THEY'RE MARCHING FOR PEACE against missiles and nukes
For a future of freedom from nuclear spooks,
Out they don't know that they are a cause for alarm
As they add on their bit to the mountain of karma
That's going to come crashing right down on our heads
In return for the creatures that ended up dead.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

Some claim they are saved by the Great Lamb of Peace
Who died for their sins and Who gave them release
Teaching "Love one another" and "Thou shall not kill"
And they quote from their scriptures, but then eat their fill
From the slaughterhouse factories of nightmare and pain
Where the blood of the blameless is washed down the drain
You get what you give is the rule of the law
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

The scientist tells us we're just like the beasts
Or the cavemen of old and he points to our teeth.
"The canines," he says, "are for tearing of flesh -
It's sentiment only which makes you hate death."
This caveman is cruel, no mercy he knows
While his research and knowledge are simply a show.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter unless you want War.

Some say they don't suffer, our animal friends.
So they torture poor creatures to suit their own ends.
They claim it's for research and disregard life,
But the future is bleak if you live by the knife.
Violence breeds violence, you reap what you sow
And the seeds of destruction will certainly grow.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

The wise men they tell us to live and let live
'Cos everyone knows that you get what you give.
The strong arm of nature will open the door
To pestilence, earthquake, disaster and war
In return for the horrors of slaughterhouse reign
Where they die by the million again and again.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

As you gorge of the corpses of innocent beasts -
Spare a thought for the agonies caused by your feasts.
For the actions you do will be followed by pain
If you disregard others for personal gain.
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"
"You reap what you sow" is the terrible truth.
"You get what you give" is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

Perhaps you don't think we should drive the point home,
But mind our own business and leave you alone.
If that's what you want you can close your mind now
And take your next birth as a pig or a cow -
To know for yourself what it's like to be slain
In the slaughterhouse factories of nightmare and pain,
Where the merciless man with the knife in his hand
Will cut you to pieces and water the land
With the lifeblood that flows from your heart and your veins.
But he won't bat an eyelid or think it's a shame
That you're dead and unmoving, to him you're just meat
A carcass for profit and something to eat,
Pie-filling, sausages, burger and steak,
He sees you in terms of the money he'll make.
His lack of compassion will close off his ears
To the cries of the creatures which scream out in fear.
So show your compassion and clean up your plate,
Stop all the slaughter - before it's too late.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter, unless you want War.

Dear mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers
Who make up this nation of animal lovers,
Dear boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives
And all honest people who value their lives.
O slaughterman, butcher, chef, waiter and farmer
Take heed while you can of the great law of Karma.
You get what you give is the rule of the law,
So give up the slaughter... unless you want War.

Published in the UK in the quarterly forum Vegan Views 64, Spring 1994.