Instead of bringing you food for thought from my mind today, I'm going to give you some food that has made me think. Radiohead's OK Computer has been finding it's way into my MP3 player quite often lately. This is one of my absolute favorite albums. The song writing was immaculate, and this album (being recorded in 1997) was very innovative and way ahead of it's time. I personally think it is still ahead of our time now in many ways.
OK Computer is a big contradiction in the way that the music sounds very happy and uplifting, it's only when you really read and study the lyrics that you pick up some very dark meanings. Radiohead has long claimed that this album was not written as a concept album, but themes of consumerism, commercialism, and technologies negative impact on society appear all over the album. There message here is very similar in many ways to the message I bring in much of my work, hence why I feel it's worth posting here. Here is the lyrics for "Fitter, Happier", on the album it is spoken in a robots voice. This combined with the words being almost a smug social status checklist make me believe they were trying to get across the point that society has turned us all into petty robots. As with my work, read it through a couple times and find what it means to you!
"Fitter, Happier" by Radiohead
Fitter, happier, more productive,
Comfortable,
Not drinking too much,
Regular exercise at the gym,
3 days a week,
Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries,
At ease,
Eating well,
No more microwave dinners and saturated fats,
A patient better driver,
A safer car,
Baby smiling in back seat,
Sleeping well,
No bad dreams,
No paranoia,
Careful to all animals,
Never washing spiders down the plughole,
Keep in contact with old friends
Enjoy a drink now and then,
Will frequently check credit at (moral) bank,
Hole in the wall,
Favors for favors,
Fond but not in love,
Charity standing orders,
On Sundays, ring road supermarket
No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants,
Car wash,
Also on Sundays,
No longer afraid of the dark or midday shadows,
Nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate,
Nothing so childish,
At a better pace,
Slower and more calculated,
No chance of escape,
Now self-employed,
Concerned but powerless,
An empowered and informed member of society,
Pragmatism not idealism,
Will not cry in public,
Less chance of illness,
Tires that grip in the wet,
Shot of baby strapped in back seat,
A good memory,
Still cries at a good film,
Still kisses with saliva,
No longer feeling empty and frantic,
Like a cat tied to a stick,
That's driven into frozen winter shit,
The ability to laugh at weakness,
Calm,
Fitter,
Healthier and more productive,
A pig in a cage on antibiotics.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Twilight, Starlight, Dawn
The wind in the trees,
Soft breath of the air,
The birds in the sky,
The hand of the sun,
Reflecting back, then it’s gone,
Streaming on the night eagles wings,
Comes the rainbow, the twisted thing,
It turns the sky as dark as dark can be,
The fanciful mischief of the innocent mind,
A fulfilled no worry way of life,
The warmth hits my skin,
My mind it drifts,
In and out,
In and out,
Like a wakeful dream,
The shapes they blend,
All is sanguine,
My body it floats,
It travels above,
It looks down on the world,
The vision of a dove,
And somewhere ahead,
My eye has caught you,
I know that your there,
Can you see me too?
To the end of the night,
The angels take flight,
Blue spinning in color,
Till yellow streams take over,
The clean mountain air,
Gives way to a fog,
Is this where all the color has gone?
Soft breath of the air,
The birds in the sky,
The hand of the sun,
Reflecting back, then it’s gone,
Streaming on the night eagles wings,
Comes the rainbow, the twisted thing,
It turns the sky as dark as dark can be,
The fanciful mischief of the innocent mind,
A fulfilled no worry way of life,
The warmth hits my skin,
My mind it drifts,
In and out,
In and out,
Like a wakeful dream,
The shapes they blend,
All is sanguine,
My body it floats,
It travels above,
It looks down on the world,
The vision of a dove,
And somewhere ahead,
My eye has caught you,
I know that your there,
Can you see me too?
To the end of the night,
The angels take flight,
Blue spinning in color,
Till yellow streams take over,
The clean mountain air,
Gives way to a fog,
Is this where all the color has gone?
Broken Mirrors Breed Broken Lies
Why can you not here me?
