Against us is the law
With its immensity of strength and power
Against us is the law!
Police know how to make a man
A guilty or an innocent
Against us is the power of police!
The shameless lies that men have told
Will ever more be paid in gold
Against us is the power of the gold!
Against us is racial hatred
And the simple fact that we are poor

My father dear, I am a prisoner
Don't be ashamed to tell my crime
The crime of love and brotherhood
And only silence is shame

" - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
"The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti, Part Two"
“

Against us is the law
With its immensity of strength and power
Against us is the law!
Police know how to make a man
A guilty or an innocent
Against us is the power of police!
The shameless lies that men have told
Will ever more be paid in gold
Against us is the power of the gold!
Against us is racial hatred
And the simple fact that we are poor

My father dear, I am a prisoner
Don't be ashamed to tell my crime
The crime of love and brotherhood
And only silence is shame

— Joan Baez

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "

Against us is the law
With its immensity of strength and power
Against us is the law!
Police know how to make a man
A guilty or an innocent
Against us is the power of police!
The shameless lies that men have told
Will ever more be paid in gold
Against us is the power of the gold!
Against us is racial hatred
And the simple fact that we are poor

My father dear, I am a prisoner
Don't be ashamed to tell my crime
The crime of love and brotherhood
And only silence is shame

" in the context of ""The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti, Part Two"" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Joan Baez" (Quotes, Sacco e Vanzetti (1971): Lyrics for songs written for the film; the music for the songs composed by Ennio Morricone.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Joan Baez#against#power#police#crime#gold#law#brotherhood#immensity#shameless#strength#innocent
Joan Baez

About Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Báez (born 9 January 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter, known for her distinctive vocal style as well as her outspoken political views.