No Man's A Free Man

from It's All Blues To Me by John Lee Sanders

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Second Line Strut, The Crossroads of Jazz & Blues, A Musical Journey, Nuts be a'Crackin', Christ is Simple, I Believe In Christmas, John Lee Sanders, A Musical Journey, sample chapter 1, Songs Have A Life Of Their Own, Stylish Tramp, and 17 more. , and , .
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about

Chris Caswell and I wrote this song about the absurd laws on the books in America, and other parts of the world, and the unfairness of the criminal justice system. I recorded this in Berkeley California, around 1999, at Red Rooster Studio. I was inspired by the writing of Doc Kupka, and Tower of Power, who has a great sense of humor in his lyrics, but also makes power statements of the culture and politics behind it.

lyrics

No man’s a Free Man

You can smoke a cigarette
But you can’t smoke a joint
The legal one will kill you
I just don’t see the point
It’s against the law to kill yourself
If you try and fail
Does some judge give you life
By throwing you in jail
Oh it’s all so phony, a sober testimony
No man’s a free man

You can sell or buy a gun
Raise a little hell
But if you’re selling sex
You’re gonna wind up in a cell
The helmet must be worn
The seat belt buckled tight
The choice should be your own
But you haven’t got the right
Oh it’s oh so phony, a sober testimony
No man’s a free man

We’re all created equal, so the Bible say
Still the bookie gets arrested
While the lottery’s ok
Devil’s gonna get you
If you’re living in sin
If you’re living on the street lord
It’s the cops who take you in
Oh it’s oh so phony
A sober testimony
No man’s a free man

A man can get married
But not to another man
Poor man can’t afford the tax
But a rich one can
You can throw away your mattress
When it’s outlived it’s time
Rip off the tag, you committed a crime
Oh it’s oh so phony
A sober testimony
No man’s a free man

credits

from It's All Blues To Me, released October 16, 1999
John Lee Sanders, Lead vocals, keyboards, Alto and Tenor saxas
Garth Webber, Guitar
Dennis Murphy, Bass
Peter Booras, Drums
Dave K. Mathews, Hammond organ,
Tom Poole, Trumpet
Red Rooster Studio, Berkeley CA

license

about

John Lee Sanders Palos De La Frontera, Spain

Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, Saxophone, Guitar, Piano, vocalist, and Emmy nominated composer, he has evolved a complex musical gumbo, with the flavors of Americana, Rock, Gospel, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Soul, Country, classical, with a deep love of the traditions, and culture of New Orleans. ... more