I’m staring in your face,
Life’s cruel mischief,
The daggers of hate,
They always leave,
You always leave,
Just like my father,
When I was only three,
I wasn’t the better man,
In his bed he was dying,
Full of sorrow and regret,
But I couldn’t be bothered,
To mend the broken fence,
And now forever I sit,
Time for penance has gone,
Alone I have always been,
No kin to be called,
They’ve all gone away,
Life lesson was learned,
Too little too late,
How hard it is to deal,
With so much self hate,
One is too many,
A million is never enough,
The blood borne curse,
Moldy taste of a rotten grave,
And I’m not quite sure,
What side of the fence my ass hangs?
I’m trying, so damn hard,
I’m scratching, I’m clawing,
And all for what?
Material possessions can’t mend a hole in a heart,
But every day I try,
I punch the clock,
I tell myself I’m better,
A mask I know too well,
With crooked teeth,
And a maniac’s smile,
Patiently waiting for the time that I will,
Let my guard down for just a minute,
So he can pounce,
Rip my flesh open,
Devour my heart,
Maybe someday I’ll feel normal,
Maybe someday I’ll be OK,
Distance imperative,
To myself, I'm a slave.
I’m staring in your face,
Life’s cruel mischief,
The daggers of hate,
They always leave,
You always leave,
Just like my father,
When I was only three,
I wasn’t the better man,
In his bed he was dying,
Full of sorrow and regret,
But I couldn’t be bothered,
To mend the broken fence,
And now forever I sit,
Time for penance has gone,
Alone I have always been,
No kin to be called,
They’ve all gone away,
Life lesson was learned,
Too little too late,
How hard it is to deal,
With so much self hate,
One is too many,
A million is never enough,
The blood borne curse,
Moldy taste of a rotten grave,
And I’m not quite sure,
What side of the fence my ass hangs?
I’m trying, so damn hard,
I’m scratching, I’m clawing,
And all for what?
Material possessions can’t mend a hole in a heart,
But every day I try,
I punch the clock,
I tell myself I’m better,
A mask I know too well,
With crooked teeth,
And a maniac’s smile,
Patiently waiting for the time that I will,
Let my guard down for just a minute,
So he can pounce,
Rip my flesh open,
Devour my heart,
Maybe someday I’ll feel normal,
Maybe someday I’ll be OK,
Distance imperative,
To myself, I'm a slave.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Our Own Worst Enemy
America,
Land of the Me,
And the home of the Grave,
Selfishness, our unravel,
From the inside out,
Slowly declining,
Doomsday brought about,
By our own wrong doings,
When the fatal blow has been dealt,
It’s our hands that will be bloody,
Each and every one,
The rich and the poor,
The young and the old,
The white, the brown, the purple, and orange,
A country created as a whole,
Divided by the dollar,
As the country was born,
So it will someday die,
By the blood stained hands of both you and I.
Land of the Me,
And the home of the Grave,
Selfishness, our unravel,
From the inside out,
Slowly declining,
Doomsday brought about,
By our own wrong doings,
When the fatal blow has been dealt,
It’s our hands that will be bloody,
Each and every one,
The rich and the poor,
The young and the old,
The white, the brown, the purple, and orange,
A country created as a whole,
Divided by the dollar,
As the country was born,
So it will someday die,
By the blood stained hands of both you and I.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Armageddeon
The earth is falling apart,
I don’t know what we can do,
We can’t keep going,
Same old every day,
Nuclear Holocaust,
Terrorist attacks,
Environmental damage,
Death, Dying, Decay,
The rich get richer,
The poor get poorer,
The government gets stronger,
Democracy crumbles,
Homeless sleep in blankets on the cement,
Twenty feet away from an empty foreclosed house,
Do you care?
I think not,
It’s not about you,
Always about you,
Politicians buying their way into office,
Collecting votes by giving people debt money,
Electioneering, crooked fuck,
Watergate was nothing,
Worthless paper money,
An IOU,
The government can’t even back it,
So how can you?
I’ll probably get shot,
For telling the truth,
Communisms back door,
Money is the root of all evil,
Our government has the most,
Drug dealers take your kids lives,
To give life to their own,
Crappy education,
Can’t make it on our own,
The wounds gush like blood,
Through tourniquet’s of oppression,
Why fix it on my watch,
I can just leave it for the next guy,
4 years, maybe 8 at the most,
What’s another trillion in debt?
Borrowing money from a country that can’t feed their own,
Who cares about their lives?
