I woke up this morning
Hunger was gnawing my soul
But the preacher man’s sermon
Won’t put no food in my bowl

Abidjan to Monrovia
Looking for food and a home
Instead I found factions and armies
In the middle of a combat zone

I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love,
And a little food in my bowl

Here in this tribal warfare
For food you need money or a gun
I signed up – whose side I don’t care
At least now I’m someone

At parade time the grown-ups are cruel
And all of the soldiers are small
Commanders and capitains and colonels
All kids with their backs to the wall

I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love,
And a little food in my bowl

They told me I’m joining a family
But here I ain’t nobody’s son
My brothers are right here beside me
We share our hunger and we share our gun

Tomorrow we start the offensive
Been drinking palm wine all day
Grigrimen can keep us from bullets
But hash won’t keep hunger at bay

I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love,
And a little food in my bowl

When it’s time the small soldiers march forward
When one falls the next takes his gun
Four to one AK47
I was number three but now I’m gone

Our future is dying right here
Children only ten years old
In this tribal colonial nightmare
We’re reaping the seeds you have sown
We’re reaping the seeds you have sown

We want love, we need love
All of us want love
We want love, we need love
And a little food in my bowl