Uploaded January 2009 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Track 13. 'Water Pistol Man'. From the album 'Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury'.

Written by M. Franti / M. Pistel / W. Badarou

Contains sample from "Leaving This Place" performed by Wally Badarou

Hiphoprisy is:
Michael Franti & Rono Tse

Musicians:
Michael Franti - Vocals
Rono Tse - Angle Grinder, Tire Rims, Chains, Break Drums, Electronic Springs, Sheet Metal & Steel Drums
Charlie Hunter - Guitar
Simone White - Drums

Programming and Musical Arrangements by Mark Pistel & Michael Franti

Mixed by Jack Dangers, Mark Pistel

Engineered by Mark "Spliffler" Pistel, John Baker

Post production engineering by Jeff Mann

♪♫ When girls dressed in black they all look so lonely
and contraceptives don't get used by the horny
you can't find the key to the door in your building
but are you still willing
the responsibility becomes an afterthought
when one remembers the things that they should've bought
there's no pretending that you forgot
must everything in life have political ramifications
even taking kids on vacation or having a simple operation
but my friend Billy told me that sometimes
it takes a grown man a long time to learn
just what it takes a child a night to learn
and my son proved his words

(Chorus)
Water pistol man full of ammunition
squirtin' at fires on a worldwide mission
but did you ever think to stop to squirt
the flowers in your own backyard

for all my faux pas' I never said excuse me
was the simplest things that always confused me
I never stopped I never looked both ways
must it always a tug of love between friends and work
hope to learn the meaning of the word jerk
before it happens to a rope 'round the neck
let's build a bigger telescope
so that we can see things more up close
farther away from where we really are
I was up the whole night before
reading books about places I'll probably never go
and those aren't good things to know about

when I feel with my heart, I know in my mind
I should say with my lips
but don't does that make you feel upset?
I should know that the power of one man
seems like a small squirt
when he aims at the flames of the whole earth
but the fire starts at home...

(Chorus) ♪♫

Note: This album is dedicated to Tahan K. Jones, the first African-American conscientious objector from the Iraqi slaughter, and to all others who refused to kill or be killed in the name of the New World Order, and to the infamy of those who did and were.

~ [Many thanks to the copyright owners UMG for allowing this to be heard on YouTube] ~ ☺