor standing in front of a tank. I don't know whether Berlin is of any particular significance other than historically being a city with a militant anarchist movement - perhaps a reference to internal sabotage of the Nazi state. Chiapas is the region of Mexico controlled by the Zapatistas, an anarchist community composed mainly of Mexicans of indigenous ethnicity. The second verse refers to the militant protests against the Vietnam war. Seattle was the site of the famous WTO talks that led to the Battle Of Seattle, while a statue of Winston Churchill in London had turf lain over its head to look like a green Mohican, on Mayday 2000. Cochabamba in Bolivia was saved from the privatisation of its water supply, and "send in the clowns" is a reference to the Clandestine Insurgent Revolutionary Clown Army, a bloc of protestors dressed as clowns, performing circus skills, playing the fool, and generally irritating police. Antifa is a european-based antifascist organisation which advocates physical opposition to fascists. Schnews and Indymedia are both alternative/independent news media focusing on political analysis and protest/direct action reports, etc. The start of the last verse is referring to the Haymarket Square Riots, which led to the execution of the Haymarket Square Martyrs, and was a vital point in the history of the American labour movement and anarchist movement. The black flag is one of the most famous and potent symbols of anarchism. Lastly, the title and chorus are presumably a reference to the popular protest chant "Whose streets? Our streets!" which is featured in the song just before the samba-band interval.

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rogue_lettuceon August 19, 2009 Link
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