It's Easy To Be Hard is an unidentified Plunderphonics song that was played by Peter Choyce on WZBC on July 7th, 1992. The song has references to the LA Riots and was announced as I Am The Svengali and David Herlihy.
Search History[]
The song was played by Peter Choyce on WZBC on July 7th, 1992. The full broadcast was posted to MixCloud in 2021-2022 by user The Peter Choyce Radio Archive, who accidentally labelled the broadcast as being from 1990.
Peter mentions the song was unreleased and he announces the title of the song as "Easy To Be Hard," and mentions Dave Herlihy from O Positive being the vocalist, he also seems to announce the group as "I Am The Svengali", which, according to him, has:
"taped here before here at 'ZBC, so [they] trust that name."
On November 16th, 2024, user Choyce reposted the song to WatZatSong, asking who made it.
On April 6th, 2025, user Mike Worst reposted the song to YouTube. In the description, he identified three of the samples used in the song:
- MT2821 Address to the Nation Regarding the Riots in Los Angeles - 01 May 1992
- Smedley Butler addressed the Bonus Army
- Rodney King's LA Riots Speech, May 1st 1992
On June 6th, 2025, Mike contacted Dave Herlihy regarding the song, and on June 19th, Herlihy responded, saying it wasn't him on vocals[1]. Therefore, it's now believed that Peter had made a mistake while announcing the track.
Lyrics[]
(Knife pointing to you and then some-)
(Turning it and turning it and turning it and turning it inside, and once then, ya get it inside, you just jerking it around)
(What is going on in L.A. must and will stop. I guarantee you.)
(Bullshit)
That boy just killed a man
And he deserved to die
I read it in the Bible
Pluck an eye out for an eye
Pluck-pluck
(Must be condemned)
Pluck an eye out for an eye
(Must be condemned)
We all know he's lying
Just to save his skinny ass
Let's strap the boy into the chair
Let go the lethal gas
It's easy to be hard
When you watch it on TV
It's easy to be hard
When it's there next to me
It's easy to be sure
What's wrong is wrong and right is right
It's easy to be hard
When you can turn it off at night
(One, two, three, kiss the wall)
(Let them know, let them know what time it is)
(Your eyes are playing tricks on you, my brother, okay?)
You say he was on a green card
Send him back from where he came
We've got to set a precedent
Or get more of the same
(I never saw such fine Americanism as is exhibited by you people)
My house to my car, my job, my wife
God bless my little girl
It's easy to be hard
When you watch it on TV
It's easy to be hard
When it's there next to me
It's easy to be sure
What's wrong is wrong and right is right
It's easy to be hard
When you can turn it off at night
(One, two, three, kiss the wall)
(One, two, three, kiss the wall)
(Put your hands on your head and face the wall)
Welfare state perpetuate
Corruption and deceit
It's time to cut these people off
And get them on their feet
(Can we all get along? Can we-can we get along?)
(Don't make any mistake about it, you've got the sympathy of the American people)
(Now don't you lose it)
(Now don't you lose it)
(Now don't-now don't-now don't you lose it)
(Don't you lose it)
Well, they don't kill each other off
That's all sex and drugs and hate
(Let them know, let them know what time it is)
(No, just an American, not for the flag)
It's easy to be hard
It's easy to be hard
It's easy to be sure
(There has been a miscarriage of justice)
(One, two, three, kiss the wall)
It's easy to be hard
(There you go)
It's easy to be hard
(Put your hands on your head)
It's easy to be sure
(Put your hands on your head)
It's easy to be hard
When you can turn it off at night
(One, two, three, kiss the wall)
