Give me liberty or give me death
No truer words have ever been said
Well are you prepared for your very last breath?
Don't you dare start what you cannot finish
So when we face, face the adversary
No longer are we the minority

And when history repeats her hour
The pendulum will swing, swing into power
Though not in vain like our forefathers
Freedom, never had no room for cowards

For in the end, there will be equality
By any means necessary

The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same hand

What's it gonna take to liberate?
An emancipation, a false proclamation?
All these token words that you legislate
Sound a little bit absurd. Hey! And a little too late

When a house is divided, it just will not stand
Once it's decided, a line drawn in the sand

Ah! The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same hand

The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do

The ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
Held, held by the same hand!

Writer : VAN HALEN, EDWARD / VAN HALEN, ALEX / ANTHONY, MICHAEL / CHERONE, GARY FRANCIS
Copyright : Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group