IT WASN’T SO SO SMART

Your black sedans, your unmarked vans,         C
You terrorize our town.                                        C    G7
You’re dragging people from our cars,              G7
And throw us on the ground.                              G7  C
I don’t think you’re making any friends            C
Or winning any hearts.                                         C7  F
And I can see you’re ’bout to find                G7
It wasn’t so so smart.                                       G7  C

You hide your faces and your names.
Outside it’s ten below.
You’re snatching people from our homes,
Barefoot in the snow.
And all the macho things you do
To make the teardrops start.
And I can see you’re ’bout to find
It wasn’t so so smart.

Your calculated cruelty
The citizens you beat,
Our sisters and our brothers who
You murder in the street.
But you failed to shake our unity
Or break us all apart.
And I can see you’re ’bout to find
It wasn’t so so smart.

The memories from the distant past
Won’t cover up your crimes.
The Epstein Files mention you
About a million times.
And anyone can plainly see
It’s time that you depart.
And I can see you’re ’bout to find
It wasn’t so so smart.
And I can see you’re ’bout to find
It wasn’t so so smart.

Lyrics ©Doug Hendren, Nancy Beall 2026
Parody of “Cold, Cold Heart” by Hank Williams

What’s it about? The second Trump administration has been characterized by aggressive deployment of brutal ICE agents across the United States. The whole program has been designed to intimidate, with masked, nameless agents invading homes and businesses without judicial warrants, and terrifying ordinary people on American streets. Their thuggish behavior has drawn many comparisons to secret police in other authoritarian regimes. Data show that only a minority of people detained have any criminal record. The public backlash against these disruptions has gathered power, most notably in Minnesota, where poorly-trained ICE agents killed two American citizens who posed no threat to anyone.

The whole modus operandi of the Trump regime has been to use power and coercion both at home and abroad, defying norms of decency we have always upheld. For many months, the sheer speed and volume of breaking things took our people, our reporters and our courts by surprise. This is changing, however. It is clear that the excesses of brutality seen in Minnesota have stirred up public resistance, and even from some Republican lawmakers, who up to now have stood passively by. While some Trump supporters may approve or even celebrate violence, most people, along with our courts, are losing patience. Governing at home or internationally is never simply about physical domination, or military force. In the long run, treating people without respect is not so smart. As I wrote back in 2016, “If You Want to be Great, You’ve Got to be Good!“