Only god forgives,
Not the mason’s hammer
Nor the worker’s fists;
Only god forgives,
Not the farmer’s sickle
Nor their plows sitting idle
On lands they can’t toil;
Only god forgives,
Not the writer’s pen
Bleeding the ink of indignation,
Overflowing with grief and anger;
     Wizards transmuting pencil lead
     Into bullets that can pierce the hollow man’s breast;
Only god forgives,
Not the artist’s brush
Stripping naked the arrogance of centuries
On the turbulent canvas of history
For everyone to see:

That it is men and not gods
That block the sun rising in the East
High above their steel mountains
Holding the moon ransom,
Locked in prison never to dream,
Never to give solace nor the sereneness of sleep

Only god forgives, only gods forgive!
Not the restless masses, not the people rising!
Only god forgives, only god betrays
But never our hands, our fists,
Never our hearts, never our memories!