1. |
The Condition
01:50
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2. |
Escape From Evil
11:27
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Blessed with this conscience
and doomed with this flesh
a towering rot of nails and hair
thrown towards the gates
to siphon the guilt
I, the animal
is
I, the God
and I know cause these thoughts
pass through me
we beat with fists and stones
and destroy all I am
Of the lives I have taken
for the cause
for all the hate I am blessed with
Butchered Sons! May you forever live in turn!
Listen
to the sound of seven billion souls
at war
Screaming
the vicious will
vindicate the fallen
To kill the world
hands them
stardom
and these are
the ways for
which I was
raised.
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3. |
Rise, Moloch
22:03
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I am the sum of everything I own
caught scrapping and scraping
at the table for what drops
from the mouths of those
who sit on our shoulders
we have everything
and we have nothing
I demand war for those who
steal within the law
state my name
and my worth
I walk the streets lined
with a thousand blind
windows and I see my grace
staring back at me
On the corner under boxes
under careless smiles
with cracked skin he stretches
an unwanted hand to me
my divinity
in spite of
His
For the children
of the priest, the artist and the CEO
(all sold)
at the strike of a gavel
this paper dictates my soul
apes with omnipotence
gods with anuses
Its breath over head now on my face
so warm and taking me in its grip
I climb higher, I'm there now
The lips; the teeth
I take a deep breath and leap in
Rise, Moloch
fear Moloch
Dissolve me
and prosper
Rise, Moloch
Sweet Moloch
Explanation:
Throughout history we have devised multiple means to excel both ourselves and our group or kinship. One of the most enduring models has prevailed for its tangible and material nature:
The Capitalist model, which we set up as a death defying system, has provided us with a hierarchical structure with which to measure ourselves by. By Climbing to the top and beating the opposition to the apex we instate our control through material possessions and, even maybe, obtainable plans.
But accepting these tenants we also have to accept that this is based upon entirely subjective and arbitrary criterion. To pursue these ideas of wealth and, therefore, status we can stand on the shoulders of others but there is no roof to touch; no ending to this narrative of desire which can only end in suffering. To the man with just about everything to have less than someone wealthier can be a degrading thing. And to the man with everything who considers himself a God of the physical there can be no contentment for there is no limit.
Moloch has for a long time been a prominent figure in the critique of Capitalism. Films such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Allen Ginsberg's seminal and controversial poem Howl both mention Moloch as the all consuming beast which we willingly sacrifice ourselves to. Yet, once we have scaled the body; up to the head and stared down into the mouth of the beast only then do we realise the reality of our mammonistic endeavours.
The quote in this song is taken from a speech by Dr. James Dobson. This should be taken with a pinch of salt. Dobson is an Evangelical Christian and his critique of materialism perhaps stems from his theological background. He could then therefore be considered a victim of his own terror managment via religion. It was included as I felt it served a purpose within the context of this song but holds no sympathies with his personal religion and politics.
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4. |
Of Flesh and Stone
09:57
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Signatures in stone
our carved history
They erect the past
blot colours to dictate our future
march the lines of sad souls
through the streets
which once was now can forever be,
dear friend
"my father's land"
up there, scraping the sky
and running through
the blood stained veins
of the streets
just to let them know
We were here!
We are here!
Behind grey
the soul
shared secrets
in bone,
stone and mottos
and lifted candles
light the sky
we joined hands
and sang
we joined hands
and watched it fall away
We were here!
(I know this)
We are here!
(in droves)
and we watched it
fall away
Under the colours
amongst the crowd
through the songs
which I can't feel
Explanation:
From the smallest gesture to the most grandiose carved stone humankind has tried its best to leave some remnants of its existence for the world to see. Monuments are erected to display our influence upon the world which moves with complete indifference around the world. The human animal has taken it upon itself to leave some signature to the world to let it know that we were here and that we existed. The human animal has become a symbolic creature that, for most, a piece of cloth dyed with different colours can distinguish a world of difference between you and I. We allow this inclusive yet separatist approach to identify our fellows and keep an eye on our enemies, It is also effective as a guilt reliever. To worry that you have not achieved something in your life can be a crushing thing as you swim in an ocean of time amongst the most remarkable achievers. But to assign ourselves to an identity, propped up by symbolic stimulus, you can become something more than the skin you walk in.
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5. |
The Worm at the Core
04:23
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6. |
Exit Smiling
17:50
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I feel the grass beneath me
The sun beating down
upon our heads
and see that
it is good
Trapped inside this
sack of sinew
so vile
so pitiful
perishable
It's thought like these that still scratch my head
and to place a line between the two dots to find
an anchor for these ugly thoughts
and how...
and how I've tried to tell myself
those lies
through glassy eyes; beer maddened
minds
So I drop my head
breath deep
and pray it never comes.
This can't be the end
So I grant my own wishes
a place to rest my body
here
a place to rest my head
up there
I'll pay my dues
Kill if I have to
just to grasp
what I can
What's left
rising from churches
the steeple
stretches to my home
above
We're hostages to time
and the ground beneath us.
Born
(bloodied and yelling)
Forlorn
(I need you)
Broken
(I'm giving over)
Inside
Death's feet stand at my door
brittle life
(spills across the world)
pull back
(I'm not ready)
Capricious
(don't make me leave)
Oh, God
please don't let me die
I'm not ready
don't make me leave
Explanation:
“The Soul” is perhaps the oldest immortality myth in the world. Nearly every culture forms some kind of religion or ideology which attempts to differentiate us from the non- human animals. We put ourselves on a new level. Placing ourselves on par with god - we are conscious and capable of comprehending reality and everything in between. We are capable of imagining ourselves floating through outer space while we sit at our desks or eat dinner with our families and friends. With such an imaginative power at our disposal it is easy to see why we would use this tool to bring equanimity to the pain of life; its brevity.
All this has an end. We will end and then what happens next? We create stories of our physical bodies decay and something else continuing our presence in this world. These stories give us a new relevance and lead to a homogenized cultural group built on practices and traditions which help us transcend this world and lead calmly into what we hope comes next. This is why our religion and so many holy wars are fought every minute. To name check the most obvious is to belittle the widespread phenomenon that is spiritual war. In ourselves; between our neighbours; in the churches; in the bars; with our parents – we are eternally in conflict with those who threaten our immortality. But when we win and the dust settles; we look down upon the world and exit smiling.
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Schönesende UK
Schönesende is a musical and prose project designed to explore and discuss the Human condition. (See website for full
description)
Music and lyrics by Matthew Bunkell
ALL DONATIONS WILL BE FORWARDED TO SELECTED CHARITIES.
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