1. |
Care
03:36
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The flag was hung at half mast
But I couldn't remember which tragedy we were honoring today.
By the time I made it back to my desk
I never even bothered to care to ask.
Every picture on my wall
A flag of a country where I’ll never go.
Reduced to pixels on a screen
Helps me forget whatever I’ve seen.
The man dropped the mother in some fucking valley,
whether he knew it or not it changes a lot.
But not for me.
So why don’t I care?
It’s the low grade pull of the panic
running all through my body.
Scrolling past another 19 dead.
Only pause to think if I might know anybody.
I want to want to take to the streets
But I know it no longer means anything
I want to want to raise the black flag
But I’m comfortable in complacency
Every joy that I have comes at the terrible cost
Of the immense pain of someone I don’t know
Why don’t I act?
Why don’t I care?
Anybody who knows me knew someone that cared,
but knows it's growing late
I was 17 years old when words changed
When trust turned to panic
My first friend died in some desert
Now I am tattered beaten and broken
The colors don't run
But they fade.
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2. |
Gaol
03:00
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Heavy wrist pinch can’t breath
No one's coming home tonight
Bed sits cold empty
Stars fade peek light
Third strike breaks a family
Different when it’s powder
Weeping as the verdict is signed
Ink dries a family shattered
A mop of curls eyes on the page
He asked “Is jail a good place to be?”
I asked him why he’d even ask
The answer that I knew hung heavily
“My dad’s in jail, gets three a day”
Said straight, eyes down, unwavering
“Sometimes my mom can’t make dinner
And I go to bed hungry”
Thug. Dealer. Hood. Thief.
I only see a seven year old
Homework’s off the radar
Another phone call from the principal
Inside he draws lions and trees
Outside draws sideways glances
Forced into a box by people
Who never gave any chances
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3. |
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The ocean rose and drank until it had its fill
The only thing I can't replace
Under the waves each morning into the murk and chill
Every night I see her face
She's out there somewhere under the water
My child pulled out to sea on a wave
The tide can make no claim to my daughter
Won't let that seafloor end up her grave
We walk down to the pier before the sun comes up
A tank in my hand, a meal in hers
I'll teach them how to breathe and dive to make my way
Search every inch until I'm sure
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4. |
The Jaded Cynic
03:57
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Parsing through whatever you put out 'cause I said that I would
Nothing here is workable at scale, cost, or schedule
Aim lower, look lower, keep your head down
And in twenty short years you get a watch and a check
Good for you for finding a point of view
And idealistic goals without a sense of follow through
I wish I lived in a world that worked the way you think it does
I’m not a cynic but a realist that’s already fallen
Because I’ve seen more than you
Been around long enough to know when it’s over
Before it began
Underneath your best of intentions
Lies a green little boy who’s in over
His head
Shoot for the stars but a shooting star
is just a bit of dust burning up on reentry
I’m not trying to discourage you, or maybe I am
Speaking as someone who once held his own ideals
The world is neither good nor bad but indifferent
People more concerned with theirs than yours and I think that’s alright
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5. |
Dead Fox in City Hall
04:14
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Gray ghost whisper of my name
What’s on the ground, it’s on the ground
Floor beast of a time before
Now a crowd is gathering around
Betrayal belies a beast
Thick rubber gloves where you were found
Foul limp bemoan of importance
Same as you came, City left less than sound
Dark gray. Wrapped up
Vacant hole where you came from
Final choices
Hazy. Cold numb
Teeth bared. Eyes shut
Lips pulled back in a dark grin
Last chance. Lost sound
In a heap end and begin
Dead fox in City Hall
Dark and cold, light peaks from the lid
Thick rubber gloves left you unbound
No one is talking about this
No ceremony just uncrowned
Help me know how this ends
Too dry to be drowned
Upside down in the bin
This is too small of a town
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6. |
Left Behind
04:25
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November comes the victors made
Burning loss now resigned
Fifty and one can govern now
Nearly half are left behind
Ticker tape slowly falls
Mixed with dust and dirt and snow
Cast their ballot into the sea
It lands on their feet when no winds blow
There’s a way when there’s a will
Will they set the bridge on fire?
The party is barricaded atop
They made the bed that’s now their pyre
Between the bigot and the broad
They chose the us versus them
Built to a fury, froth and yell
Won’t be left behind again
Every man must be prepared at times
to spit on his hands, raise the black flag and begin to slit throats.
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7. |
Forsaken
04:06
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Put your hands on your wallet
And put the money in the basket
On your knees, cross yourself
Forget the body and the blood
Like Peter turned upside down
Locked down, forgiven
We all get taxed in the end
And no one is exempt
Our father who art forsaken
In every action followers taken
If it makes you feel better, what can I say
Be proud, in public don't whip it out
Keep it to yourself, It's better that way
And don't try and shove it down my child's throat
You need tall tales to tell you you're special
To fill that hole where thought should dwell
Ignore the text, stigma over dogma
Use the words of peace to damn them to hell
Have you ever seen what a shepherd does?
He controls the masses
With a stick in a field of simple minds
And they thank him for the grasses
Have you ever read the book you tout?
Contradiction amasses
Translations and edits
Preaching judgment that passes
Take that holy bath
I'll stick with my worldly math
Order of operations says
To multiply before you divide
You've taken a different approach
To handling the huddled masses
Start with division, us against them
Threaten, cajole, rage, and sin
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8. |
Faithless Electors
01:19
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We needed 37 of you fuckers
To save us from this mess
You slack jawed rust belt mother fuckers
You failed the fucking test
He prayed on your weakness
Made you think we'd be the best
But 37 of you fuckers could've fixed it
You're cowards like the rest
You're the worst of all of us
You're responsible for what comes next
You saw it all unwind
There’ll be blood on your hands and it's your fault
You'll watch the dream collapse
and the mushroom clouds arise
But you're too fucking dumb to recognize
That all of this
That all of this
That this is all your fault
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