We sure don’t,
Maybe someday a hero will come,
Maybe someday we’ll be happy,
Of course I personally believe,
Armageddon is much more likely.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Water Bill Past Due
Alone I sit,
Alone I stew,
My mind it races,
I’m coming unglued,
The red dragon has come,
My town left in blazes,
And I see no water for acres and acres,
Shiny hook has been baited,
Living death is instigated,
The grave it sits,
Stony and solid,
The water it boils,
That bubbling sound,
The ashes of life are sprinkled,
Across eternity,
A never ending fable,
Is this what I get,
For giving up,
Is this what I get,
A selfless rut,
I tried my best,
I dug my own grave,
Now alone I sit,
I wish I could have changed,
I wish I could have changed,
But it was too late,
My mistakes they were grave,
I followed the path,
Led before me,
And now here I sit,
For all eternity.
Alone I stew,
My mind it races,
I’m coming unglued,
The red dragon has come,
My town left in blazes,
And I see no water for acres and acres,
Shiny hook has been baited,
Living death is instigated,
The grave it sits,
Stony and solid,
The water it boils,
That bubbling sound,
The ashes of life are sprinkled,
Across eternity,
A never ending fable,
Is this what I get,
For giving up,
Is this what I get,
A selfless rut,
I tried my best,
I dug my own grave,
Now alone I sit,
I wish I could have changed,
I wish I could have changed,
But it was too late,
My mistakes they were grave,
I followed the path,
Led before me,
And now here I sit,
For all eternity.
The day Lifes Novelty Died
There was a time when excitement ensued,
New cuss words, new friends, and new shoes,
Counting, waiting, endlessly it seemed,
To be an adult,
To do what I pleased,
Then unwelcome one day came,
The day when all the colors fade,
The day the wrinkles appear on my eyes,
The day when life’s novelty died.
All those years I waited for what?
To fight for my country?
To pay taxes?
To give up . . .?
All my imaginary dreams,
All the things I hoped I’d be,
And to show up here with my tank empty?
What o what did I do,
To deserve the misery, my ends fraying loose.
That’s how I feel,
Deep down inside,
Sunken, and beaten, and filled with strife,
This is not how I pictured the days of my life,
To go back now, if only I could,
To the time when life was like a magical book,
And in my hand I hold the magical pen,
The key to make my life what I want it to be,
Then I awaken and realize it all was a dream . . .
New cuss words, new friends, and new shoes,
Counting, waiting, endlessly it seemed,
To be an adult,
To do what I pleased,
Then unwelcome one day came,
The day when all the colors fade,
The day the wrinkles appear on my eyes,
The day when life’s novelty died.
All those years I waited for what?
To fight for my country?
To pay taxes?
To give up . . .?
All my imaginary dreams,
All the things I hoped I’d be,
And to show up here with my tank empty?
What o what did I do,
To deserve the misery, my ends fraying loose.
That’s how I feel,
Deep down inside,
Sunken, and beaten, and filled with strife,
This is not how I pictured the days of my life,
To go back now, if only I could,
To the time when life was like a magical book,
And in my hand I hold the magical pen,
The key to make my life what I want it to be,
Then I awaken and realize it all was a dream . . .
Changing of the Seasons
Everything is fresh and new,
The sweet summer air,
Cherry colored brilliant hue,
I could lay and rest,
For eternity against your breast,
How perfect it feels,
Sitting in the lot,
16 years old,
Experienced we are not,
In matters of the heart,
The novelty creates excitement,
Learning who we are,
But danger is lurking,
First love spreads its wings.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Still bleeds to this day .
As time went you changed,
And so did I,
Till the day came you realized, we were living a lie,
Foreboding misery,
Brought me down to my knees,
My soul is overcome with envy,
Panicked, my soul bleeding it seems,
I searched for the answer,
Eludes me does still,
Naïve was I to think,
To think that you will,
Live happily ever after,
With an asshole named Phil.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Still bleeds to this day
The time it went,
It slipped away,
Now here I sit, ten years to the day,
Life is cruel to me,
I sometimes look enviously,
With time has come wisdom,
Novelty begat familiarity,
I’ll never forget those times,
I can’t help but smile,
When I see the blessings,
God has bestowed,
I can’t help but wonder,
It’s natural I suppose,
I hope that the blessings come to you in droves.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Stopped bleeding this day.
