‘Riots Everywhere’ by Jeff Kemper, After Hank Snow’s ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’

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The below poem is a memoir of the summer of 2020, to be sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Everywhere,” with apologies to Geoff Mack and Hank Snow.

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I was standing by a shop along a dark and crowded street
When along approached a cop and then the rest of his blue fleet.
He warned of an attack and said, “I’ll take you out of here,”
So I climbed into the back and then I settled down in fear.
He asked me if I’d seen a sham of protests quite this grand,
And I said, “Sir, I’m Uncle Sam, and it’s all over this great land.”

There’s riots everywhere, man,
Riots everywhere, man.
See the fires flare, man;
I’ve breathed the smoky air, man;
Justice in despair, man,
There’s riots everywhere!

They’re in Houston and in Denver, Des Moines and in Kenosha,
In Dallas and Fort Worth, and the District of Columbia,
In Portland and in Boston, Bakersfield and Sacramento,
Atlanta, Kansas City, and Columbus and Chicago,
In Brooklyn and Manhattan, Louisville, Detroit, LA,
In Memphis , Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and San Jose.

There’s riots everywhere, man,
Riots everywhere, man.
See the fires flare, man;
I’ve breathed the smoky air, man;
Justice in despair, man,
There’s riots everywhere!

When police were at a crime scene and shot a perpetrator
The press addressed the nation when the melanin was greater
To fuel systemic-racist myths and cop brutality,
Is it any wonder peaceful protests nurtured anarchy?
When BLM, Anonymous, Antifa mobilized,
Delivery of bricks and other tricks were authorized.

There’s riots everywhere, man,
Riots everywhere, man.
See the fires flare, man;
I’ve breathed the smoky air, man;
Justice in despair, man,
There’s riots everywhere!

Mob-justice in the streets performed by vandals and deadbeats,
Approved by senators and congressmen and press elites
Windows broken, buildings burned, and statues pulled aground,
And traffic blocked by blockheads, rocks and bricks are thrown around,
Museums, stores, courthouses, banks, and cars are vandalized
The police are christened “bastards” and justice now is bastardized.

There’s riots everywhere, man,
Riots everywhere, man.
See the fires flare, man;
I’ve breathed the smoky air, man;
Justice in despair, man,
There’s riots everywhere!

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Jeff Kemper has been a biology teacher, biblical studies instructor, editor, and painting contractor. He lives in York County, Pennsylvania.