Guantanamo Blues

by Les Thomas

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of All My Friends Are Superstars, The Great Betrayal (Rojava), Goodbye Sisto, Freedom Fighters, Guantanamo Blues, Guantanamo Blues (Acapella Version), Budget Reply (Hey Joe), and Survivor's Tale. , and , .

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about

January 11, 2015 marks 13 years since the opening of US detention
facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Supporters of human rights and due process are today joining together from all corners of the world to mark the event in the form of protests and peaceful actions. In Australia, Dr. Aloysia Brooks, torture prevention advocate, and songwriter and human rights advocate, Les Thomas, have released the song ‘Guantanamo Blues’, and included an open letter (below) to President Barack Obama calling for him to close Guantanamo, restore due process and human rights.

The song was written to raise awareness about the ongoing situation of those detained in the facility. Most of the 127 prisoners that remain have been cleared for release, but remain imprisoned without charge or trial. An unknown number of men are participating in a hunger-strike to protest their ongoing detention without charge or trial, and their conditions and treatment.

Upon the release of the summary of the US Senate Committee Report on the CIA torture program, there is a renewed call for the Obama administration to hold those who orchestrated the torture program to account.

Find out more at thejusticecampaign.org?page_id=1927

lyrics

One day I'll leave Guantanamo
I was thrown in here 12 years ago
I've been beaten down and broken
But never faced a charge
One day I'll leave Guantanamo

Senses are deprived, the clock turns slow
If there's mercy here it's never put on show
Even when we don't eat, our dignity is crushed
One day I'll leave Guantanamo

My captors took the gold and slipped away
I'm a killer and a terrorist they'd say
Did the Americans believe them?
Or did they even care?
One day I'll leave Guantanamo

Do they know that I'm a human after all?
They've done everything they can to make me small
Demonized and hidden far beyond the wall
One day I'll leave Guantanamo

It's not freedom that offends me
It's the hypocrisy that burns
One day I'll leave Guantanamo

credits

released January 11, 2015
'Guantanamo Blues' written and performed by Les Thomas with Justin Bernasconi, SS. Sebastian & Rich Davies with Jason Bunn on viola.

Produced by Siew with assistance from Daniel Caswell and Sam Melamed
Recorded and mixed at Red Door Sounds, Collingwood by Daniel Caswell in 2014. Mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering, Brunswick.

www.lesthomasmusic.com

© Les Thomas 2014. All rights reserved.

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about

Les Thomas Melbourne, Australia

Les Thomas is a Melbourne singer-songwriter and storyteller, known for his compelling lyrics, catchy melodies and engaging live performances.

“Les Thomas makes me want to be a better person . . . he’s a bloody good singer-songwriter.”
— Timber and Steel

"It's people like Les Thomas that keep the origins of folk forefathers alive and true." — Lauren Duiker, The Orange Press ... more

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