1. |
Interesting Times
03:28
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Is the collapse coming faster?
From unexpected directions
Mix in a pandemic disaster
And some rotten elections
It’s a long way from divine
It starts to feel like a crime
To live in interesting times
The care-free childhoods we shared
Are now a distant dream
Everybody’s running scared
Fear in our bloodstreams
Look around for the signs
Its part of the design
We live in interesting times
Like Al Pacino said, “The whole thing’s out of order”
Weather’s out of whack, viruses attack, don’t ask about the water
But we’re all too distracted, with Netflix and wordle
While the milk of human kindness, it all starts to curdle
This plot no writer would have tried
Its just not remotely believable
As Wally Shawn said in Princess Bride
‘The whole thing is inconceivable’
don’t have to read between the lines
you should have caught us in our prime
we live in interesting times
Is there an ending to this story?
Can we write a better third act?
Have to do more then just take inventory
Of these inconvenient facts
Increase the love that you find
And above all, be kind
Living in interesting times
(c) 2022 M. Skliar
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2. |
Meaningless Statistics
03:22
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So many things divide us
Politics, religion, the things we read and see
There is so little agreement
Mention any issue, and someone will disagree
You might find someone who agrees with what you said
But maybe you said it a slightly different way
The battle lines are drawn,
That wall you built is there to stay
The only agreement this seems to be a rule
Meaningless statistics are awesome and cool !
2
How many songs went to number one three times
How many feet is the deepest coal mine
How often did Babe Ruth strike out
How many ‘stifle edith’ did Archie shout
How many notes did Charlie Parker miss
How many times was Bette Davis kissed?
How many presidents were senator first
In the big Lebowski, how many times did John Goodman curse
The only thing uniting us, the best social tool
Meaningless statistics are awesome and cool
3
There are people who dispute the election
People who dispute whether vaccines work
People who love misdirection
People who love calling other people jerks
they might disagree on if the earth is flat
but agree on the most popular youtube of a cat
the number of home runs hit with a certain type of bat
the number of movies Humphrey Bogart did not wear a hat
the only thing uniting us, in fact it makes us drool
meaningless statistics are awesome and cool !
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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3. |
62
02:16
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Yes I’m turning 62
What oh what is there to do?
A one way ticket, closer to…
Whatever fate decrees is true
When digits start with the number six
So many things are in the mix
A different way to get your kicks
And figure out some new tricks
Is there wisdom? I don’t know
Where’s my get up, where’s my go
Moving yes, a bit more slow
Just hope to have a bit of flow
In the morning, getting up
Looking at that half filled cup
philosophy?, just don’t mess up
That big pill, needs to be cut up
On thin ice who knows if we skate
And will it be a long long wait
Before the man says ‘checkmate’
And they refer to you as ‘late’
So while I’m here, I’ll just be me
Enjoy the ride, that’s the key
Have roots and branches, like a tree
It comes and goes, guaranteed
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4. |
When the sun turns grey
02:29
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What on earth can you say
When the sun turns grey
And connections evaporate
When the whole world has turned
Your calls, not returned
And your wisdom
It’s come way too late
Like the Scottish King of old
When the fates start to roll
And the walls fall into each other
And the trees start to walk
And the clouds start to talk
And you’ve somehow lost track of your brother?
Bridge
You’ve replayed the past over and over
You can’t change what occurred
But there is a place
Out there is space
where there exists some sort of grace
Embrace the moment, lean in
Yes its hard to begin
The one thing that’s steady is change
sometimes all you can do
cherish the old, embrace the new
sooner or later things rearrange
(c) 2022 M. Skliar
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5. |
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When will they put his ass in jail?
we need an ending to this fairy tale
the bread of justice is getting stale
When will they put his ass in jail
when will they finally indict?
