1. |
No Shit
01:38
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(i) Static, Dad's trailing off again
Static, indelibly etched
Static, criss-cross, criss-crossed
It's only 9pm and we're all ten-ten-ten-tensed
Pregnant with words best left unsaid
You're blue, he's green, she's red
Red? Angry? Embarrassed?
Agitated and pacing from certain discomforting revelations?
Feign interest for 90 seconds
Or indulge in the 9,000,000 possibilities imprinted in your ass
No shit!
(ii) Co-workers shuffling over how you pray and eat and sleep
Wake to fresh histories of violence that their crooked fingers weave
Wal-Mart greeters putter closer keep tabs on favorite brands of bread
While the fawning nation ignores an American father & son laid dead
Shock! Awe!
No shit!
Who can't help but change the subject? Who tanked a generation?
Who abandoned those they'd orphaned to the first family'd fuckin' take 'em?
Whose mouth made a promise to watch another take it back
And mutters steady streams of slurs as the screen click-clacks to black?
Shock! Awe!
No shit!
The violence of history held in rosy hues
But these histories of violence gotcha feelin' screwed?
Explanation:
(i) For every cause, an effect: apathy, indecision, and unwillingness to confront difficult truths are qualities deeply ingrained in the American character. The resulting culture of detachment has led to a continual sabotaging of our own best interests and of those of the less privileged worldwide.
(ii) For every transgression, vengeance: the ascendence of outfits like the Islamic State in the Middle East is a frightening development, but its roots lie in decades of American imposition. There is an upwards limit to human suffering: when Americans are assassinated without due process and spied upon at their places of work, worship, and leisure; when civilians abroad are considered necessary collateral damage; when children grow up in the shadow of daily bomb raids; and hospitals, schools, and homes are targeted in pursuit of former allies, people will seek order from any source.
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2. |
||||
Grumblin' tummy? Mind ill at ease?
You need an empathetic ear!
You need a late lunch sogged with grease!
White hands hold white hands
While black hands wring with grief
Over breakfast, eyes meet in agreement
What goes for trouble in some parts of town
In others ain't worth grieving
White hands hold white hands
While black hands wring with grief
In a park, children doing children's things
In a car, lovers doing lover's things
The quaint banalities of life
Twisted to the moments needs
Explanation:
There is a clear disparity between how white citizens and citizens of color are treated in the US, and the delineation is no more apparent than in the handling of white terrorists/criminals versus black civilians by law enforcement. There is always time for de-escalation, rationalization, and coddling when black church-goers are murdered, but the weaponization and criminalization of Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, Eric Harris, Mike Brown, etc happened before a call was ever made. This dynamic is the foundation of our country and without addressing it, any talk of equality is patently farcical.
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3. |
American Hate
01:10
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4. |
___
01:49
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5. |
Humbug
02:35
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True, they left ya blue
Hauled off with nana
And papa, too!
Ain't suncast specters
Out near Nevada
Just mass graves for geriatrics
And the purged Benghazi data
"Connie's new curriculum
Lists jihad next to mathematics"
"Well, little Bobby, turned queer and commie,
Now Janet and Bob Sr. clutch their King James in the attic"
Excess of time? Burdened!
Keenly observant? Burdened!
Ignored prescience? Fucking burdened!
But little men mind very little
What's big around with hollow middle?
A burden in excess of hope
True, they left ya blue
Hauled with nana
And papa, too!
Ain't suncast specters
This side of the border
Just mass graves para trabajadores
Seeking five and a quarter
Will tomorrow look back fondly
When today's spent spitting forward?
What's big around
With hollow middle?
The past despairs! "Beware:
The Humbuh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-bug!
The Humbuh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-bug!"
What's big around
With hollow middle?
The hoax of hope
Explanation:
Conspiracy theories have surrounded ol' Barry O since his election in '08, but his grand designs for septuagenarian death camps, turning white children into gay, Bolshevik, atheists, and implementing Sharia law have largely taken a back seat to reality. His administration has deported more people than his reviled Republican predecessor; expanded drone operations in the middle east; overseen and extended inherited military occupations while initiating brand new ones; given military, material, and political support to right-wing leaders with ties to Reagan's death squad day; remained limp as police have continued their war on the black community; and violence against women, POCs, and the LGBTQ community has continued unabated. This is the legacy of Hope.
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6. |
I Don't Like Any Of You
07:47
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It ain't that I don't like nobody, I just don't like any of you
Explanation:
It ain't that I don't like nobody, I just don't like any of you.
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Not Normal Tapes Chicago, Illinois
DIY Hardcore Punk Label based in Chicago.
No bullshit.
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