Misunderstood, outcast--
that is what we have become.
You strip our hides and shave our claws,
kidnap our lives for ransom.
What is it that has passed
to bring on this wave of hate?
Why must our souls serve your laws
of filthy greed and trade?
You keep our cubs like house cats,
collar our freedom in chains of fear;
you sell our hearts, fangs, and paws,
and when we die you cheer.
You cage us far beyond contact
of our natural abodes,
while small brats poke and guffaw
at the misery our eyes show.
We steer clear of your territ'ry fast,
and leave our game for your guns;
hungry through our jungles we trod,
only to end as your bank funds.
We are living, a growing mass,
just as you where you lie,
but we are fading--see us crawl!
Why must we tigers die?