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Rules Based Order

Synopsis: By contrasting the different football penalties handed to Jarell Quansah and Folarin Balogun, these lyrics highlight a stark double standard where the "rule of law" applies differently based on who you are. The song expands this sports-field injustice into a global critique, drawing lines to wealthy draft-dodging presidents, UN veto powers, and political lobbying. It argues that modern society does not operate on a neutral, "rules-based order," but rather bends the system to favor the elite. Ultimately, the recurring phrase "show me the man, I'll show you the rule" serves as a cynical reminder that true equality under the law is an illusion reserved for the powerful.

Lyrics

Jarell Quansah sees a red card
Sits out the next two games
Balogun sees the same red card
Starts the next match instead

Is this the rule of law
Or rules-based order
Or show me the man
I'll show you the rule

Vietnam called up the draft
Sent the poor and not the rich
Clinton, Bush, and Trump all dodged it
And each one made it to President

Is this the rule of law
Or rules-based order
Or show me the man
I'll show you the rule

The UN hands five nations the veto
Inheritance lets some skip the ghetto
Wealth buys its own kind of immunity
Lobbying buys the law itself

Is this the rule of law
Or rules-based order
Or show me the man
I'll show you the rule

The rule of law is for the weak and poor
Rules-based order is for those without a veto
For the rest of us
As my father used to say

Show me the man
I'll show you the rule
I'll show you the rule

Link to the song: https://giffenman.bandcamp.com/track/rules-based-order

 

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