About

Lyrics : Mark Jansen
Music : Isaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen, Ariën van Weesenbeek

Versions

Album Version (05:03) – Design Your Universe album, Martyr of the Free Word 7″ picture disc, Best Of album
Acoustic Version (03:56) – Design Your Universe Gold Edition album, The Acoustic Universe EP
Live at the Klokgebouw 2013 (06:25) – Retrospect album

Lyrics

Speaking interpretation
A conversation can take a sudden turn
And reaching the point of violence
Because your silence left you without a hand to hold
Your past will lead you on to…

Making a final judgement
Based on your bias will never bring you forward
Terror should never guide you
For even the fearful can take a beating in the end
Suspicion gets you nowhere

Those who denounce a way of life
Will stand alone left to atone their social blunders
If you gun down the messenger
You guarantee that he will be made into a saint
A martyr of the free word

I will say
I will say what I think
I will do
I will do what I say
When liberty seems out of reach
We’ll fight for our freedom of speech

Requiem aeternam dona eis
Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis

Missing a simple context
A mental weakness can throw you out of balance
Listen, respect each other
Then you’ll discover, it mustn’t always end in hate
It’s not too late for mercy

Those who denounce a way of life will stand alone
Left to atone their social blunders
If you gun down the messenger
You guarantee that he will be made into a saint
A martyr of the free word

I will say
I will say what I think
I will do
I will do what I say
When tolerance seems out of sight
We will fight
When liberty seems out of reach
We’ll fight for our freedom of speech

Translation

(translation : source)

Trivia

• The part in Latin is from The Roman Rite liturgy.