A Tiger's Heart

Clip the tiger of its claw
And what is left for it to feel?
Must it live on without the hunt
Or lose its pride by human deals?

Clip the free bird of its wings,
Stick it in a tiny cage.
What's left for it to sing about
But agony and silent rage?

Take the waters from the earth
And what's left to sustain our lives?
Do we wait to die or realize
We cut our throats with our own knives?

Take the heart and soul of man,
Tell them they can never dream.
Will you be there to understand
Why we can bring ourselves to scream?

Who is to say what you can be?
Who is to say which dreams are real?
Must others try to change our fate
And tyrants tell us how to feel?