Stone Throwing Riot: Thirty Years Later by Punish Studios

"STONE THROWING RIOT: THIRTY YEARS LATER" is a dramatic reimagining of a protest resistence from Twisted Nixon in 1996. The song examines the human cost of occupation, resistance, displacement, fear, revenge, and the endless cycle of violence. Through the mythical cult figure of "Joe Allen"; who seemed to represent everyone and no one; the song asks whether anything has really changed after thirty years.

LYRICS

Good evening. My name is Johnny Punish.
The next piece is a song called "Stone Throwing Riot"
I wrote it with my bandmates in Twisted Nixon back in 1996.
At the time, it was loud, fast, angry, and unapologetically punk rock.
That's the way it needed to be.

We were younger men trying to make sense of an older war.
Tonight, I'm not going to play it that way.
I'm an older man now, and age has a way of slowing the tempo without softening the truth.
So instead of shouting these words, I'd like to sit with them for a moment and share them with you.

Because the story behind this song didn't begin on October 7th.
It didn't begin in the 1990's. It didn't begin in the sixties.
It reaches back through generations of occupation, displacement, fear, grief, resistance, and revenge.
Yeah, long before hashtags. Long before cable news.
Long before most of us were paying attention.

Back then, we were trying to understand what it meant when children armed with stones stood before soldiers armed with rifles and bulldozers.
We weren't looking for heroes or villains.
We were looking for humanity.

The song was written by myself, my bandmates cousin Rich, amazing friends Jake and Brian; and a young mythical man named Joe Allen; at least, that's what he called himself.
I never knew if that was his real name.
He was the inspiration. He was always there.
No one actually knew where he came from.

Joe wore a Palestinian keffiyeh wrapped around his face.
In truth, he could have been anybody.

Maybe that's the point.
Maybe he was everybody.
Every young Palestinian.
Every young Israeli.
Every kid born into a conflict they didn't create and couldn't escape.

Thirty years later, the questions remain.
This is not a new story.
This is "Stone Throwing Riot"
Reimagined.

You see, the stones were small.
The headlines were large.
And somewhere between the two, history kept repeating itself...

Settlements (on the West Bank)
Armaments (in the Gaza)
Terrorists (on the border)
What's this? (A new world order)

Security by your guns
Oppression by your religion
Employment for you if you beg
And there's kids with rocks
And they're dropping dead

It's a...
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing

Peace Process (what a fable)
Netanyahu (at the table)
Laughing at (the president man)
With US Cash (in his hand)

Smart money brothers look what you did
Advancing Zionism in the name of David
While United Nations falls on its face
And the US Congress what a disgrace

It's a...
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing

A little girl sleeps in tonight
While her brother packs his stones for the fight
And he takes aim at the soldiers machine guns
And takes a bullet in the back for freedom on the run
Cause they have none

Knocking down homes (in Ramallah)
Killing olive trees (where is Allah?)
Got your F-15s (with smartphones)
Better duck kids (throwing stones)

Born American Bee-bee boy
You have all the guns and American toys
But you're not from there but you moved right in
Let the Intifada begin again

It's a...
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing (Riot)
Stone Throwing

They're desperate (Riot)
Oppression Taxation (Riot)
No Representation (Riot)
I'm talking big money man
No Peace for Land!
No Peace for Land!
Still Nothing!

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Written by Johnny Punish, Rich, Jake, Brian, and the legendary Joe Allen (whoever he really was).
Produced by Punish Studios