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Lucky
Dube is one of South Africa's most popular
musicians. Although he supported the anti-apartheid movement,
the dreadlocked performer grew disillusioned by the
failure of the new government to deliver on its
promises. In his 1997 album, "Taxman," he
explored the ambivalence of popular sentiment toward the post-apartheid
era, asking in one
song, "Do you wanna be a well fed slave or a
hungry free man?"
In
the title song, Dube wonders what, if any, good
comes from all the taxes that he, a successful
entertainer, pays.
If
you like reggae, you'll like this song with its
driving rhythm and blazing guitar work. If you hate
paying taxes, buy the CD. When you're filling out
your 1040, crank it up loud enough to rattle the
windows. You'll feel a little better.
--
Jim Bacon
Lyrics...
I
pay my gardener
to
clean up my garden.
I
pay my doctor
to
check out da other ting.
I
pay my lawyer
to
fight for my rights.
And
I pay my bodyguard
to
guard my body.
There's
only one man I pay
but
I don't know what I'm paying for.
I'm
talking about the taxman.
What
have you done for me lately,
Mr.
Taxman?
I
want to know where the money goes.
Two
hundred thousand zillion dollars of taxpayer's money
disappear every year, unaccounted for...
You
take from the rich,
take
from the poor.
You
even take from me.
Can't
understand it now.
I
pay for the police
to
err... I don't know why
because
if my dollar was good enough,
there
wouldn't be so much crime in the streets.
They
tell me you're a fat man
and
you always take and never give.
What
have you done for me lately,
Mr.
Taxman?
--
March 1, 2004
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