Lyrics
There’s trouble in the air
A rumble in the streets
A goin’ out business sale
In a race to bankruptcy
It’s not 1 to 99
It’s 99 to 1
A common cause, and a call to arms
For the health of our daughters and our sons
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
There’s a rat in the company
A bail out on Easy Street
How the fuck did the working stiff
Become so obsolete?
Hit the lights, and bang the drum
And let your flag unfold
‘Cause history will prove itself
In the halls of justice, and lost souls
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
We live in troubled times
From the ghetto, to an empty suburban home
We live in troubled times
And I’m 99% sure that something’s wrong
It’s all wrong
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
It’s 9, 9 to 1
To one
A rumble in the streets
A goin’ out business sale
In a race to bankruptcy
It’s not 1 to 99
It’s 99 to 1
A common cause, and a call to arms
For the health of our daughters and our sons
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
There’s a rat in the company
A bail out on Easy Street
How the fuck did the working stiff
Become so obsolete?
Hit the lights, and bang the drum
And let your flag unfold
‘Cause history will prove itself
In the halls of justice, and lost souls
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
We live in troubled times
From the ghetto, to an empty suburban home
We live in troubled times
And I’m 99% sure that something’s wrong
It’s all wrong
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
It’s 9, 9 to 1
To one
Song Meaning
This song was written about the Occupy movement, for which Oakland was a major stage. Here are some excerpts about "99 Revolutions" from a November 2012 Guitar World interview with Billie Joe:
"My idea of the Occupy movement goes beyond just left-wing radicals. I think 99-percenters go all the way from that to cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers and lots of people in my own family. My mom�s worked at a diner her whole life. My dad was a truck driver. My brother works as a plumber. So I think there�s a really broad idea of what the 99 percent is. I�m just tapping into my working-class background in that song and then thinking about what is fair and what is not fair. And how the one percent should be taxed more, and how corporations should be taxed more, and how we should have things like free health care and building an infrastructure of schools and bridges and fixing roads. And by doing that, giving people more work."
"And it�s interesting to see some of the Tea Party people. It�s like, 'You don�t understand: you are a part of that.' This directly affects you. With free health care you�re able to start your own independent business. You don�t have to worry about paying certain bills if you get sick, or having to deal with some fucked-up corrupt insurance company. You can be more independent and you can have that load lifted off you and your family a little more."
[In response to the militant Occupy groups who smashed windows of Oakland small businesses in protest]: "It�s like, 'You�re bashing store fronts in Oakland? Doesn�t Oakland have enough problems as it is?' But the core of the movement�there are some smart people who are pushing it in the right direction."
"My idea of the Occupy movement goes beyond just left-wing radicals. I think 99-percenters go all the way from that to cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers and lots of people in my own family. My mom�s worked at a diner her whole life. My dad was a truck driver. My brother works as a plumber. So I think there�s a really broad idea of what the 99 percent is. I�m just tapping into my working-class background in that song and then thinking about what is fair and what is not fair. And how the one percent should be taxed more, and how corporations should be taxed more, and how we should have things like free health care and building an infrastructure of schools and bridges and fixing roads. And by doing that, giving people more work."
"And it�s interesting to see some of the Tea Party people. It�s like, 'You don�t understand: you are a part of that.' This directly affects you. With free health care you�re able to start your own independent business. You don�t have to worry about paying certain bills if you get sick, or having to deal with some fucked-up corrupt insurance company. You can be more independent and you can have that load lifted off you and your family a little more."
[In response to the militant Occupy groups who smashed windows of Oakland small businesses in protest]: "It�s like, 'You�re bashing store fronts in Oakland? Doesn�t Oakland have enough problems as it is?' But the core of the movement�there are some smart people who are pushing it in the right direction."
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