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This is what democracy sounds like! (revised)

by mike skliar

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1.
Woke up this morning, checked my phone Once again my spirits sinking like a stone He’s at it again, Tweeting crazy alternative facts The day he stops tweeting will be the day that I can relax He read somewhere that the Mexicans are to blame Or maybe he saw it in a video game He’s at it again, Tweeting shit he pulled out of his ass You couldn’t make up this stuff With two tabs of acid and some laughing gas He thought Bill O’Reilly was his kind of man Ted Nugent’s logic is something he can understand He’s at it again, Hanging out with the white supremacists He read the idiot’s guide to fascism And he’s checking those things off his checklist He saw Psycho one day and said ‘get me Norman Bates’ The perfect director of lodging for the whole United States For Surgeon General, Hannabil Lechter would give him a thrill For director of pets, Cruella de Vil He’s at it again, Throwing everyone his bile Like I said in my song two years ago, Donald Trump you are completely vile He saw Breaking Bad, thought it was kind of rough Tuco was his kind of guy, just not crazy enough Mussolini was too soft, why make the trains run on time? Is it not more bigly to have a leader out of his mind? He’s at it again, ‘till he and Kim Jon Un go into their song Two lunatics with crazy hair, what could possibly go wrong? (c) M. Skliar 2017
2.
We don’t need a Muslim ban the constitution rules this land Separation of church and state America’s already great Climate change is truly real This is truth you can’t conceal Love is love is love is love Hatred must be got rid of Black lives matter sing it out Black lives matter time to shout We must care for those in need Not just reward those with greed Immigrants they make us strong Religious tests they are wrong Immigrants get the job done We’re all connected we’re all one We don't need to build a wall Love trumps hate and that is all This is what democracy sounds like This is what democracy sounds like (c) M. Skliar 2017
3.
It’s a stranger reality then I can conceive When alternate facts start to be believed Fake news is the opiate of the asses A rumor that starts on an internet site Is viewed by millions at the speed of light Fake news is the opiate of the asses Ignorance is the new knowledge Derision is the new blood sport First figure out your worldview fill in fake facts that support It’s so addicting to be correct Just find the right news outlets that you can check Fake news is the opiate of the asses Don’t get caught with your pants down Get your facts and figures from a phony circus clown Fake news is the opiate of the asses Ignorance is the new knowledge Derision is the new blood sport Dial in your personal prejudice Then fill in fake facts that support (c) M. Skliar 2017
4.
We’re scared of the wrong things As species disappear Things that we have gotten used to May not still be here It’s the 6th extinction, The last one was not fun A giant comet hit the earth The dinosaurs were done this is a truly odd time this extinction’s triggered by the hand of man this event is bigger then what anyone’s got planned we are just one species short sighted somewhat vain we are not infallible just cause we have brains this is a truly odd time (c) M. Skliar 2017
5.
Another winter of our discontent Another inner monologue to be written Feeling stranger then I have in many years The world’s not a place that I’m fitting Most folks around me, are baffled as well How could all this have gone down so badly It’s like those five stages the therapists talk about Denial, bargaining, what would we give up gladly The world’s gone mad, my people are sad Its gonna be a long four years Next year at this time, I’ll have a plan With my brothers in arms in the resistance It sounds more romantic then it probably is More like putting in the hours with persistence The world’s gone mad, my people are sad Its gonna be a long four years There’s a bridge to a better world, we’ll have to build it brick by brick The art of the possible, some call it politics The world’s gone mad, my people are sad Its gonna be a long four years (c) M. Skliar 2017
6.
