i heard you sing a rebel song sung it loud and all alone we can t afford the things you say we can t afford the warranty well i see you walking in the glare down the county road we share our southern blood my heresy damn that old confederacy it took a long time to become the thing i am to you and you won t tear it apart without a fight without a heart i m sorry for what you ve learned when you feel the tables turned to run so hard in your race now you found who set the pace the landed aristocracy exploiting all your enmity all your daddies fought in vain leave you with the mark of cain it took a long time to become the thing i am to you and you won t tear it apart without a fight without a heart it took a long time to become you become you the center holds so they say it never held too well for me i won t stop short of common ground that vilifies the trodden down the center held the bonded slave for the sake of industry the center held the bloody hand of the execution man  it took a long time to become the thing i am to you and you won t tear it apart without a fight without a heart it took a long time to become you become you it took a long time to become you become you