Barricades
Read Barricades lyrics by Jim Carroll on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Barricades
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
We should have left at once
We should have never stayed
Now they have drawn the line
Now there is a barricade
Now there's a barricade
A barricade
Who makes promises?
Who makes promises through a thick lead door?
Through an intercom on the 23rd floor?
Who makes promises and then promises more?
Who makes promises for El Salvador?
Bobby's getting called. Billy's getting called
Juan's getting called, John's getting called . . .
They get a letter in the mail, they get a telephone call
It says, "Come on, Come on . . ."
It says, "Come on . . ."
All the American boys
Asleep beneath American shade
Awake on foreign soil
They awake inside the barricades
Inside the barricades
The sun curves over the jungle
And trees grow from the dead nun's lungs
But when the ship is in the harbor
Then the cyanide pill's on their tongue
Inside the Barricade, inside the barricade
Girls, no more going out dancing
And boys, there's no more getting laid
You're gonna parachute to the holy land
And you will drop into the barricades
Inside the barricades, inside the barricades
Who makes promises for the Neutron bomb?
It will sign your lungs to death
And leave the corporate walls unharmed . . .
Who makes promises with such insidious charm?
But it would have made things cleaner
In old Vietnam . . .
That's when Kevin got called up
Ritchie got called . . .
And Kevin never came back
Ritchie never came home
Their folks got a letter in the mail
THEY GOT A LETTER IN THE MAIL . . .
I ain't gonna die for Standard Oil
I.B.M. . . . I wouldn't die for them!
G.E.? Not me!
"Come on," they say, "Come on"
They say "Come on,"
And you say, "ahh" . . .
You just say "LATER!"
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Barricades"?
Jim Carroll performs "Barricades", and this lyric page sits inside the Jim Carroll catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Barricades"?
Yes. The related section below points to (No More) Luxuries and Catholic Boy with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Jim Carroll?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Jim Carroll's lyric pages.
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
What people are saying
No listener comments on Barricades yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.