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By The People Lyrics by Van Dyke Parks

Song Cycle

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Strike up the band brother
Hand me another bowl of your soul
Brother has a long way to go
Maybe baby should know
His cotton mouth is too slow
For the song of the forgotten South
Just don't hang us up here
Step by step by
Please though proletarian am I
By chance am you
"wine git out de way o'de darkies"
You'd better hustle up a storm
To sing this Caucasian lullaby
Sleep oh my darling now sleep
Draw freehand over Iron Curtain
Stalk up on the trim bamboo
To footridge the bullrushes
Certain to know law
American express
No Caucasian flair
For flim-flam will do
Step by please step by
Weigh the small advance
There is still a chance
Let's assume that we form a company men
No mention should the pass in revue of the show
Just understand that I prefer to be dead than red white
Or blue as I write sturdy crew
As you view these few Russians
Whose true dawn came to view long ago
So I think that you'd better
Strike up the band brother, hand me another bowl of your soul
The song of the forgotten South
Just don't hang us up here (here, here, here, here, here...)
Here the unknown is at hand
And not far from my heel
A tarbaby feel for the Czar
For those who are lonely well the Black Sea is callin'
Georgia's Stalin has fallen
So y'all come here
We now are near to the end
If you stay with the show say
We all had to go to hasten to jar
The few nations too far gone to step by
(Step by)
(Step by) Bye
(By) Bye
Credits
Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke Parks

About “By The People” by Van Dyke Parks

Read the complete lyrics to "By The People" by Van Dyke Parks from the album "Song Cycle". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop, Avant Garde, Americana.

"By The People" is performed by Van Dyke Parks. from the album "Song Cycle" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "By The People", explore more songs by Van Dyke Parks using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"By The People" is credited to Van Dyke Parks. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"By The People" appears on "Song Cycle".

Visit the Van Dyke Parks artist page at /artist/van-dyke-parks for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.