Lyrics The Great Mandella (The Wheel Of Life) - Peter, Paul and Mary

So I told him that he'd better shut his mouth
And do his job like a man
And he answered, "Listen, father, I will never kill another"
He thinks he's better than his brother that died
What the hell does he think he's doing
To his father, who brought him up right?

Take your place on, The Great Mandella
As it moves through your brief moment of time
Win or lose now, you must choose now
And if you lose, you're only losing your life

Tell the jailer not to bother
With his meal of bread and water today
He is fasting 'til the killing's over
He's a martyr, he thinks he's a prophet
But he's a coward, he's just playing a game
He can't do it, he can't change it
It's been going on for ten thousand years

Take your place on, The Great Mandella
As it moves through your brief moment of time
Win or lose now, you must choose now
And if you lose, you're only losing your life

Tell the people they are safe now
Hunger stopped him, he lies still in his cell
Death has gagged his accusations

We are free now, we can kill now
We can hate now, now we can end the world
We're not guilty, he was crazy
And it's been going on for ten thousand years

Take your place on, The Great Mandella
As it moves through your brief moment of time
Win or lose now, you must choose now
And if you lose, you've only wasted your life (and if you lose, you've only wasted your life)