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You Got Caught (demo)

by Benjamin Shepherd

/

lyrics

Times were tense for cops and you were working for the NCPD
And you found yourself on a traffic stop that should have been routine
But the citizen had a warrant out and you found out the hard way
When he opened his car door and ran away
There was apparently a scuffle when you finally ran him down
And I guess you didn't think that anyone else was around
Cuz when he turned to run you didn't give your gun a thought
But there was a camera goin and you got caught

The video is damning but actually there's more
You can be heard after the shooting on a dash cam recording
As your C.O.'s telling what you should expect
Really you don't sound very upset
Could've been nervous laughter but you sound awfully relaxed
Could've been designs of someone covering his tracks
It really don't mean much next to the footage that was shot
Cuz there was a camera goin and you got caught

They indicted you for murder like the martyr that you are
Wagging fingers at you, telling you you went too far
They keep you isolated for your safety in the jail
And no one wants to help crowdfund your bail
There are other cops of late whose cases made the news
Darren Wilson and Dan Pantaleo only stood accused
I guess without proof they had stories that grand juries bought
But yours was cut and dried and you got caught

I'm not naive enough to think anything's easy about policing
It just seems the job don't always attract people who are decent
There're ones whose lives are guided by a need to be at war
It matters little what they're fighting for
Then there are the ones who find themselves in situations
When fear kicks in and adrenaline takes hold their intuition
It's times like these you wish they wouldn't give policemen guns
Like the ones who patrol Norway and England

One week later in Baltimore another man was killed
And the people of that city said they would not foot the bill
For the paychecks of patrolmen who had them living afraid
KRS he said it best, from overseer to officer
For some it might not seem like much has changed

There's a clear culture of fear that a killing like this creates
Reinforcing how it's been since the early days of the United States
And now it’s sitting right in front of everybody’s face

There's a chunk of footage missing between the traffic stop and shooting
And a whole lot more separating Freddie Gray and looting
The news audience only knows as much as we are shown
While the news outlets play telephone

This might not be the most one-sided police-on-citizen death
But it hits you in the gut to watch somebody's final breath
Now you are a poster boy because the issue's hot
And somebody was filming and you got caught

credits

released November 18, 2016
Benjamin Shepherd: Guitar/Bass/Vocals

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Benjamin Shepherd Richmond, Virginia

Southern antifolk with a lyrical focus.

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW SATURDAY APRIL 8TH AT GALLERY 5 IN RICHMOND

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