Not In My Name

Lyrics

I close my eyes tonight at the newsstands
Held my breath on the train.
Blast kills in Baghdad, chills the soul again.
Think not, hear no, make no sound
Democracy means rally round.
Tommy’s gone to war, they say,
He’s the best of us.
Tommy’s gone to war, they’re sure
He’s talking for the rest of us, but

Chorus:
Oh no, not in my name
Oh no, not in my name you don’t
Oh no, not in my name
Damn your generals, damn your war, damn your lies

Still we search the map of Palestine.
Look, it’s fainter than before
And all those unmarked graves in Panama
Still they talk of international law
Oh, go fix your resolutions
Yeah, go buy yourself some Egyptians.
Go sell some Chinese students.
Twist some arms, call it United Nations

Chorus

It’s in the name of Bush, the name of Cheney and Powell
It’s in the name of Major, in the name of King
It’s in the name of arms dealers and the name of power
It’s in the name of oil and the truth that it brings
But ain’t in my name
It ain’t in my name

Chorus

Chorus

Song Description

Steve Skaith wrote Not In My Name for Platform Films 1993 documentary Proud Arabs and Texan Oilmen, directed by Peter Day and broadcast as part of Channel 4’s Critical Eye series. The song was produced in collaboration with musician Ian Hill and features prominently in the film’s closing minutes, starting at around 48:20.

The documentary explores the causes and conduct of the first Gulf War, placing events in historical context and challenging official narratives through powerful interviews and original footage.

Sincere thanks to Chris Reeves at Platform Films for kindly sharing both the background and a copy of the track.

This song has not been released.