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Yang, Ru​-​Men

from Ghost Bikes by Jim Page

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about

Also known as "the rice bomber," Yang, Ru-Men was a young Taiwanese rice farmer who tried to draw attention to what the WTO was doing to farm prices in his country.

lyrics

Yang, Ru-Men was raised on a family farm
with the love of the land in the morning and the muscle in his arm
out on the China Ocean on the island of Taiwan
it’s a story worth the telling and I’ll sing it in a song

the family farm is the rock of humanity’s anchor
in the 21st century world war between the farmer and the banker
the great corporate bullies ride on the money train
the farmers stand to lose the corporations stand to gain

Yang, Ru-Men saw the danger comin’ from a dark and angry place
and he thought of all the farmers whose lives would be displaced
he made calls and he wrote letters but what good did it do
corporations never answer nor the politicians too

Yang, Ru-Men went walkin' one night
the moon was like a lantern and the stars were shinin’ bright
and there came a voice a-callin’ so clearly in his head
maybe it was the ancestors, this is what it said

when god closes a door he opens a window
when god closes a door he opens a window

Yang, Ru-Men the farmer, he made a paper box
and he folded in the corners and he weighted it with rocks
with a little black powder and a little bit of rice
warnings on the label, words of advice

“Danger” said the paper box in writing bright and bold
“do not buy imported rice, our future can’t be sold
support the local farmers, resist the foreign trade”
and he placed them in the city where his point would sure be made

and he left them at the bank and at the railway station
little paper boxes with their little explanations
at the government building, they put the bomb squad on alert
but they were only made of paper, no one ever got hurt

they called him the Rice Bomber and they made a great campaign
they said he was a terrorist and they vilified his name
but in the farming countries when these matters were discussed
they would tip their hats and smile, and say “he’s one of us”

when god closes a door he opens a window
when god closes a door he opens a window



seventeen paper rice bombs, seventeen times
every one a statement though they called them each a crime
and though they scoured through the countryside they did not have a clue
Yang, Ru-Men decided then just what he would do

he went down to the city to give himself away
he said “I am the one you’re looking for, this is your lucky day
“my name is Yang, Ru-Men” he said, and he took a little bow
“I did that for the farmers like I do this for them now”

“if you did that for the farmers, that’s just what you say
“but we have you in our custody and that’s where you’re gonna to stay”
and justice was a stone wall, it never shed a tear
they tried and convicted and they gave him seven years

seven years for seventeen little boxes of rice
what kind of mathematics could arrive at such a price
it’s the kind of mathematics turns the world upside down
and it’s up to us to turn it back around

when god closes a door he opens a window
when god closes a door he opens a window

the family farm is still the rock that holds humanity’s anchor
in the 21st century world war between the farmer and the banker
one side has the money and the other has the plow
and it’s anybody’s guess what happens now

I went to visit Yang, Ru-Men, they had him in Taipei
it was in the detention center, it was on a visiting day
I didn’t speak his language and he didn’t speak mine
there was Plexiglas between us, and we didn’t have much time

he said you have to hold your vision and you have to hold on tight
take pride in your accomplishments and don’t give up the fight
and when the time was over, and they led him away
he put his fist up in the air and I can still hear him say

when god closes a door he opens a window
when god closes a door he opens a window

credits

from Ghost Bikes, released May 7, 2010
Words and music by Jim Page

Jim Page: vocals and guitar
Grant Dermody: harmonica

Recorded and mixed by Tom Stiles

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about

Jim Page Seattle, Washington

Named by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine as “One Of The 50 Most Influential Musicians In Seattle History.” Originally from California Page has called Seattle and the Pacific Northwest “home” since 1971. Songs covered by The Doobie Brothers, Christy Moore, Dick Gaughan, Michael Hedges, and Roy Bailey. Utah Phillips: “If you’re ever going to get the message, this is the messenger to get it from.” ... more

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