“I Don’t Want to Get Adjusted”
I recently changed the words and added new lyrics to an old religious song and performed it during the creativity time at a recent workshop.
The original words, written by Sanford Massengale, included “the hope of life eternal brightens all our hopes anew.” Personally, I don’t hold out much hope for eternal life! But the idea of not getting adjusted to “this world” is definitely something I’m committed to, so I changed the words and added a couple of verses:
In this world we have our troubles, sometimes lonesome, sometimes blue
But the gleam of revolution brightens all our hopes anew
Chorus
I don’t want to get adjusted
To this world, to this world
We can build a new one so much better
We got to build it sooner or later
I don’t want to get adjusted to this world
And now we have global warming, rising coastlines, giant storms
And they want us to believe it’s simply the new norm
(Chorus)
In this world we have oppression, based on sex and race and class
So let’s all rise up together, and we’ll kick them in their brass!
(Chorus)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
(Present Time 185, October 2016)