They assured me I was guilty but I committed no crime
They said confessions bring lenience so they put me on the line
So I protest the massacres at the Tiananmen Square
My friends said, "Yo, stay away man, you better not go fuckin' back there"

Wouldn't let me write about my opinions about the state
And the freedom of expression they would never tolerate
And the military secrets that I never did steal
I didn't start no violence, no, there was nobody that I killed, no

So I had a clear account of all the abuses of power
And the memories of homeland now gone sour
And I only got one weapon, it's so plain for me to see
My only weapon I call poetry

[Chorus]
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai

Now, into wealth and privilege I was not born
But a devotion to freedom and liberty I was sworn
So every emotion is studied, watched and controlled
Who gets paid, who gets disciplined, who gets rolled
So transmitter beams my coordinates anywhere on earth
And as radio waves surveillance, satellite burst
Open up your skull and let some knowledge come in
Crack open the cranium and let awareness begin

[Chorus]
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai