Why must you record my phone calls
Are you planning a bootleg LP
Said you've been threatened by gangsters
Now it's you that's threatening me

Can't fight corruption with con tricks
They use the law to commit crime
I dread, dread to think what the future will bring
When we're living in gangster times

Don't interrupt while I'm talking
Or they'll confiscate all your guitars
A catch - 22 says if I sing the truth
They won't make me an overnight star

Don't offer us legal protection
They use the law to commit crime
I dread to think what the future will bring
When we're living in real gangster times