Speak in parables, illustrate with a story Just like you know who, hit ‘em with an allegory Or get them to sing along to the song “Richard Corey” That’s how you reach the unreachable Appeal to the better angels of their nature Ask about their values and put it down on paper Discuss how that gets translated to the legislature That’s how you reach the unreachable They hate a certain foreigner, don’t just call them dumb Find out where their ancestors might have come from Talk about the days their folks were living in the slums That’s how you reach the unreachable They say no rights for gays, talk about their cousin or their niece Remember when they got beat up, afraid to call the police How would it make you feel that they could not live in peace That’s how you reach the unreachable They say global warming is a hoax, find out if their source of news Comes from an oil company , with so much to lose Like big tobacco , when lung cancer they refused That’s how you reach the unreachable Health insurance, another issue that really divides Ask how they like people who take a free ride at the hospital not paying for the care that we provide That’s how you reach the unreachable What’s that you say, they are still squawking socialism Health care for all, well that’s just pragmatism Do you want your waiter coughing in your food, go and quiz him That’s how you reach the unreachable And if by chance none of these approaches seem to work The person that you’re talking to, they might just be a jerk But his friend who might be listening, you might have given a framework That’s how you reach the unreachable (c) M. Skliar 2017
7.
In 1998, Frank Sinatra died, I wrote a song about it, I won’t lie, In part, to have something to sing When Katharine Hepburn, and others bit the dust, I started to write what I thought I must That obituary song became another one of my things In the almost 20 years since that day Wrote so many songs about people who passed away Last year Bowie and Prince got me working overtime a song about my grandma who died at 92 It was sad but she was old, what can you do But what about the people who pass well before their prime That leads me to Paul, nicknamed Hoopshank Sometimes he sailed thru life, sometimes he almost sank But he was always a friend, true and deep He had more talent than the rest of us all combined A firm grasp of every signature of time You want a song in 13/4, he could play it in his sleep We met in person in London in 2009 He even played guitar on a gig of mine We started to skype and those talks were so freewheelin’ Some weeks we talked so very much Some weeks we were sadly out of touch But always back and picked up with that same feeling He loved Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton early Genesis, he could really sink his teeth in The things he loved he’d make you love them too Got me to watch Breaking Bad, listen to Bill Evans The Sopranos, and Godfather, to him were heaven So many things I appreciate hoops, because of you A sense of humor that was all his own Could it be that Hoops’ Rosetta stone Was that he never lost his childlike wonder He could relay a dream like it was all too real An outtake of Fellini with a Bergman feel A mind movie that shook you just like thunder And sometimes those dreams became musical And with a whimsy quite Dr Seussical They’d become songs unlike any you ever heard Here at Fawm we looked forward to Another Hoops creation, another song new Looking for that avatar of the crazy patchwork bird And now that bird no longer sings No sound of drums, or keys, or strings I keep thinking he’ll return sooner or later That skype light stays yellow, does not turn green I’m starting to realize just what that means And tho hoops and I did not believe in any supreme being, and he felt particularly sure about this one, and could quote you Richard Dawson (EDIT- I meant Dawkins! oops!) quotes till the cows, or maybe I should say ducks, came home, if there was a God at the mixing boards, I know there isn’t but if there was some sort of supreme being, and indulge me here, (and remembering the last line to rhyme with was ‘later’) maybe it’s the end of the song and he just turned down the master faders… Goodbye Hoops you crazy spirit so many of us shed a tear it feels so strange that you're gone feels so strange that you're gone (c) 2017 M. Skliar
8.
Hypocrisy 01:57
She had her own e mail server The vice president also had his own I’ll make it brief, but the commander in chief Tweets on an unsecured phone Hypocrisy… Right there in the constitution The President chooses a Supreme Court judge The senate is supposed to advise and consent Except with the last guy, they did not budge Hypocrisy… If any other candidate had a staff that spent time Meeting with Russians who messed with the vote That candidate would never be the president That candidate would be a footnote Hypocrisy… (c) M. Skliar 2017
9.
Powerful and continuous nationalism Building a wall as a solution to immigration obsession with national security Banning certain religions and groups from entering this nation Disdain for intellectuals and the arts Ignoring climate change and scientific teachings Demonization of the media Banning mainstream news from press briefings These are not just random lines, but a caution and a call to action These are the warning signs of fascism Religion and government intertwined Enacting bigotry and hatred by far right Christian groups into policy Rampart sexism Controlling a woman’s reproductive choices while belittling woman for all to see Widespread cronyism and corruption Appointing leaders of largest oil companies and banks to the cabinet posts Fraudulent elections Encouraging Russian hacking of the