EMIL CIORAN
In every man sleeps a prophet, and when he wakes there is a little more evil in the world.
BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY
“Ebb Tide”
First the tide rushes in
Plants a kiss on the shore
Then goes out to sea
And the sea is very still once more
So I rush to your side
Like the oncoming tide
With one burning thought:
Will your arms open wide?
At last we’re face to face
And as we kiss through an embrace
I can tell, I can feel you are loved
You are really, really mine
In the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Like the tide at its ebb
I’m at peace in the web
Of your heart’s arms
Of your arms
STEPHEN STILLS
"For What It's Worth"
There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
A-telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Are getting so much resistance from behind
Time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and a-carrying signs
Mostly say hooray for our side
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop now
What's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
"Dinner Bell"
I've been leaving on my things
So in the morning when the morning bird sings
There's still dinner on my dinner
Jacket till the dinner bell rings
Experimental dog
Salivating dog
Good dog
Waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ring
I've been leaving on my things
So in the morning when the morning bird sings
There's still dinner on my dinner
Jacket till the dinner bell rings
I don't want a pizza, I don't want a piece of
Peanut brittle, I don't want a pear
I don't want a bagel, I don't want a bean I
Wouldn't like a bag of beef or a beer or a
Cup of chowder, corn, cake, or creamed cauliflower cause I'm
Waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ring
Shoulder, bicep, elbow, arm
Forearm, thumb, wrist, knuckle, palm
Middle, pinky, index, ring
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ding
I don't know whether I'd rather be having a bottle of vinegar
I don't know whether I'd rather be having an egg
I don't know whether I'd rather be having an order of bacon
Or whether I'd rather be having a basket of garlic bread
I don't know whether I'd rather be having some pie or
Saving my appetite 'cause I'm
Waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ring
I've been leaving on my things
So in the morning when the morning bird sings
There's still dinner on my dinner
Jacket till the dinner bell does the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, do the bell thing
I'm waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ding ding ding
Waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ding ding ding
Waiting for the dinner bell to do the bell thing
Dinner bell, dinner bell, ding
MOOR MOTHER AND JOE MCPHEE
"Joe McPhee Nation Time Intro"
Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie
All y'all ready?
Holler, scream, shout
It's nation time
It's nation time, it's nation time for real
Yo, cops in patrol cars, cops on the beat
We'll be standing on the corners, we'll be marching in the street
Helicopters overhead, another brother shot dead
What time is it? It's nation time
Racist fascists in our White House, neo-Nazis in the streets
We got miles to go and promises to keep
Culture vultures in our beds, another bullet in our heads
What timе is it? It's nation time
BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY
“Big Friday”
You saved me from melting, baby
You saved me from stinging and being holed up
And braking in snow and killing more
And overspilling my runneth cup
You had light in your hands and your eyes closed
You had movement out of my sight
You wore no shoes and ate like a leopard
And slept with your legs apart every night
And if I had to live
This is what it should be
To have such a woman with me
When tidal wave hit and our house was in splinters
I thought you had took all you had to take
But you snuggled to me on the ground in the winter
And your breath smelled like honey in the frosty air wake
And if I had to live
This is what it should be
To have such a woman with me
ANDY PARTRIDGE (XTC)
"Dear God"
Dear God, hope you get the letter, and-
I pray you can make it better down here
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer
But all the people that you made in your image
See them starving on their feet
'Cause they don't get enough to eat from God
I can't believe in you
Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but-
I feel that I should be heard loud and clear
We all need a big reduction in amount of tears
And all the people that you made in your own image
See them fighting in the street
'Cause they can't make opinions meet about God
I can't believe in you
Did you make disease and the diamond blue?
Did you make mankind after we made you
And the devil too?
Dear God, don't know if you noticed, but-
Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book
And us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look
And all the people that you made in your own image
Still believing that junk is true
Well, I know it ain't so, and you know
Dear God, I can't believe in-
I don't believe in-
I won't believe in Heaven and Hell
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
And it's the same the whole world 'round
The hurt I see helps to compound
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Is just somebody's unholy hoax
And if you're up there, you'll perceive
That my heart's here upon my sleeve
If there's one thing I don't believe in
It's you
Dear God
GEORGE ORWELL
Animal Farm
Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time.
Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.
Rings shall vanish from our noses,
And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.
Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day.
Bright will shine the fields of England,
Purer shall its waters be,
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free.
For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.
Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well and spread my tidings
Of the golden future time.
LEONARD COHEN
"Everybody Knows"
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows
Everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
KAMAND KOJOURI
They want us to be afraid.
They want us to be afraid of leaving our homes.
They want us to barricade our doors
and hide our children.
Their aim is to make us fear life itself!