The sweet summer air,
Cherry colored brilliant hue,
I could lay and rest,
For eternity against your breast,
How perfect it feels,
Sitting in the lot,
16 years old,
Experienced we are not,
In matters of the heart,
The novelty creates excitement,
Learning who we are,
But danger is lurking,
First love spreads its wings.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Still bleeds to this day .
As time went you changed,
And so did I,
Till the day came you realized, we were living a lie,
Foreboding misery,
Brought me down to my knees,
My soul is overcome with envy,
Panicked, my soul bleeding it seems,
I searched for the answer,
Eludes me does still,
Naïve was I to think,
To think that you will,
Live happily ever after,
With an asshole named Phil.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Still bleeds to this day
The time it went,
It slipped away,
Now here I sit, ten years to the day,
Life is cruel to me,
I sometimes look enviously,
With time has come wisdom,
Novelty begat familiarity,
I’ll never forget those times,
I can’t help but smile,
When I see the blessings,
God has bestowed,
I can’t help but wonder,
It’s natural I suppose,
I hope that the blessings come to you in droves.
But seasons changed,
And so did we,
Stars once aligned,
Slowly eclipsing,
The best times of my life,
And the worst ones the same,
My heart it shattered,
Stopped bleeding this day.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Vicous Circle
Breathe in, breathe out,
Breathe in, breathe out,
I can’t seem to figure out what life is about,
I can’t seem to grasp the meaning of it all,
Sometimes it feels like just an endless fall,
With no beginning or end,
And no way to circumvent,
A wasted intelligence; sometimes it seems,
A blessing or a curse? All the same to me,
I look to the dog, I look to the cat, I fill with jealousy and envy,
Ignorance is bliss, you don’t know of the pain,
The misery we feel when they all walk away,
Materials are nice, but not necessary,
I’d trade it all for one single moment of clarity,
Out with the computer,
Out with the TV,
Out with the prescription drugs they tell us we need,
Out with the dope and the booze and the lust,
All of these things that have ruined our trust,
All of these things have ruined our souls,
Left us lying broken and full of holes,
The blood it seeps, life slipping away,
And yet I still wake for one more dreaded day,
To wake up and slave for a pile of paper,
This vicious circle it never ends,
The greed of us all, society will end,
So sad it is to see, humanity living through a screen,
Sitting and staring and waiting to see,
Living the entirety of your life vicariously,
How lonely it is to live in this society,
In this so called land of the free,
Where the shackles are placed around you at birth,
Brainwashing and breeding you to eventually be,
The sheep that they all want you to be.
Breathe in, breathe out,
I can’t seem to figure out what life is about,
I can’t seem to grasp the meaning of it all,
Sometimes it feels like just an endless fall,
With no beginning or end,
And no way to circumvent,
A wasted intelligence; sometimes it seems,
A blessing or a curse? All the same to me,
I look to the dog, I look to the cat, I fill with jealousy and envy,
Ignorance is bliss, you don’t know of the pain,
The misery we feel when they all walk away,
Materials are nice, but not necessary,
I’d trade it all for one single moment of clarity,
Out with the computer,
Out with the TV,
Out with the prescription drugs they tell us we need,
Out with the dope and the booze and the lust,
All of these things that have ruined our trust,
All of these things have ruined our souls,
Left us lying broken and full of holes,
The blood it seeps, life slipping away,
And yet I still wake for one more dreaded day,
To wake up and slave for a pile of paper,
This vicious circle it never ends,
The greed of us all, society will end,
So sad it is to see, humanity living through a screen,
Sitting and staring and waiting to see,
Living the entirety of your life vicariously,
How lonely it is to live in this society,
In this so called land of the free,
Where the shackles are placed around you at birth,
Brainwashing and breeding you to eventually be,
The sheep that they all want you to be.
Are You Happy?
Burn the witch, burn her down,
She’s out the shed again,
I’m tossing, I’m turning,
I’m standing, I scream,
Someone wake me from this dream,
The fog it gets, heavy at times,
The red it drowns, it glows in your eyes,
And my your eyes are pretty,
I’m pretty messed up, I’m a great guy,
I love you, I want you to die,
Somebody quiet the baby,
Somebody get me something to drink,
I think I’m gonna puke,
I am happy to see you,
Flying around, just please don’t be mean,
I can’t take that shit today,
I just might snap, or maybe smile,
It’s white and fluffy, it goes growl in the night,
I scream, but no one hears,
I scream, but did it make a sound?