I want more then just 'they might'
He's still free, that's not right
when will they finally indict
Got to send him up the river
without a paddle
Poor baby Donald
got to take away his rattle
This ain't just politics
the last election he tried to fix
and then came January 6th
this ain't just politics
every day he's spreading hate
this goes on too long we're tempting fate
our democracy has become third rate
every day he's spreading hate
Got to send him up the river
without a paddle
Poor baby Donald
got to take away his rattle
tax fraud, voter fraud, every other kind of fraud
multiple felonies
the system is deeply flawed, if we're not moving towards
penitentiary
When will they put his ass in jail?
we need an ending to this fairy tale
the bread of justice is getting stale
When will they put his ass in jail
Got to send him up the river
without a paddle
Poor baby Donald
got to take away his rattle
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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6. |
Invisible
01:56
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Always surrounded by beauty
How could I feel bereft?
Take away two thirds of this bounty
still a thousand treasures left
And just when I thought I had counted them all
I found a dozen doors where once there had been a wall
Invisible, unless you look
Invisible, an unopened book
Just waiting, go look, go see
The Invisible is waiting for discovery
Half-remembered dream of a dinosaur
Passed down thru DNA chains
Hiding at the edge of the dance floor
Waiting to be called by a name
And just when I thought it would always be lost
I caught the magic that someone had tossed
Invisible, unless you look
Invisible, an unopened book
Just waiting, go look, go see
The Invisible is waiting for discovery
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7. |
Mind v body
03:01
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I put on the scarf you used to wear, I broke out in a rash
looking for your address , my hands threw it in the trash
My elbow elbows me that that it knows way better then I do
My body separates me from things I get too attached too
My knee gives a twinge whenever I think of you
Its closer to the ground maybe it’s got a better view
My ankle tells me things my mind wouldn’t have the nerve
When I think I should see you my body throws me a curve
A smell triggers your memory, then I begin to sneeze
My sinuses sarcastically seem to say ‘oh please’
I would have left the house to visit you but my legs just made me freeze
My body is collaborating to find the best exit strategies
I would have visited but my stomach made plans
Cause dinner with you is something it cannot stand
Don’t want to get graphic, but I redecorated in a new color scheme
My body’s telling me something I’m starting to figure out what it means
So while we seemed to have a great meeting of the minds
My eyes might go on strike and then I’d be blind
I’m at the mercy of a thousand body parts
My mind has been outvoted by my liver, my kidney and my heart
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8. |
Crossroads
02:02
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We’re sitting here in the crossroads
That limbo that lies between
Back there was fear and boredom
Back there was quarantine
Ahead may lie back to normal
But are we moving there way too fast
Another change in the DNA
And the die might be already cast
I don’t think I know the right answers
The truth is, no one can say
I’ve been good for so long already
Seems a shame to throw it away
But we can’t live this way forever
Collateral damage piling up
Still I can’t say I’m hurting all the time
I’m looking at a half full cup
So I’ll take a few baby steps
To bring back that normal feeling
And hope it doesn’t all crash back down
Is that a crack I see in the ceiling?