democrats while attempting to suppress the vote These are not just figments of your mind, but a caution and a call to action These are the warning signs of fascism Disdain for human rights having a history of sending out racist dog whistles, hiring white supremicists as advisors Obsession with crime and punishment Telling the public that crime is at a 40 year high, another lie to stoke racist fires Labor power suppressed Taking away healthcare from the poor while the rich take as much as they can take Identification of enemies as a unifying cause Consistently tweeting that the free press is the enemy of the people and the news is fake These are not just random lines, but a caution and a call to action These are the warning signs of fascism (c) M. Skliar 2017
10.
Betsy DeVos 01:43
Betsy DeVos, she's the new boss, of the Department of Education She''ll make the rules for all public schools across the nation what were her qualifications for such an important position? the whole idea of public schools she's in opposition she wrote lots of checks and now she does flex her unmitigated gall private school classes not schools for the masses are what she wants above all no child left behind if you go to religions institutions or charters thos who are not her kind who cares if life for them is harder betsy devos... (c) M. Skliar 2017
11.
Reflections 02:33
Spare me sad reflections on what went wrong As you look thru dirty eyeglasses at the approaching storm You voted for this captain, and his motley crew Who stood at the door of knowledge yelling things not true Spare us your thoughts that the other side was not strong Spare me your sad reflections, face the fact that you were wrong As the chaos is descending, reflect on what you’ve wrought All the cheap lies and confidence games your ignorance has bought All those easy solutions, they’re not so easy now Its like trying to get the milk, after you’ve killed the cow Here comes the big decline, here comes the swan song Spare me your reflections, face the fact that you were wrong Those fearful phony fake facts are falling at your feet Reminding you the reasons that your thinking’s obsolete Too late to pretend in your Pollyanna fantasy Whose every branch bears the fruit, the fruit of a poison tree Look into the mirror, it might take you all day long Look at that reflection, and admit that you were wrong (c) M. Skliar 2017
12.
57 times the earth’s been around the sun, I’ve been on that blue balloon I’ve heard a voice from a transistor radio, talk about the men landing on the moon I’ve seen a president resign and also a pope, I drank a little wine I smoked a little dope I’ve never really been at the end of my rope, I’m a pretty lucky guy 57 times I’ve seen the seasons change, and I guess I’ve changed too I’ve had long hair and short hair, too skinny, too heavy, but I’m still a New York liberal Jew I’ve seen the towers fall, ive seen computers rise, ive seen companies grow and then downsize Ive seen my wife smile with her eyes, I’m a pretty lucky guy 57 years old I am this week, sometimes I can’t believe it’s true Some days aren’t perfect, but lots of time I get to do what I want to do I’ve got no special phrase, which will surprise & amaze, just a bunch of songs documenting my days, the route that I have taken thru this cosmic maze, and by and large in so many ways I’m a pretty lucky guy (c) M. Skliar
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about

This is what democracy sounds like! At least at this present moment, here in New York City, in February & March 2017 (and 1 track from April). This collection of 14 songs were written mostly in February 2017 as part of "February Album Writing Month" and reflect what's going on politically, personally, and more.

The title track was recorded live at at singing protest rally in Washington Square Park, NYC in February 2017, featuring yours truly and a cast of hundreds. The rest are more intimate studio recordings. This album has an unusual number of political or topical-based songs, but it's not a normal time right now in the US (or indeed many places in the world). (It's not all politics, however, and includes some upbeat reflections from a pretty lucky guy, another song with famous movie quotes, a song about a late friend, a science lesson about species extinction, and more)

All profits and proceeds from this album will be donated to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and the Sierra Club

-Mike Skliar

credits

released March 12, 2017

Mike Skliar- guitars, vocals, harmonica, banjo, mandolin, dobro/resonator guitar, bass, percussion.

On track 2, 'this is what democracy sounds like'-(recorded live at Washington Square Park, NYC) -- additional vocals, drums, percussion, and more provided by the hundreds of people in attendance at the rally-thanks, everyone! (and thanks to Evan Zucker for recording the audio and video)

All songs written by Mike Skliar (c) 2017

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