HADES
Why do we build the wall?
My children, my children
Why do we build the wall?
CERBERUS
Why do we build the wall?
We build the wall to keep us free
That? s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
HADES
How does the wall keep us free?
My children, my children
How does the wall keep us free?
CERBERUS
How does the wall keep us free?
The wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That? s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
HADES
Who do we call the enemy?
My children, my children
Who do we call the enemy?
CERBERUS
Who do we call the enemy?
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That? s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
HADES
Because we have and they have not!
My children, my children
Because they want what we have got!
CERBERUS
Because we have and they have not!
Because they want what we have got!
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That? s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
HADES
What do we have that they should want?
My children, my children
What do we have that they should want?
CERBERUS
What do we have that they should want?
We have a wall to work upon!
We have work and they have none
And our work is never done
My children, my children
And the war is never won
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That? s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
We build the wall to keep us free
About This Song
"Why We Build the Wall" is a haunting folk anthem that uses the call-and-response format between Hades and his followers to explore themes of fear, control, and the manipulation of security rhetoric. The song functions as political allegory, examining how authoritarian leaders use the promise of protection from vague external threats to justify oppression and maintain power over their people. Mitchell's sparse, repetitive musical arrangement mirrors the hypnotic, ritualistic nature of propaganda, while the circular lyrics ("We build the wall to keep us free") reveal the hollow logic of fear-based governance. Originally written in 2010 but gaining renewed relevance during contemporary immigration debates, the song stands as a powerful critique of how walls-literal and metaphorical-are sold as freedom while actually creating prisons.
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