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9. |
Democracy is leaving
03:17
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If you’re not worried about what’s going on, you’ve got yer head in the sand
Jan 6th was the Reichstag fire, a dry run for the stuff that is planned
Its not just suppressing votes, It’s who counts them and who’s in the room
Democracy is leaving, it may not come back soon
Our government’s tilted to the right, here’s some facts to prove that’s true
50 Senate Democrats represent 41 million more, then the 50 Republicans do
While the House is Gerrymandered, who rigs the rules calls the tune
Democracy is leaving, it may not come back soon
Low information voters, pandered to with easy solutions
Frustrated and fed up with our every institution
When the polio vaccine arrived, no one was anti-vax
Nobody spent their time writing websites, pushing fake alternate facts
Apolitical is amoral today, yeah the reality is that stark
Apathy is a burning flame, and its only gonna take a little spark
Dismiss this at your peril, go ahead think that America’s immune
Democracy is leaving it may not come back soon
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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10. |
Bitcoin is bull
05:08
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The doctor saw the patient and got a history
He had bags under his eyes, trouble trying to see
The patient told a tale of burning midnight oil
To solve this mystery you don’t need Arthur Conan Doyle
The doctor told the patient, let me see your cellphone
90 browser windows opened, this disorder is full-blown
The telltale signs there for all to see
85 browser windows open , about cryptocurrency
The patient was obsessed with this bitcoin scheme
Blockchains and mining now make up all their dreams
They want to put my money there, and make it grow and grow
Others getting rich, they got a case of FOMO
(FOMO, that stands for ‘fear of missing out’ a common early 21st century phenomenon, probably as widespread as the virus, and just about as easily spread, too)
OK What is bitcoin? What is cryptocurrency? That’s a whole other song, goes like this
It’s a complicated mess, with jargon and doublespeak
Marketed to appeal to an oh-so-discerning clique
Its value goes up and down, it isn’t for the weak
To explain in any detail would take more then a week
But here’s a few facts, I do not mean to bore
It’s a ponzi scheme at heart, you gotta get in on the ground floor
Its counting that the rubes will walk thru that trap door
Marketed as ‘freedom’, you get what you pay for
But the biggest reason on crypto , you shouldn’t spend a cent
Is the serious damage it does to the environment
To ‘mine’ ie to create this currency that is spent
You need thousands of computers chasing that devil scent
Computer farms the size of a medium sized town
Use enough electric power to run our planet down
Seriuosly, crypto used more power then Argentina or Sweden
You don’t believe me, you should read what I’ve been reading
(back to blues)
Doctor said to the patient, avoid crypto like the plague
Not just because understanding it is confusing and vague
Its basically libertarian bull, promising freedom from regulation
A con artist’s game, now sweeping the nation
Celebrities do ads for it, last week I saw Larry David
And if some crypto fans hear this song, I’m sure they’ll go rabid
But when the hell was a free lunch ever really free
They’re selling you a dream, that money grows on little crypto trees
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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11. |
Jazz singer
03:23
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Every jazz singer in this worn out nation
who faced down the blues with a laugh
whose reality was punctured by poverty and privation
should have a bold bright epitaph
for it isn't a diamond that cuts thru defenses
revealing that healing of the soul
its phrasing and timing that heighens the senses
and keeps us from feeling old
and lets the spirits that live in us be bold
the swing of a bass, the touch of a snare
finds freedom overpowers oppression
you can leave all your bleeps and blips right there
no answers given, just asking questions
for the missing pieces of your heart are the shape
of the f holes in that old jazz guitar
by hungry ears heard, or on magnetic tape
shining bright as a blazing hot star
an old friend that finds yoyu down at the end of the bar
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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12. |
Pathway home
02:16
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When you’re young, things last forever
At least that seems right, most of the time
But when that roller coaster starts going downhill
It feels different, the passage of time
parents getting old is depressing
Seeing them so ancient and falling apart
My mom said to me today, ‘don’t get old, it sucks’
Its enough to break your heart
And I want to give them a smooth landing
With the grace of a great classic poem
May the earth be a pillow so gentle and soft
May the stars shine their pathway home
When they go, then the world will feel different
We know we are next, there’s no use to pretend
Might as well make the most of this journey
Who knows what happens at the end
And I want to give us a smooth landing
With the grace of a great classic poem
May the earth be a pillow so gentle and soft
May the stars shine our pathway home
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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13. |
Ukraine
02:03
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Ukraine, you’ve got trouble again
Bloodstains and a bear at the door
insane, Putin and his oligarchs
crazy enough to start a war
Ukraine, a troubled history
A terrain that tyrants desire
Gas mains and natural resources
A recipe for a land on fire
Whats gonna happen
Damned if I know
Is it possible
All of Europe will blow?
(Who knows?)
Ukraine, you’ve got a checkered past
Not always such a friendly place for Jews
My late mother in law, hiding in the forest
While some Ukrainians helped the Nazis during world war two
Ukraine, has come a long way
The current president is Jewish by birth
An independent country since 1991,
But Putin’s madness threatens everyone on earth
(c) M. Skliar 2022
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14. |
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