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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Ballad of N.A.T.O." by the artist "Tossers, The"

The song "The Ballad of N.A.T.O." by the Irish band The Tossers criticizes the hypocrisy and imperialist policies of NATO countries, contrasting the declared values of democracy and freedom with their actual actions on the world stage.

The lyrical hero addresses a collective image of NATO, accusing it of double standards. On the one hand, NATO proclaims the rule of law and democratic ideals. On the other hand, it uses force and repression against those who fight for their rights and freedom. The arrests of Irish people without trial, justified by "special laws" and security threats, are cited as an example.

The author then draws a parallel between NATO's actions and the colonial policies of past centuries. He argues that under the guise of democracy, NATO countries continue to exploit weaker states, installing puppet regimes and controlling their resources. Economic expansion through transnational corporations is, in the author's opinion, merely a new form of colonization.

Any resistance to this policy, whether national liberation movements or social protests, is declared a "communist threat" by NATO and suppressed by military force. Embargoes and economic sanctions are used to punish unwanted regimes and deny them access to the world market.

In contrast to NATO, the author mentions countries and movements that have challenged Western hegemony: Nicaragua, the Falklands, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Iran, Cuba, Ireland, China, Serbia.

The song concludes with the lyrical hero affirming his belief in freedom and independence, despite repression and propaganda. He believes in the solidarity of oppressed peoples and their ability to resist imperialism.

You say you're telling me right now of how you think that it should be

By the hand of Democratic law and the hand of decency

But, your raging, you won't talk law to me or tell me any stand

You're pointing all the fingers but refuse to shake the hand

Instead of sitting content in your ideals and your laws

You have to tell me what you see, cause I can't see a lot

But I see how Democratic your law is when it's revised and necessarily changed

The Irish were arrested without warrants because they were soldiers armed and estranged

All's fair in love and war then they were tried without jury

The act said fear of jurors, death threats

Also, no people could object to thee

They were arrested under special laws and tried in Diplock juries

But, when asked by Amnesty or other countries

They were criminalized as terrorists

So you could ignore political talks and ignore political struggling

So you can hold onto your colony without political juggling

So you sat firm and quiet in your country and morals and common law promoting

But, Nationalists kept coming, bombs and people kept exploding

The Somozas crushed Nicaragua, The Falklands, Angola and Namibia, South Africa

They fought you tooth and nail, till they were crushed or you gave up

You're not a Democracy, you're a Capitalist empire that colonizes weaker lands

And taxes natural resource, oil, diamonds, copper exchanging hands

You put in Democratic so called governments as heads of the state

That are willing to adhere to your bidding and reap measly profits from their state

And you colonize them with phone companies, hotels, McDonalds and Nike plants

And erect military bases under the pretense of defense

But the truth is its defense from revolution, in case the poor rise up

Against the governments you've helped to empower and make the final stop

Then you called them a communist menace and stage and attack from your own bases

Then the government death squads, destroy their empty faces

You sent embargos on countries who don't agree or finally do revolt

A free country can't sell their natural resource on a global free market vote

The countries that sit in the N.A.T.O. seats are the same domineering five

And the butchers they empower keep the rest of the seats alive

And the countries ostracized by embargo that form the rest of the world

Were forced to form a non-aligned organization, a union, so they could be heard

You call this a free market and your system Democratic

But it's now a taxing empire that sends its shots out dead sporadic

Well, you can take my contentment, my sense of security

You can beat me from head to toe, till I bleed

You can starve me or freeze me because it's all the same to me

Because in my mind I know I want to be free

You sent your psychologist to evaluate me and give a report to the paper to read

I'm more stable than he is — I'm beginning to see

In this frustration of war, it's one purpose I see

I know of your tactics to break people like me

Separate love forever, I'm refused being seen

In the maze of our memories we live there you see

In our minds we are together and forever we'll be

You can murder my land, make the skylarks scream

Just to tell your provincials you'd not turn on them

Your possessive ego crushes my friends and me

But I know in my mind that I want to be free

You fought Ireland as an organized army, you fought them as a country

But they fought you as a people and you were oblivious as to which serf was defending

If you act like rats you get treated like this, but now you are rebutting

Because we stood like a rock when for tactics and answers, like rats you were scrambling

What to report in the media, to tell to those to which you lied

When Angolans and Serbs and Chinese and Nicaraguans and Zapatistas and Iranians and Cubans and Irish

Are always the ones who have died

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