They want us to hate.
They want us to hate 'the other'.
They want us to practice aggression
and perfect antagonism.
Their aim is to divide us all!
They want us to be inhuman.
They want us to throw out our kindness.
They want us to bury our love
and burn our hope.
Their aim is to take all our light!
They think their bricked walls
will separate us.
They think their damned bombs
will defeat us.
They are so ignorant they don’t understand
that my soul and your soul are old friends.
They are so ignorant they don’t understand
that when they cut you I bleed.
They are so ignorant they don’t understand
that we will never be afraid,
we will never hate
and we will never be silent
for life is ours!
-
DOLORES O'RIORDAN / THE CRANBERRIES
Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
But you see it's not me
It's not my family
In your head, in your head
They are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head
They are cryin'
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie, hey, hey
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Another mother's breakin'
Heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
It's the same old theme
Since nineteen-sixteen
In your head, in your head
They're still fightin'
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head
They are dyin'
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie, hey, hey
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
BJÖRK
“Sue Me”
My tear duct clogged
My left eye broken
Medicate with warm compress
Extract hardened tears
Sue me, sue me, sue me
All you want
I won’t denounce her origin
Sue me, sue me, sue me
All you want
I won’t denounce our origin
I’ve ducked and dived
Like the mother in Solomon’s tale
To spare our girl
I won’t let her get cut in half ever
But it’s time to teach her some dignity
Sue me, sue me, sue me
All you want
I won’t denounce our origin
Sue me, sue me, sue me, sue me
All you want
I won’t denounce our origin
(No I won’t)
He took it from his father
Who took it from his father
Who took it from his father
Let’s break this curse
So it won’t fall on our daughter
And her daughter
And her daughter
Won’t let this sink into her DNA
Sue me, sue me, sue me, sue me
All you want
I won’t let you denounce our origin
Sue me, sue me, sue me, sue me
I won’t denounce our origin
No I won’t
Can’t take her suffer
So unfair
The sins of the fathers
They just fucked it all up
We had the best family
We had it all
We had it all in our hands
He just pulled us through the wringer
Narcissistic
REN
“Hi Ren”
Hi there Ren, it's been a little while, did you miss me?
You thought you'd buried me, didn't you? Risky
'Cause I always come back, deep down, you know that
Deep down, you know I'm always in the periphery
Ren, aren't you pleased to see me?
It's been weeks since we spoke bro, I know you need me
You're the sheep, I'm the shepherd, not your place to lead me
Not your place to be biting off the hand that feeds me
Hi Ren, I've been taking some time to be distant
I've been taking some time to be still
I've been taking some time to be by myself
Since my therapist told me I'm ill
And I've been making some progress lately
And I've learnt some new coping skills
So I haven't really needed you much, man
I think we need to just step back and chill
Ren, you sound more insane than I do
You think that those doctors are really there to guide you?
You've been through this a million times
Your civilian mind is so perfect at always being lied to
Okay, take another pill boy
Drown yourself in the sound of white noise
Follow this ten-step program, rejoice
All your problems will be gone! Fuckin' dumb boy
Nah, mate, this time it's different, man, trust me
I feel like things might be falling in place
And my music's been kinda doing bits too
Like I actually might do something great
And when I'm gone, maybe I'll be remembered
For doing something special with myself
That's why I don't think that we should talk, man
'Cause when you're with me, it never seems to help
You think that you can amputate me?
I am you, you are me, you are I, I am we
We are one, split in two that makes one, so you see
You got to kill you if you wanna kill me
I'm not left over dinner, I'm not scraps on the side
Oh, your music is thriving? Delusional guy
Where's your top ten hit? Where's your interview with Oprah?
Where are your Grammies, Ren? Nowhere!
Yeah, but, my music's not commercial like that
I never chased numbers, statistics or stats
I never write hooks for the radio, they never even play me
So why would I concern myself with that?
But my music is really connecting
And the people who find it, respect it
And for me, that's enough 'cause this life's been tough
So it gives me a purpose I can rest in
Man, you sound so pretentious
Ren, your music is so self-centred
No one wants to hear another song about
How much you hate yourself, trust me
You should be so lucky, having me inside you to guide you
Remind you to manage expectations
Provide you perspective, that thing you neglected, I get it
You wanna be a big deal, next Jimi Hendrix? Forget it
Man, it's not like that
Man it's just like that, I'm inside you, you twat
No, it's not man, you're wrong, when I write, I belong
Let me break the fourth wall by acknowledging this song
Ren sits down, has a stroke of genius
He wants to write a song that was not done previous
A battle with his subconscious, Eminem did it
Played on guitar, Plan B did it
Man, you're not original, you criminal, rip-off artist
The pinnacle of your success is stealing other people's material
Ren, mate, we've heard it all before
Uh, "she sells seashells on the sea shore"
Fuck you, I don't need you, I don't need to hear this
'Cause I'm fine by myself, I'ma genius
And I will be great, and I will make waves
And I'll shake up the whole world beneath us
That's right, speak your truth, your fuckin' God complex leaks out of you
It's refreshing to actually hear you say it instead of downplay it
"Ugh, music Is all about the creative process and if people can find
Something to relate to within that, then that's just a bonus"
Fuck you, I'ma fuckin' kill you, Ren
Well fuckin' kill me then, let's fuckin' have you Ren
I'm a do it, watch me prove it, who are you to doubt my music?
