Holly Near - It Could Have Been Me (Live)

(Lyrics and music by Holly Near © 1973)
From the album "A Live Album" © 1974

Holly Near (born June 6, 1949 in Ukiah, California) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist for social change.

In 1970 four students were killed at Kent State while thousands protested the war. In 1974 ten thousand people gathered at Kent State to remind themselves that the war is not over.

Lyrics

It could have been me, but instead it was you
So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two
I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs
A farmer of food and a righter of wrong
It could have been me, but instead it was you
And it may be me dear sisters and brothers
Before we are through
But if you can work for freedom
Freedom, freedom, freedom
If you can work for freedom, I can too

Students in Ohio, two hundred yards away
Shot down by a nameless fire one early day in May
Some people cried out angry "You should have shot more of them down
But you can't bury youth my friend
Youth grows the whole world round

It could have been me, but instead it was you
So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two
I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs
A farmer of food and the righter of wrong
It could have been me, but instead it was you
And it may be me dear sisters and brothers
Before we are through
But if you can die for freedom
Freedom, freedom, freedom
If you can die for freedom, I can too

The Junta took the fingers from Victor Jara's hands
They said to the gentle poet "Play your guitar now if you can!"
Well Victor started singing until they shot his body down
You can kill a man but not his song
When it's sung the whole world round

And it could have been me, but instead it was you
So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two
I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs
A farmer of food and a righter of wrong
It could have been me, but instead it was you
And it may be me dear sisters and brothers
Before we are through
But if you can sing for freedom
Freedom, freedom, freedom
If you can sing for freedom, I can too

A woman in the jungle so many wars away
Studies late into the night, defends a village in the day
Although her skin is golden like mine will never be
Her song is heard and I know the words
And I'll sing them until she's free

Twice
And it could have been me, but instead it was you
So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two
I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs
A farmer of food and a righter of wrong
It could have been me, but instead it was you
And it may be me dear sisters and brothers
Before we are through
But if you can live for freedom
Freedom, freedom, freedom
If you can live for freedom, I can too

I can too, I can too, I can too