Am I really here, or was I here yesterday,
Over and over again,
Like the rides at the fair,
You know the one that that spins you in a cup,
I never learn, I never learn,
What is wrong with me?
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Are you fucking happy now?
She’s out the shed again,
I’m tossing, I’m turning,
I’m standing, I scream,
Someone wake me from this dream,
The fog it gets, heavy at times,
The red it drowns, it glows in your eyes,
And my your eyes are pretty,
I’m pretty messed up, I’m a great guy,
I love you, I want you to die,
Somebody quiet the baby,
Somebody get me something to drink,
I think I’m gonna puke,
I am happy to see you,
Flying around, just please don’t be mean,
I can’t take that shit today,
I just might snap, or maybe smile,
It’s white and fluffy, it goes growl in the night,
I scream, but no one hears,
I scream, but did it make a sound?
Am I really here, or was I here yesterday,
Over and over again,
Like the rides at the fair,
You know the one that that spins you in a cup,
I never learn, I never learn,
What is wrong with me?
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Are you fucking happy now?
Man Made God
Look what we’ve created,
We reap what we’ve sown,
Miscommunications, media like a drone,
Never ending non-sense,
We’re trapped in a maze,
Never bloated or full,
Only we are to blame,
Our youth is bred to think,
What is bad is what’s good,
We take what we want,
What we want is in you,
We worship the people, who live miserably,
We make them into gods, our envy they feed,
Hatred, and lust, and most of all greed,
These are only a few of our favorite things.
Selfishness and self loathing,
They go hand and hand,
How can you be happy, when all you do is demand?
Enough is enough,
Were ready for change,
I can’t take it anymore,
It’s filled me with rage,
You ruin your own life,
But leave me to mine,
All of my mistakes
I’m leaving behind.
We worship the people, who live miserably,
We make them into gods, our envy they feed,
Hatred, and lust, and most of all greed,
These are only a few of our favorite things.
We reap what we’ve sown,
Miscommunications, media like a drone,
Never ending non-sense,
We’re trapped in a maze,
Never bloated or full,
Only we are to blame,
Our youth is bred to think,
What is bad is what’s good,
We take what we want,
What we want is in you,
We worship the people, who live miserably,
We make them into gods, our envy they feed,
Hatred, and lust, and most of all greed,
These are only a few of our favorite things.
Selfishness and self loathing,
They go hand and hand,
How can you be happy, when all you do is demand?
Enough is enough,
Were ready for change,
I can’t take it anymore,
It’s filled me with rage,
You ruin your own life,
But leave me to mine,
All of my mistakes
I’m leaving behind.
We worship the people, who live miserably,
We make them into gods, our envy they feed,
Hatred, and lust, and most of all greed,
These are only a few of our favorite things.
2010 America's Sweetheart
24 karat gold, shines like the dreams,
Pink convertible Mercedes Benz, here’s the keys,
When I was 12 I had sex with a dude that was 43,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’ve looked pretty my whole life life, For this stupid couch
And a giant bed, which lays alone on Friday night
While I drown my sorrows, going to drop 10 grand shopping tomorrow,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’m better than them; this shouldn’t happen to me,
America’s princess, hell I should be queen,
You should all bow down to my feet, whilst I bend over and excrete,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’m 25, I look too old, time for surgery again,
Maybe I should fake a sex tape leak?
Who needs self respect when you got a bank full of green?
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
Pink convertible Mercedes Benz, here’s the keys,
When I was 12 I had sex with a dude that was 43,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’ve looked pretty my whole life life, For this stupid couch
And a giant bed, which lays alone on Friday night
While I drown my sorrows, going to drop 10 grand shopping tomorrow,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’m better than them; this shouldn’t happen to me,
America’s princess, hell I should be queen,
You should all bow down to my feet, whilst I bend over and excrete,
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
I’m 25, I look too old, time for surgery again,
Maybe I should fake a sex tape leak?
Who needs self respect when you got a bank full of green?
Why am I not happy now? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I not happy now?
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