'Cause I call the shots. I choose if you die
Yeah, I call the shots, and so I who choose who survives
I'll tie you up in knots when I'll lock you inside
News flash
I was created at the dawn of creation
I am temptation, I am the snake in Eden
I am the reason for treason, beheading all Kings
I am sin with no rhyme or reason
Sun of the morning, Lucifer, antichrist
Father of lies, Mephistopheles
Truth in a blender, deceitful pretender
The banished avenger, the righteous surrender
When standing in-front of my solar eclipse
My name it is stitched to your lips, so, you see
I won't bow to the will of a mortal, feeble and normal
You wanna kill me? I'm enteral, immortal
I live in every decision that catalysed chaos
That causes division
I live inside death, the beginning of ends
I am you, you are me, I am you, Ren
Hi Ren, I've been taking some time to be distant
I've been taking some time to be still
I've been taking some time to be by myself
And I've spent half my life ill
But just as sure as the tide starts turning
Just as sure as the night has dawn
Just as sure as rainfall soon runs dry
When you stand in an eye of the storm
I was made to be tested and twisted
I was made to be broken and beat
I was made by His hand, it's all part of His plan
That I stand on my own two feet
And you know me, my will is eternal
And you know me, you've met me before
Face to with a beast, I will rise from the east
And I'll settle on the ocean floor
And I go by many names also
Some people know me as "hope"
Some people know me as the voice that you hear
When you loosen the noose on the rope
And you know how I know how I know that I'll prosper?
'Cause I stand here beside you today
I have stood in the flames that cremated my brain
And I didn't once flinch or shake
So cower at the man I've become, when I sing from the top of my lungs
That I won't retire, I'll stand in your fire, inspire the weak to be strong
And when I am gone, I will rise, in the music that I left behind
Ferocious persistent, immortal like you, we're a coin with two different sides
When I was 17 years old, I shouted out into an empty room
Into a blank canvas, that I would defeat the forces of evil
And for the next 10 years of my life, I suffered the consequences
With autoimmunity, illness, and psychosis
As I got older, I realised that there were no real winners
And there were no real losers in physiological warfare
But there were victims and there were students
It wasn't David versus Goliath, it was a pendulum
Eternally swayin' from the dark to the light
And the more intensely that the light shone, the darker the shadow it cast
It was never really a battle for me to win, it was an eternal dance
And like a dance, the more rigid I became, the harder it got
The more I cursed my clumsy footsteps, the more I struggled
So I got older and I learned to relax
And I learned to soften and that dance got easier
It is this eternal dance that separates human beings
From angels, from demons, from gods
And I must not forget, we must not forget
That we are human beings
JIMMIE DAVIS
"You Are My Sunshine"
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms,
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,
So I hung my head and cried.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are gray,
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.
I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same,
But if you leave me to love another,
You'll regret it all some day.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are gray,
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.
BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY
“Lay and Love”
From what I’ve seen, you’re magnificent
You fight evil with all you do
Your every act is spectacular
It makes me lay here and love you
From what I hear, you are generous
You make sunshine and glory too
When you walk in things go luminous
It makes me lay here and love you
From what I know, you’re terrified
You have mistrust running through you
Your smile is hiding something hurtful
It makes me lay here and love you
It makes me lay here and love you
I’m filled with violet and red and blue
I have a feeling from what I do
That you might lay there and love me too
BILLY BRAGG
“Strange Things Happen”
All winter long while I was locked in my room
Your face at the window and my hair on the floor
I was thinking of you
All winter long while I was locked in my room
Your face at the window and my hair on the floor
I was thinking of you
But the phone rang all night long
To tell me I was wrong
And I watched while the officer
Wrote all their ages down
Strange things happen
When you're not around
Our love is so strong
It moves objects in my house
Strange things happen
When you're not around
Those magical moments
Have found their way back home again
All winter long while I was locked in my room
Your face at the window and my hair on the floor
I was thinking of you
All winter long while I was locked in my room
Your face at the window
And that book of old spells
I was thinking of you
And all the spells we cast
Have lately come to pass
And the flowers in the garden have all fallen down
Strange things happen …
BONNIE 'PRINCE BILLY / WILL OLDHAM
“Trees of Hell”
The trees they now surround us with their girth and with their might
Prismatic saplings take particular delight
In creeping ever closer, in hemming us all in
With inherent knowledge that the burning will begin
Gasping for black air, for black anything we reach
Black punishment, black rage, black reply for all and each
My eyes they look for green among the trees of hell
There's only black and red and gray as far as I can tell
Satan did a dance with me and I danced right along
Maybe somewhat purged I'll be by making up this song
The trees have come to take back what wе took away from them
We yanked thеir roots, claimed their branches, pulled them limb from limb
We stole and violated all that would have been shared swift
We saw inherent harmony, assumed it was our gift
One tree ripped my stomach out, one branch tore my eyes out
Blowing leaves whipped and tore the skin from off my back
They held at bay the mourners and kept away the worms
Made provisions for a sense of everlasting lack
Satan did a dance with me and I danced right along
Maybe somewhat purged I'll be by making up this song
TOM WAITS
“Misery is the River of the World”
The higher that the monkey can climb
The more he shows his tail
Call no man happy 'till he dies
There's no milk at the bottom of the pail
God builds a church
The devil builds a chapel
Like the thistles that are growing
'Round the trunk of a tree
All the good in the world
You can put inside a thimble
And still have room for you and me
If there's one thing you can say about mankind
There's nothing kind about man
You can drive out nature with a pitch fork
But it always comes roaring back again
Misery's the river of the world
The higher that the monkey can climb
The more he shows his tail
Call no man happy 'till he dies
There's no milk at the bottom of the pail
God tempers all the ruins for the new shorn lands
The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand
All the good in the world
You can put inside a thimble
And still have room for you and me
If there's one thing you can say about mankind
There's nothing kind about man
You can drive out nature with a pitch fork
But it always comes roaring back again
For want of a bird
The sky was lost
For want of a nail
A shoe was lost
For want of a life
A knife was lost
For want of a toy
A child was lost
And misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Everybody row! Everybody row!
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
"I'm On Fire"
Hey, little girl, is your daddy home?
Did he go away and leave you all alone?
I got a bad desire
Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire
Tell me now, baby, is he good to you?
And can he do to you the things that I do?
Oh no, I can take you higher
Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire
Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull
And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull
At night, I wake up with the sheets soakin' wet
And a freight train runnin' through the middle of my head
Only you can cool my desire
Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire
TRACY CHAPMAN
"Give Me One Reason"
Give me one reason to stay here
And I'll turn right back around
Give me one reason to stay here
And I'll turn right back around
Said I don't want to leave you lonely
You got to make me change my mind
Baby I got your number
Oh and I know that you got mine
You know that I called you
I called you many times
You can call me baby
You can call me anytime, you got to call me
Give me one reason to stay here
And I'll turn right back around
(You can see me turnin')
Give me one reason to stay here
And I'll turn right back around
(You can see me turnin')
Said I don't want leave you lonely
You got to make me change my mind
I don't want no one to squeeze me
They might take away my life
I don't want no one to squeeze me
They might take away my life
I just want someone to hold me
Oh and rock me through the night
This youthful heart can love you
Yes and give you what you need
I said this youthful heart can love you
Oh and give you what you need
But I'm too old to go chasin' you around
Wastin' my precious energy
Give me one reason to stay here
Yes and I'll turn right back around
(You can see me turnin')
Give me one reason to stay here
Oh I'll turn right back around
(You can see me turnin')
Said I don't want leave you lonely
You got to make me change my mind
Baby just give me one reason
Oh give me just one reason why
Baby just give me one reason
Oh give me just one reason why I should stay
Said I told you that I loved you
And there ain't no more to say
PERCY MAYFIELD
"Hit the Road, Jack"
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
What you say?
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
Old woman, old woman, don't treat me so mean
You're the meanest old woman that I've ever seen
I guess if you said so
I'll have to pack my things and go (That's right)
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
What you say?
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
Now baby, listen baby, don't ya treat me this way
'Cause I'll be back on my feet some day
(Don't care if you do 'cause it's understood)
(You ain't got no money, you just ain't no good)
Well, I guess if you say so
I'll have to pack my things and go (That's right)
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
What you say?
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more
Well (Don't you come back no more)
Uh, what you say? (Don't you come back no more)
I didn't understand you (Don't you come back no more)
You can't mean that (Don't you come back no more)
Oh, now baby, please (Don't you come back no more)
What you tryin' to do to me? (Don't you come back no more)
Oh, don't treat me like that (Don't you come back no more)